A Problem of Hispanics with Diabetes

Introduction

The health care industry changes each and every year. Making America a very diverse nation and with diversity many issues present itself in today's society. One of the main issues that is affecting society is the prevalence of Type 2 Diabetes in Hispanics. The purpose of this paper is to provide cultural information and awareness of this issue with ways to assist in the prevention of Diabetes. Knowledge about diabetes is very important and sometimes there is not enough information provided so, it is our responsibility to ensure that we educate patients and their families together.

This can be done by spreading knowledge in teaching, helping in prevention, and providing resources to Hispanics and different other cultures.

Describe the Culture

Diabetes in Hispanics has been reported to occur at a higher rate. Diabetes mellitus is the seventh leading cause of death overall and the fifth leading cause of death for Latino Americans in the United States (CDC, 2011, 2014). According to the American Diabetes Association, the Hispanic diagnosed diabetes rate is up to 12.1 percent this year and is expected to continue to reach a higher level. The increase in individuals with Diabetes in Hispanics is related to the culture and unhealthy eating habits. Hispanics can sometime use a lot of sugar, spices, and even lard to make certain foods which causes obesity. The Hispanic culture tend to have a language barrier which causes lack of knowledge for most Hispanics. That is also why bilingual nurses are in high demand in the medical field.

Describe a Health Need

The health need that Hispanics have is the management of Type 2 Diabetes.  According to the CDC (2014), "12.8% of Latino Americans aged 20 and older have diabetes." The need here is education in symptoms and resources that can be available to all patients.  Hispanics are not aware of what symptoms Diabetes have and when they go see a doctor their Diabetes is uncontrolled and very hard to manage at this point. Making it hard to control diabetes is an issue that Hispanics have because of high occurrence of having "low health literacy levels". "Low health literacy is when someone is not able to read, understand, and construe written information related to their health." Complications can be avoided by spreading awareness and making sure that prevention is fulfilled in the Hispanic community.  Hispanics are more prone to having Diabetes because of the lack of financial resources. (Coffman, 2012).

Plan to Improve Health

An amazing plan to improve health in the Hispanic community is to spread awareness of prevention and provide resources of ways to manage Type 2 Diabetes. To make patients aware of the issue a small presentation in schools or community events can be made. How serious prevalence rate that Diabetes has in the Hispanic culture. In that presentation glucose checks and blood pressure checks can be provided to the public to make them aware of what numbers to look for in a normal range. It is also important to research resources that are available within the community such as low-cost clinics and support groups. Hispanics sometimes avoid seeking help due to the language barriers and inability to understand English which is the most common spoken language. Having a Spanish speaking diabetes support group can be beneficial to the Hispanic community. Handing out brochures with information that those resources are available can be beneficial and spread awareness of diabetes. It will encourage Hispanics to attend support groups in their native language because they will be able to be heard and express their concerns or worries. Wellness day events at Phoenix College are held to student and next time it can be to the entire public as well to teach patients on how to check their blood glucose level and their blood pressure. According to Benavides-Vaello, Hispanics can be able to manage their diabetes approaches by interpreting body cues, foreseeing threats to control, creating cooperative relationships with health care practitioners, and garnering support from significant others.

Goals

1. Being able to create awareness in the Hispanic community, educating the importance of managing diabetes and how important it is to prevent and avoid future complications due to high prevalence in their culture
2. To teach the community about diabetes prevention, resources, treatment in order to assist the Hispanic community and to increase the knowledge of all patients.

Interventions

1. Check blood glucose and blood pressure of patients and inform of normal levels of both informing of normal ranges helps patients be aware of what numbers to expect since Diabetes can have an effect on hypertension
2. Initiate a questionnaire with questions that pertain to patient lifestyle choices to determine if patient has any contributing factors or barriers that might lead to Diabetes.
3. A generated list of low-cost clinics and resources of Diabetic support groups with a focus of Hispanic needs.
4. A survey is to be generated for patients to demonstrate knowledge of complications, resources available, and actions to take now.
5. A spreadsheet will be created with patients contact information to follow up at next visit and ensure understanding of resources.

Integrate Teaching

The Patient will have teaching available in native language. A glucose check will be performed step by step with assistants.  Patient will then demonstrate understanding by verbalizing and performing glucose test on themselves. A brochure with resource will be available and provided to every patient. The brochure will be explained in detailed and the importance of each resource provided inside. A 30minute lesson of appropriate diabetes diet will be taught to the patients. The patients will repeat what to consume and what kinds of unhealthy foods to avoid. The important numbers to which patients will call for assistance will be color coordinated in bright colors and patients will determine which resources are best for them.

Outcome Evaluation

A small survey is to be given, patient then is going to have to take at the end and will assist in evaluating the interventions taken. The patient will be able to identify complications, and knowledge of different resources that are available. A spreadsheet with the patient's information will assist in following up with patient at next visit. It will help determine if that patient needs further assistance and individual assistance to help with the promotion of health and prevention of Diabetes.

Conclusion

In conclusion Hispanics continue to have a high risk and rate of Diabetes. Having diabetes is affecting their daily living and their family. The lack of knowledge, resources, health disparities are all contributing factors to their Diabetes rate. A great way to minimize the issue is to provide awareness of the risk diabetes has on the community. The problem needs to be addressed before complications occur and more people in our society need to participate in spreading awareness of diabetes.

Reference Page

1. Basilio, C. D., Kwan, V. S. Y., & Towers, M. J. (2016). Culture and risk assessments: Why Latino Americans perceive greater risk for diabetes. Cultural Diversity & Ethnic Minority Psychology, 22(1), 104-113. https://doi-org.ezproxy.pc.maricopa.edu/10.1037/cdp0000034
2. Benavides-Vaello, S., Brown, S. A., & Vandermause, R. (2017). "Can you keep it real?": Practical, and culturally tailored lifestyle recommendations by Mexican American women diagnosed with type 2 diabetes: A qualitative study. BMC Nursing, 16, 1-7. https://doi-org.ezproxy.pc.maricopa.edu/10.1186/s12912-017-0232-4
3. Caballero, J., Ownby, R. L., Jacobs, R. J., Pandya, N., Hardigan, P. C., & Ricabal, L. C. (2018). Predicting medication adherence in older Hispanic patients with type 2 diabetes. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy, 75(9), e194-e201. https://doi-org.ezproxy.pc.maricopa.edu/10.2146/ajhp170067
4. Coffman, M. J., Norton, C. K., & Beene, L. (2012). DIABETES SYMPTOMS, HEALTH LITERACY, AND HEALTH CARE USE IN ADULT LATINOS WITH DIABETES RISK FACTORS. Journal Of Cultural Diversity, 19(1), 4-9.
5. Statistics about diabetes. (2018, March 22). Retrieved from http://www.diabetes.org/diabetes-basics/statistics/

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