The Long-Term Effects of a Type 2 Diabetes, Coursework Example

The Long-Term Effects of a Type 2 Diabetes Health Promotion Intervention in African American Women Ages 40 and Older

Specific Aims

There is large racial and ethnic disparities concerning the prevalence of individuals with type 2 diabetes. Since people are at higher risk for getting this disease if they are obese, researchers have determined that populations with low socioeconomic status (SES) are more likely to become victims of this insulin utilization defect. In the United States, African American women have become classified as having a high disease prevalence, indicated by knowledge that more than 13 percent of African Americans over the age of 20 have been currently diagnosed with diabetes. Furthermore, studies have shown that African Americans are more likely to get the disease than non-Hispanic whites. These figures demonstrate it is necessary to utilize interventions to aid the health of this patient population to prevent against disease onset.

It would be beneficial to assess the benefit that implementation of the Look AHEAD program would have in helping individuals at risk for type 2 diabetes to alter aspects of their lifestyle, such as diet and exercise, that contribute to increase risk of disease. Look AHEAD is used to analyze weight loss by decreased caloric intake and physical activity. It is expected to have long-term benefits because it will track patients over 13.5 years, ensuring that they will remain healthy. While Look AHEAD is currently being used to prevent cardiovascular death, non-fatal stroke, non-fatal myocardial infarction, and hospitalized angina, it is likely that it will prevent the onset of type 2 diabetes as well because this disease has related risk factors to those mentioned.

Aim 1: To determine whether African American women over the age of 40 with type 2 diabetes or risk for the disease would benefit by participating in a program that focuses on weight loss by decreased caloric intake and physical activity.

Scientists understand that there is a significant connection between decreased caloric intake and physical activity in preventing diabetes. It would be necessary to determine the specific health impact that this practice has for African American women over the age of 40 to determine whether the Look AHEAD method would serve as a realistic intervention process.

Aim 2: To determine the length of time that it would be necessary to determine health impacts using the Look AHEAD method in African American women.

The Look AHEAD method was designed to be a longitudinal intervention program. However, reports have indicated that the benefits of diet and exercise could be occasionally observed immediately. It would therefore be necessary to conduct a literature review to uncover information related to how fast health could appear in African American women over the age of 40 when they diet and exercise. It would also be necessary to define these health benefits and how they alter over time.

Aim 3: To determine the short-term impacts of the Look AHEAD method in African American over the age of 40.

Data from the Look AHEAD program will be analyzed to determine what, if any, short-term health benefits participation in the program has caused for the target population. The variables that will be identified will include a shift in obesity status, an increase in nutrient intake, the ability to perform athletically, and knowledge and intensity of disease status.

Background

The prevalence of type 2 diabetes is increasing significantly among all individuals living in the United States, but this is especially true for minority groups. This is a pressing issue, since this disease status has contributed to a decline in the life expectancy of African Americans since 1880 (Robbins et al., 2000). It is therefore necessary to determine which interventions can be reasonably used to enhance the health of these populations. While diet and exercise has been recommended to reduce disease risk factors, many members of this patient population have been non-compliant. Thus, it is imperative that we develop an intervention method that these individuals will adhere to and that can be used to track population health over a long period of time.

The Look AHEAD program proposes a solution to this public health crisis (National Institute of Health, 2014). The primary purpose of this intervention is to determine the long-term effects of intensive lifestyle changes in overweight volunteers with type 2 diabetes, which will help them maintain weight loss by decreasing caloric intake and by increasing physical activity. It is expected that the experimental population that participates in this intervention will be more likely to lose and keep off weight compared to the control population, which will receive an intervention that consists of diabetes support and education, which is currently the golden standard.

While the Look AHEAD program examines a variety of ethnic and racial populations that are obese and have type 2 diabetes, it would be reasonable to study these trends as it related to African American women over the age of 40. Furthermore, it would be advantageous to determine some of the short-term benefits of the intervention for members of this patient population.

References

National Institute of Health. (2014). Action for health in diabetes. Retrieved from https://www.lookaheadtrial.org/public/home.cfm

Robbins JM, Vaccarino, Zhang H, Kasl SV. (2000). Excess type 2 diabetes in African-American women and men aged 40–74 and socioeconomic status: evidence from the Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. J Epidemiol Community Health. 54:839–845.