Community Inventory Assessment for Obese Women Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in Hillsborough County, Florida

Community Inventory Assessment for Obese Women Diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes in Hillsborough County, Florida
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Introduction
Type 2 Diabetes is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. It accounts for nearly 90 percent of all diagnosed cases of diabetes in the world. The disease is mostly common in adults and children with obesity (Thomas, 2013). It’s on the same wavelength of risk with other terminal diseases like cancer, asthma, and coronary heart disease. There is no certain cure for diabetes, and patients can only manage it to treat symptoms and prolong life. As such, type 2 diabetes is a long term condition that lives with victims for the rest of their lives from the time of diagnosis. As a matter of necessity, therefore, patients and their families need relevant information and education on how to manage the condition as a way of improving the quality of life among affected groups.
The United States is one of the few developed nations in which Type 2 Diabetes is prevalent. In fact, the U.S. leads in diagnosis cases, with over 26 million people believed to be diabetic (John Hopkins Medicine, 2008). Of this, 12.6 million are women, which is 10.8 percent of all women aged 20 years or above. This number could be higher as there are estimated 7 million undiagnosed cases, in addition to many more overweight individuals who are at risk of being diabetic. One out of every 10 American adults aged 20 years and older is diagnosed with diabetes. According to the most recent survey findings, Type 2 Diabetes is the fifth leading killer disease in the U.S., and costs the taxpayer over $58 billion annually in terms of indirect costs, resulting from manpower loss due to sick time off, disability, and death (John Hopkins Medicine, 2008).
Among the older population, Type 2 Diabetes affects 10.9 million people aged 65 years and above, which is 26.9% of the entire age group.
In terms of ethic disparity, marginalized groups are the most affected. It affects 15.7 million Non-Hispanic whites (10 percent of all non-Hispanic whites 20 years or older), and 4.9 million non-Hispanic blacks (18.9 per cent of all non-Hispanic blacks aged 20 years and above) (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013).
Type 2 Diabetes is the major cause of many health complications in the U.S. statistics from 2004 shows that diabetes-related complications were the cause of 68 percent of deaths caused by coronary heart disease. It was attributed to 16 percent of deaths resulting from stroke in persons aged 65 years and above. It increases the risk for stroke 2 to four times, and increases deaths associated with heart diseases as many times (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2013). It was also responsible for increased cases of hypertension, kidney disease, blindness, amputations, and nervous system disease.
Prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes within the Target Group (middle aged and older Women)
Type 2 diabetes affects more than 12.6 million adults (aged 20 years and above) women in the U.S. (Diabetes Sisters, 2012). Pregnancies are among the major factors that contribute to type 2 diabetes in women. About 18% of pregnancies are affected by gestational diabetes, 10% of which result in Type 2 Diabetes. In women who develop gestational diabetes during pregnancy, the chances of developing Type 2 Diabetes are increased by 35-60% within the next 10-20 years.
The focus on women for the community intervention program is influenced by the high prevalence rates of the condition among women and the unique social/family implications it portends. It mostly affects women from minority racial groups, with prevalence rate of between two to four times higher among Hispanic, Black, and American Indian women than among white women (Diabetes Sisters, 2012). It is also estimated that the population of women from minority racial groups will grow at a higher rate than the general U.S. population, which will potentially increase the number of women diagnosed with the condition. In terms of coronary heart disease, it is a more common factor in women than men. The quality of life in women is also poor compared to men, and the prognosis of heart disease is usually worse among females compared to their male counterparts.
Middle aged women (45-64 years) and those aged 65 years and above are the most affected, affecting 3.8 million and 4 million women respectively. Type 2 Diabetes is the leading cause of death among this group in the U.S.
Education is another factor in women with type 2 diabetes. Statistics from 2000 indicate that one in every four middle aged women had low-level formal education, while 1 in every 3 came from a low-income household.
Finally, overweight women rarely exercise regularly. Statistics show that about one-half of women aged 20 years and above are overweight, and only less than a quarter engage in regular physical exercise.
Purpose of the Paper
Given the high prevalence rates of Type 2 Diabetes among middle aged and older women, low physical activity levels and high risk exposure as a result of pregnancy-related gestational diabetes, the project aims to formulate and implement a community intervention program that will help this section of the community deal with the condition. The overall goal is to improve the quality of life among middle aged and older women diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes. The program will achieve this goal by promoting healthy living lifestyles by exercising regularly and adopting other strategies for weight loss, such as walking, playing, and swimming.
Community Assessment
Community assessment is the study of the extent of a problem in a given setting, demographic patterns, availability or lack of sufficient resources, the use or under use of the resources in addressing the problem. Community assessment is necessary to offer useful insights about the seriousness of a problem and determine appropriate intervention measures and strategies. Within Hillsborough County there are recreational facilities like the Hillsborough River State Park, and work out gyms like Anytime Fitness in Temple Terrace, 5741 East Fowler Ave, and LA Fitness in Brandon, 2890 Providence Lakes Blvd.
Windshield Survey for the Target Group in Hillsborough County, Florida (Overweight Women who lack Exercising Opportunities)
Heart disease and related complications are the major cause of death in Hillsborough County. There are 1.2 million people in the county (2010 figures). The county experienced 2, 756 deaths from cardiovascular disease in 2009, of which 1, 517 as a result of coronary heart disease and 421 were related to stroke (Hillsborough Health Dept., 2012). Obesity and diabetes were identified as the major risk factors of he...