Healths Social Determinants which Influence Type 2 Diabetes - Literature review Example

Running Head: Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 Diabetes Name Course Lecturer Date Type 2 Diabetes Introduction In Australia, Type 2 forms the most widespread type of diabetes and affects 85-90 percent of all individuals suffering from diabetes. Initially, the disease used to affect older adults but currently, young people as well as children are suffering from it. For people having type 2 diabetes, the pancreas produces less insulin than the body requires and thus it functions poorly. The health condition is caused by a mixture of environmental and genetic factors. Even though there is a sturdy tendency, the risk increases when linked to lifestyle aspects like hypertension, poor diet, obesity and low physical activity level (Willis, Louise, & Keleher, 2009, p.116). This paper will analyse type 2 diabetes in relation to the community or population it affects, as well as the extent of the disease and implications for those affected. The paper will also discuss health’s social determinants which influence type 2 diabetes. The affected population In the past, Type 2 diabetes used to affect Australia’s older people population but it is currently affecting a wider and diversified population. First, the condition affects people whose families have a history of type 2 diabetes. Therefore, it is to some extent transmitted genetically from one generation to the other. Moreover, type 2 diabetes affects people who are less physically active regardless of their age[ESS12]. Diabetes Australia (2009, p.2) further says that, type 2 diabetes affects Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal population who are aged 35 years and above. This population suffers a bigger chronic disease burden as compared to the other Australian population. The bigger burden of type 2 diabetes among the Indigenous Australian population is to a big extent as a result of a higher degree of adaptable risk factors like obesity, which is connected to social disadvantages that this population experience. The disease also affects people who are 45 years old and above and are overweight or obese, have hypertension, live on a poor diet and have apple body shape where much weight surrounds the waist. Furthermore, type 2 diabetes is common in people having cardiovascular diseases like angina, stroke, and heart attack and tapered blood vessels. In addition, the health condition is common in women who are overweight and are having polycystic ovarian condition. It also affects women who have had gestational diabetes during pregnancy[Dia11]. Bryant, Knights, & Salerno (2010, p.352) maintain that, another population affected by type 2 diabetes are people taking antipsychotic medication such as Olanzapine and Clozapine because they lead to weight gain. The drugs also affect action of insulin in the muscles. Scope of Type 2 Diabetes Type 2 diabetes is the swiftest growing chronic condition in Australia. An average of 275 Australians develops the condition every day. In 2005, the AusDiab Follow-up Research claimed that, 1.7 million people have diabetes however, 50 percent of type 2 diabetes cases have not been diagnosed. By 2031, 3.3 million people in Australia are estimated to have the condition. The total expenditure on treating and managing type 2 diabetes in Australia is approximately $10.3 billion. Out of the expenditure, $ 4.4 billion goes to care giver costs, health system expenditure is $1.1 billion, productivity losses amounts to $4.1 billion and $ 1.1billion are obesity costs (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, 2009). According to Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (2009), cases of type 2 diabetes among Australians are on the increase, with one fresh case in every 450 people every year. Diabetes with its related complications like cardiovascular, eye and kidney diseases affect the living standards of a big percentage of Australians. The disease’s scope is even greater among Indigenous Australian communities since it is 2-4 times more common as compared to non-indigenous population. It is the largest cause of mortality and morbidity. Type 2 diabetes alongside its complications forms an increasing constituent of Australian health costs. The increase is expected to continue due to the ageing Australian population. Implications Drawing from Larg & Moss (2011, p.653), Type 2 diabetes has a great impact on the people suffering from it, their relatives and care givers, the community as well as the Australian healthcare system. Individuals with this condition have been proved to have considerably lower productivity especially at their workplace. In some cases, people with type 2 diabetes ends up losing their job due to their low productivity. Moreover, the condition makes people to have minimal participation in community initiatives and they may be isolated from the rest of the community. Cases of Type 2 diabetes are on the increase among the Australian population. The cases are more pronounced in certain communities like the indigenous groups and thus, such groups suffer from low productivity due to lack of contribution of some of their members. Larg & Moss (2011, p.657) further assert that, there is currently no cure for type 2 diabetes but people with the condition need to feed on a balanced diet. However, as the condition advances, people need prescribed drugs to control the glucose levels of their blood. All these require heavy spending and thus type 2 diabetes pose economic burden on the affected people and population. The disease also put a health burden on those affected. Its long term health effects include heart disease, nerve and ear damage, kidney disease among other complications which lower a person’s quality of life. Social determinants McMurray & Clendon (2011) define social health determinants as conditions under which individuals are born, live, work and also grow, including healthcare systems. These conditions are influenced by distribution of power, money and resources at both local and national levels. In Australia, there are several determinants which are influencing Type 2 diabetes. To start with, the threat of type 2 diabetes augments with age especially among women. The highest occurrence of the disease in Victoria is amid women with 65 and above years. Gender imbalance in relation to diabetes burden, is growing because women live longer compared to men and old-age forms a risk factor of type 2 diabetes. Mental and physical health, care and housing arrangements, financial security and social connectedness of women change with age. Aged women have a high possibility of living under poor conditions and may lack the necessary resources for preventing development of the disease as well as managing it. Another determinant is social gradient which is the difference between the least and most underprivileged communities in a given population. In Australia, the incidence of chronic conditions differs between socioeconomic status and population groups. Individuals in lower income groups have a double likelihood of reporting a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes than people from higher income families. Women are mainly susceptible to inferior health outcomes because of co-occurring factors that influence their social gradient’s position such as single parenting and unemployment. Low socioeconomic condition overlaps with gender thus limiting health outcomes as well as opportunities for women. Moreover, people without private means of transport and who have limited connection to public means are more susceptible to food shortages and encounter barriers in taking part in society life. Additionally, lack of access to a reliable transport means may pose a barrier in engaging with type 2 diabetes screening, prevention and management services for people isolated as a result of geography, disability, income or age (O'Connor-Fleming & Parker, 2008, p.99). According to Carson (2007, p.67), financial security and employment are also social health determinants. Stress at work may cause a person to suffer from type 2 diabetes through its influence on physiological and behaviour responses. The impacts of psychosocial aspects like chronic stress are stronger in women as compared to men. People working overtime, night or double shifts and are worried about their job security are more susceptible to type 2 diabetes’ risk factors. When individuals are financially unstable, transport, housing, community participation and education are negatively affected. This increases the vulnerability to all type 2 diabetes’ risk factors. In terms of geographical location, people staying in remote and rural regions have a tendency of having shorter life spans and higher incidences of diseases and illness risk factors as compared to those living in urban regions. The rate of mortality from type 2 diabetes of people in remote locations is twice higher than for people in main cities. Food insecurity due to geographical isolation highly contributes to the high incidence of type 2 diabetes in the remote and rural regions of Australia. Conclusion Type 2 is the most common type of diabetes in Australia and is caused by both environmental and genetic factors. Type 2 diabetes affects people with family histories of diabetes, who are less physically active and feed on poor diet. It also affects Torres Strait Islander and Aboriginal population who are aged 35 years and above, people with cardiovascular diseases and women who are overweight and have polycystic ovarian condition or gestational diabetes. In terms of scope, 275 Australians develop type 2 diabetes every day and huge costs are involved in managing it. The condition has both economic and health burdens on the affected people and community. The social health determinants influencing type 2 diabetes in Australia are age, social gradient, transport, geographical location and financial security and employment. References ESS12: , (ESSA, 2012), Dia11: , (DiabetesAustralia, Type 2 Diabetes, 2011), Read More