12 Jul 2022

125

Diabetes and how it affects African Americans

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Diabetes is currently one of the diseases that are affecting millions of people around the globe. It is a group of metabolic disorders that are associated with high blood glucose because of inadequate production of insulin or due to the human body's poor response to insulin or both. There are two categories of diabetes, and they include type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not produce insulin while type 2 diabetes affects people when enough insulin is not produced in the body. In the USA, million people are suffering from diabetes, and the majority is about 45 years old ( Treadwell et al ., 2010) . However, diabetes is now able to affect people across ages. 

According to the report that was released by the American Diabetes Association, African Americans are one of the groups that are linked to high risks of diabetes in the country. The prevalence of diabetes among the group is higher when compared to their white counterparts in the USA. The number of African Americans who are suffering from type 2 diabetes has increased significantly over the last decade, which indicates that the health issues will persist within the ethnic group. Unfortunately, a significant number of African American children and adolescents have diabetes, making it one of the most severe public health concerns. Many risks factors have been used to explain why the prevalence of diabetes is higher among African Americans than whites. One of the major explanations is that African Americans have G6PD deficiency. The high prevalence of obesity among African American is another reason why they suffer a lot from diabetes, and lack of physical activities mainly cause this and eating of unhealthy foods ( Treadwell et al ., 2010) . Therefore, there is a need to initiate a campaign that is aimed at reducing diabetes among African Americans. 

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Summary of the Two Advocacy Campaigns 

The first advocacy campaign is known as the Nightscout Project, which has helped many people to monitor their glucose levels through online platforms. The advocacy campaign was organized by a group of patients and parents, and it is based on the internet software that gives people the opportunity to real-time access to glucose data, particularly through continuous glucose monitoring system ( Hilliard et al ., 2015) . People can use the system to access their glucose data. Currently, the Nightscout Project is one of the most successful diabetes advocacy campaigns because it has enabled many people to access their glucose data through the internet. 

The second advocacy campaign is known as the Unite for Diabetes Campaign, which was officially launched in 2006. Kari Rosenfeld and her daughter Clare first initiated the campaign to make diabetes an international agenda and to increase its awareness among the general population ( Siegel & Narayan, (2008) . It is a bottom-up advocacy campaign, and young people mainly facilitate it. The campaign is mainly based on the collaboration among relevant partners such as patients, pharmaceutical companies, health professionals, and health facilities, including the general public. The campaign has left a significant impact in the fight against diabetes globally. 

Attributes that made the Campaigns Effective 

The Nightscout Project was effective mainly because it was internet –based. Consequently, many people had the opportunity to access their glucose data through the internet easily. Besides, the internet gave people to access useful information about diabetes through the Nightscout Project's website. The Unite for Diabetes Campaign, on the other hand, was largely successful because it was based on the collaboration of many stakeholders ( Siegel & Narayan, 2008) . As a result, it was easy to mobilize resources and to provide services to diabetic patients. At the same time, the campaign was effective because it was based on the bottom-up approach, which means that people were involved at the grassroots level. 

Health Advocacy Campaign Plan to reduce Diabetes among African Americans 

Studies and health reports have consistently shown that African Americas are at high risks of suffering from diabetes when compared to other ethnic or racial groups in the USA. Some reasons have been given to justify the high prevalence of diabetes among African Americans. However, this policy campaign is aimed at changing the sedentary behaviors and encouraging the consumption of healthy foods. Lack of physical activities and unhealthy diet are some of the major reasons why many African Americans have diabetes ( Jenkins et al ., 2011) . Therefore, the proposed policy solution is to encourage African Americans to engage in a lot of physical activities and to eat a healthy diet. 

One of the specific objectives is to ensure that African Americans engage in continuous activities such as walking, using stairs, and moving around on a daily basis. Besides, they will be required to be involved in strength training that involves lifting light weights at home. The two physical activities are easy to implement while they are highly effective in reducing weight and obesity. The second specific objective is to ensure that the African American diet contains foods that reduce obesity such as leafy greens, fruits, garlic, nuts, and yogurt. The objectives will mainly be achieved by creating awareness and educating African Americans ( Jenkins et al ., 2011) . Importantly, a community-based approach will be involved in the campaign towards reducing obesity in among African American. 

References 

Hilliard, M. E., Oser, S. M., Close, K. L., Liu, N. F., Hood, K. K., & Anderson, B. J. (2015). From individuals to international policy: Achievements and ongoing needs in diabetes advocacy. Current diabetes reports , 15 (9). 

Jenkins, C., Myers, P., Heidari, K., Kelechi, T. J., & Buckner-Brown, J. (2011). Efforts to decrease diabetes-related amputations in African Americans by the racial and ethnic approaches to community health Charleston and Georgetown Diabetes Coalition. Family & community health , 34 , 63-78. 

Siegel, K., & Narayan, K. V. (2008). The Unite for Diabetes campaign: overcoming constraints to find a global policy solution. Globalization and health , 4 (1). 

Treadwell, H., Holden, K., Hubbard, R., Harper, F., Wright, F., Ferrer, M. ... & Kim, E. K. (2010). Addressing obesity and diabetes among African American men: an examination of a community-based model of prevention. Journal of the National Medical Association , 102 (9), 794-802. 

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StudyBounty. (2023, September 16). Diabetes and how it affects African Americans .
https://studybounty.com/diabetes-and-how-it-affects-african-americans-assignment

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