Health Disparities: American-Indians and Diabetes

The incidences of diabetes are growing annually, and predicted to increase within the coming decades. The number of cases yearly is not only increasing, but the age of onset for diabetes has decreased. This means more individuals are developing diabetes at an earlier age. Diabetes not only affects individuals and communities but countries as well. The prevalence of diabetes has gathered billions of dollars in healthcare costs. [1]Type 2 diabetes also leads to other serious medical conditions such as heart disease, renal failure, blindness, and tissue damage in extremities that will eventually lead to amputation. These illnesses, as a result, result in further costs in the form of disability and the loss of a portion of our workforce. However, incidences of type 2 diabetes are in higher occurrence amongst Hispanic groups. According to the Hispanic Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, Mexican Americans have an unusually high prevalence of diabetes compared to that of the general population [2]. Hispanic females have the highest lifetime risk of becoming diabetic – 52% [3], compared to that of the average risk of

According to the American Diabetes Association, more Americans die each year from diabetes than from AIDS and breast cancer combined. As a result, researchers have extensively studied the causes, treatments, and interventions for diabetes. Despite efforts to ameliorate its effects, diabetes remains a prevalent danger in society. In 2014, 7% of U.S. adults were living with diagnosed diabetes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2016). In Louisiana that number was even higher - 10.4% of adults have been diagnosed with diabetes. Breaking it down by age group, however, in Louisiana 3% of people aged 18 and 44 have been diagnosed, and 15.2% of people 45-64. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015a). Several studies have predicted future rates of diabetes both in the United States and worldwide - nearly all of these studies reached a similar conclusion: rates of diabetes will continue to rise (Boyle et al., 2001).

While only 7.6 percent of non-Hispanic whites and 9 percent of Asian-Americans have diabetes, 12.8 percent of Hispanics have diabetes. Other high-risk ethnic groups are non-Hispanic blacks (13.2 percent) and American Indians/Alaskan Natives (15.9 percent). For Hispanics living in the United States, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is lower in those coming from Central and South America (8.5 percent) or Cuba (9.3 percent), but higher for those who are Mexican American (13.9 percent) and Puerto Rican (14.8 percent), who comprise the majority of Hispanic immigrants in the U.S. (Valencia, Oropesa-Gonzalez, Hogue & Florez,

Diabetes is a prevalent health disparity among the Latino population. Diabetes is listed as the fifth leading cause of death among the Latino population in the website for Center for Disease Control and Prevention, CDC, in 2009. According to McBean, “the 2001 prevalence among Hispanics was significantly higher than among blacks.” (2317) In other words among the Hispanic or Latino community, there is a higher occurrence of diabetes as compared to other racial/ethnic groups such as Blacks and Native Americans. The prevalence of diabetes among Latinos is attributed to the social determinants of health such as low socioeconomic status and level of education. Further, this becomes an important public health issue when it costs the

In 2002, among adults, there was an estimated 8.7% prevalence of diabetes. However, rather than there being a prevalence of the disease in the population as a whole, it was found more in specific population subgroups, such as the homeless population. There are certain risk factors these subgroups have that are either associated with diabetes or directly cause it. There is never a 100% correlation of development of diabetes

The Division of Diabetes Treatment and Prevention within IHS has developed the Diabetes Care and Outcomes Audit to monitor diabetes clinical care, and has created diabetes surveillance systems for tracking diabetes prevalence and related health complications (US Department of Health and Human Services [USDHHS], 2015). The IHS also established the Special Diabetes Program for Indians (SDPI). The SDPI is a federally funded program that focuses on diabetes treatment and prevention programs and activities in hundreds of tribal communities within the US. The SDPI encompasses several efforts including the community-directed diabetes program, which focuses on local treatments and prevention programs (USDHHS, 2015). The Program also includes Indian Health Diabetes Best Practices. Developed by Native American health system professionals, these consensus-based approaches are used to implement or improve diabetes treatment and prevention. These Best Practices emphasize adult weight management, nutrition and physical activity, scientific research, diabetes program evaluations, and treatment and prevention of cardiovascular and kidney disease (USDHHS, 2015). The IHS also supports and funds external research programs and interventions

The impact of diabetes on African Americans is disproportionate. An estimated four million of African Americans with the age of twenty and above are diabetic. They are more prone to have diabetes as compared to non-Hispanic whites. Once an African American reaches the age of 65,

The increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes is causing huge health problem through out the world including developed countries. Mostly people with low income groups are affected in developed countries (Zimmet 2001).The magnitude of the healthcare problem of type 2 diabetes results mainly from its association with obesity and cardiovascular risk factors. Indeed, type 2 diabetes has now been identified as one manifestation of the “metabolic syndrome”, a condition characterised by insulin resistance and associated with a range of cardiovascular factors (Jonathan 2003)

In the US type 2 diabetes is a major medical problem affecting all ethnic backgrounds and needs to be addressed. The pre-diabetic and diabetic population is steadily increasing every year despite medical advancements. Unfortunately, the African American population is at a disadvantage when it comes to diabetes. Preventing medical complications related to diabetes, initiating health promotion programs, increasing healthy lifestyle behaviors will essentially lead to a decrease risk of complications secondary to diabetes and overall improve patient

Type 2 Diabetes is common among Native American/American Indian children than non hispanic whites. The risk for developing type 2 diabetes is 2.2 times higher in Native Americans than non hispanic whites. Among Native Americans and Alaska Natives, ninety-five percent have type 2 diabetes and its estimated thirty percent have pre-diabetes (Treatment and Care for American Indians/Alaska Natives 2014). Type 2 diabetes leads to further complications like Cardiovascular disease, the number one cause of death in the United States. Cardiovascular disease is three to four times more more likely to develop in Native Americans with type 2 diabetes. According to CDC (Publishing Date), one in two Native Americans/Alaska Native children who were born in 2000 will develop type 2 diabetes in their lifetime (McLaughlin, 2010).

This paper tackled about the urban health problem of diabetes among African Americans. It was discovered that diabetes is one of the most common health problems being experienced by African Americans, and the impact of diabetes on African Americans is disproportionate. The absence of health care was revealed to be a huge factor in the emergence of diabetes and other urban health problems among African Americans.

This essay aims to identify diabetes as a public health issue, and to facilitate the discussion in the delivery of health promotion, the health risk of type 2 diabetes among south Asians from the Indian subcontinent in the UK will be discussed. This essay will use epidemiological data to demonstrate the prevalence of type 2 diabetes among South Asians in the UK, and also the determinants of health affecting this population. National policies and health promotion approaches will be explored in relation to type 2 diabetes among south Asians in the UK and how these influence the role of the nurse in health promotion. The barriers of health promotion will also be identified along with ways in which they can be overcome by the nurse.

According to the article African American men “, bears a greater burden of type 2 diabetes,” (325). Diabetes is known to have an effect on the individual’s socially, economic and culturally. These factors may include reason as to why diabetes is more prevalent in the males of the African American communities. The article details three main points in which African American men are effected. “ males seek medical care less frequently and at a later point in the course of illness; males generally pay less attention to their diet; and males more often engage in risky behaviors including smoking, alcohol abuse , violence and unsafe driving,”(324). These factors may also include the lack of education and awareness about such disease but also the

Diabetes mellitus is a medical condition that either develops because of a virus or develops over time as a result to poor diet and exercise. If left uncontrolled it may lead to serious complications such as stroke, vision loss, amputation, or even death. Type II Diabetes is a preventable disease that usually occurs when a patient has been a pre-diabetic for some time. Most people with Type 2 are overweight or obese which can lead to insulin resistance. “In the United States, 25.6 million or 11.3% of adults aged 20 years and older had diabetes in 2010. Non-Hispanic Blacks had the highest prevalence at 12.6% compared with non- Hispanic Whites at 7.1%” (Gaskin, D. J. et all, 2014). With the rising cost of healthcare there are millions of Americans

According to a study provided in USNews, there are regional issues when it comes to the rates of type-2 diabetes within the United States today (Seppa, 2011). The "diabetes belt" that can clearly be seen in the Southeast part of the country is one of these regional issues. Southern people, on average, tend to have a higher incidence of diabetes than people in other areas of the country. With that in mind, it is important to realize that there are various reasons why that is the case. It is not just one factor causing the problems, and it is not just the Southeast where diabetes is seen. There are other areas of the country where pockets of diabetes are seen, so no specific place or region of the country is immune to problems with diabetes. The following map shows the basic breakdown of diabetes across the country for the latest year where statistics on the issue are available (Seppa, 2011).