Diabetes Education for Diabetic Patients
Table of Contents
Diabetes is classified into two main categories, Type I diabetes and Type II diabetes. Type I diabetes is characterized by lack of insulin due to loss of beta cells of the islets of langerhans in the pancreas. It occurs mostly in children, but can as well happen to older adult due to destruction of pancreas by a disease or alcohol. Its causes are unknown because most people affected are of a healthy weight (American Diabetes Association, 2012). It accounts for approximately 10% of diabetes cases in America and Northern Europe. It is managed by daily insulin injections. Type II diabetes, on the other hand, accounts for 90% of cases and is characterized by resistance to insulin and relative insulin deficiency.
Thesis Proposal on Diabetes Education for Diabetic Patients
Diabetes is one of the leading killer diseases in the world, a lifelong condition that results from metabolic disorders in the body, and is characterized by high levels of glucose in the blood. It can be caused by a complete lack of insulin, little insulin, or resistance to insulin by the body. When food is digested, it is broken down into glucose, which is absorbed in the bloodstream. However, for glucose to be absorbed insulin, a hormone produced by pancreas, must be present. After eating, the pancreas automatically releases adequate amount of insulin to move glucose that is in the blood into the cell, hence lowering the blood sugar level. Excess glucose in the blood is passed out as urine; hence the person lacks glucose, which is essential for growth and energy (American Diabetes Association, 2012).
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Problem Statement
According to the world diabetes statistics, there are 246 million diabetic patients in the world. This number is expected to rise to 380 million people by 2025. The National Diabetes Fact Sheet (2011) revealed that 8.3% of United States population is diabetic. Moreover, according to the American Diabetes Association (2007), the prevalence of persons under 20 years is 0.22%, for age bracket (20- 60) is 9.6%, while for persons aged above 60 years is 20.9%. Diabetes is the fifth deadliest disease in the United States with its death toll increasing annually. In the USA, the risk of having type 2 diabetes increases with the increasing number of persons with overweight and obesity. Therefore, in light of the above tragic statistics this paper aims at establishing how education on diabetes can help alleviate it.
Research Objectives
The study will present several questions that will help the researcher to achieve the research objectives. The questions are related to delivery of education in the diabetes centers. The objectives include:
- Establishing the prospective of delivering education on diabetes in the health centers, in the U.S.
- Determining the specific benefits that health education has on the efforts of reducing prevalence of diabetes.
- Finding out attitudes and perceptions that diabetic patients and their families have on diabetic education offered in the diabetic centers.
Significance of the Study
The findings of this study will be useful to the respondents because they will be enlightened on how to manage their conditions. It will also help them to understand the disease better and to prevent further complications that come with diabetes. They will have a reference tool in case they have any questions regarding diabetes. Their family members will also find the research useful because they will be empowered with knowledge on how to handle diabetics. In addition, the Health Department may use the results of the study to determine the level of awareness on diabetes among the diabetic patients and their families. Furthermore, the study will add to the existing literature and help encourage further study on diabetes.