Prevention and Management of Diabetes - Essay Example

"Prevention and Management of Diabetes" is a wonderful example of a paper on diabetes mellitus.
Diabetes was my condition of interest, with a focus on adolescents, and their incidence and prevalence rates, as well as the possible existence of a simple relationship between its causes and prevention initiatives, which interested me about the condition. Data from the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention shows a general increasing trend in the incidence of diabetes in the United States for the past three decades. Even though the rate fell from 8.3 in the year 2010 to 7.7 in the year 2011, such a decline could be temporary and the high rate and increasing trend identify the problem as a contemporary issue. The incidence rate of diabetes has also been highest among people between 18 and 44 years and this has adverse effects on economic and social aspects of life, as this group is the most active in society (The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention 1).

“Smocking,” “obesity,” “overweight,” and cardiovascular diseases are some of the major risk factors for obesity (The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention 1). While managing these factors is an effective approach to preventing diabetes, incidence and prevalence rates continue to rise, suggesting a lack of individuals’ initiatives towards preventing and managing the complication (The Centres for Disease Control and Prevention 1). These factors, therefore, suggest the significance of diabetes in society and the society’s ability to manage it and the irony of its significance and prevalence developed my interest. 

A general search on diabetes offers diverse information on the problem but few of such information is from reliable sources, excluding information on textbooks. Reliable sources, such as peer-reviewed journals, have restricted access, a factor that also challenged the search. Access to the EbscoHost library, however, resolved this problem, and the use of keywords such as diabetes and treatment yielded several sources. Access to a journal publishing organization that specializes in the problem would improve future searches for reliable information.   

Effects of the articles on my practice regarding assessment, diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of diabetes

The articles were very informative on different aspects of diabetes. Even though none of the articles covered diagnosis, I learned of the population segments that lack awareness of their possible diabetes statuses such as those that smoke cigarettes and those that drink alcohol. I also noted the need to assess the factors that are also risk factors to the disease, among the general population, to help diagnose the disease at earlier stages (Wang, et al 5-7). I also learned that the effects of diabetes are dependent on the management of metabolism and on gender but not treatment strategy, calling for more focus on the most vulnerable group, girls (Froisland et al. 891). Most of the sources however focused on barriers to management of diabetes such as non-adherence to recommended management strategies (Davidson 47), family conflicts (Moore, et al. 4, 5), lack of awareness (Martin et al. 24, 25), and lack of parental support (Dashiff, et al. 46- 48). I also learned of the possible application of insulin analogs in the treatment of diabetes (Plavsic, et al. 818, 819).    

Conclusions The search exercise

Search results identified knowledge of risk factors to diabetes and management strategies, though the knowledge is limited to some people. Further awareness and motivation into self-care are therefore necessary for the prevention and management of diabetes.