Evidence based research project: literature support

Evidence-Based Research on Poor Housing as a Risk Factor for Diabetes Prevalence in Middle-Aged African American Women
Author Name(s), First M. Last, Omit Titles and Degrees
Institutional Affiliation(s)
Introduction
African Americans are among the minority groups experiencing disparities in health risk factors and access to care. These predicaments are worse among black women who, apart from the racial disparities, they are also victims of the inherent gender inequality. This group of the population has been found to experience high risks of diabetes prevalence, especially among the middle-aged who are forced to live in poor housings that expose them to high diabetes risks. The project will focus on this group because it is vulnerable, and concerted interventions are required not only to reduce diabetes cases among the women but also to increase the burden the condition has on communities and all government levels.
Search Method
A comprehensive electronic search was key in the research process. Some of the relevant database used include the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), People Living with And Inspired by Diabetes (PLAID), BMJ Open Diabetes Research & Care, PubMed, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and CINAHL. The search criteria applied resulted in English-only sources published between 2000 and 2020.
During the research, the following keywords were used: The connection between diabetes & housing, Diabetes in Middle-Aged African-Americans, Diabetes among underserved
Prevalence of diabetes, Housing health risks, Disparities in housing, type 2 diabetes, and Housing health risks, among others. The search based on the keywords produced 48 peer-reviewed publications that were shortlisted as of potential importance to the paper. Each paper was then analyzed to determine relevance to the paper resulting in ten articles that were found to be the most relevant for the paper’s direction.
Summary of Key Studies
Problem
Berkowitz et al. (2018) is a peer-reviewed article on the American Diabetes Asociation. Using data for the 2104 Health Center Patient Survey, including homeless adults with self-reported diabetes, the research found that 13.7% of the subjects had visited the emergency department for a diabetes-related emergency. The study also linked unstable housing to higher risks of diabetes. In agreement with this study was Burton, A. (2007). Based on data from the American Journal of Epidemiology, Burton established that poor housing increased risks of diabetes among middle-aged African American women.
Through the journal of environmental health perspective, Jacobs et al. (2009) analyzed data from the U.S. Census, National Health & Nutrition Examination Survey, and the American Housing Survey. The results of the analysis were that poor housing is linked to overweight and hypertension. The two are key riks factors that can result in obesity and diabetes. The findings further suggest that obesity is more common in African-American women, and most of them gained weight that occurs before middle age.
Another study that connected housing issues with increased risks and prevalence in diabetes was by Schootman et al. (2007). Using experimental data form 644 subjects in the African-American Health Study, the study established that housing conditions were highly associated with diabetes risks and poor health outcomes.
Proposed Solution
Lim et al. (2019), in a study in the American Journal of Epidemiology, established that placed people had increased chances of receiving diabetes management and evaluation services, suggesting that placing homeless African American women would reduce diabetes prevalence in American communities. Further, Lim and the team found that diabetes prevention and care are among the benefits of housing. In agreement with Lim is Ross et al. (2016). Through the survey, Ross's team established that improving housing conditions reduces diabetes-related risks and reduces diabetes care and outcomes disparities along racial lines.
A systemic review by Barnard et al. (2015) reported in the Current Diabetes Reports also agrees with the above conclusions. The review showed that unmet material needs, such as housing, are associated with increased risks and worse outcomes in relation to diabetes. The review goes further to list recommendations that can help people with unmet needs to manage and prevent diabetes.
An important study for this paper was conducted by Ludwig et al. (2011). The study consisted of two phases: the first phase was between 1994 and 1998, which involved placing underserved subjects in improved housing. The second phase took place between 2008 and 2010, which focused on the outcomes of the first phase. Results suggest that relocation of subjects from lo-income areas to lower-level of poverty had modest but potentially crucial reduction of diabetes risks from the housing. Lastly, a systematic review in the Journal of Healthcare for the underserved by Vijayaraghavan et al. 2011 suggested that homeowners have a higher self-efficacy that the homeless. The paper suggested that the provision of food to unstable adults with diabetes increased the chances of diabetes care and management.
Internal and External Validity of the Research
The choice of a wide variety of keywords during the search meant resulting articles were only those biased towards the objective of the paper. The criteria ensured open-end results, out of which reliable articles were chosen. Health risk factors that pose diabetes threats include weight, sedentary lifestyle, race, family history, age, hypertension, and gestation diabetes. Out of these, the selected research articles agree that race, age, hypertension, weight, and sedentary lifestyles are closely associated with housing. Narrowing the research down to African American women increases the internal validity to the extent that other possible explanations such as family history are relatively insignificant. Concurring conclusions are also consistent with the current public health situation in the USA. Minority groups are more exposed to health risk factors and face many difficulties in accessing care. The proposed solutions are, therefore, consistent with the current community needs of Americans regarding diabetes.
References
Barnard, L. S., Wexler, D. J., DeWalt, D., & Berkowitz, S. A. (2015). Material needs support diabetes prevention and control interventions: a systematic review: current diabetes reports, 15(2), 2.
Berkowitz, S. A., Kalkhoran, S., Edwards, S. T., Essien, U. R., & Baggett, T. P. (2018). Unstable Housing and Diabetes-Related Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization: A Nationally Representative Study of Safety-Net Clinic Patients. American Diabetes Association.
Burton, A. (2007). Built Environment: Does Poor Housing Raise Diabetes Risk? Environmental Health Perspectives.
Hilliard, M. E., Sparling, K. M., Hitchcock, J., Oser, T. K., & Hood, K. K. (2015, December). The Emerging Diabetes Online Community. Retrieved from NCBI: /pmc/articl...