Diabetes A Major Health Problem - 1708 Words

Introduction Diabetes is a major health problem in America and has been steadily increasing in prevalence (Fowler, 2010). Diabetes is currently the seventh leading cause of death in the United States with the burden of disease much higher for racial and ethnic minorities than whites. As of 2014, approximately 29.1 million Americans—9.3 percent of the total population—have been diagnosed with diabetes, with that number increasing rapidly (CDC, 2014). Diabetes is the leading cause of blindness, end-stage kidney disease, and non-traumatic amputation. It is also a common risk factor for hypertension, stoke, and heart disease and is usual a comorbidity of obesity (Insucchi Sherwin, 2012). Diabetes is defined as a chronic disease involving an†¦show more content†¦The majority of available data suggests that African Americans are more insulin resistant and Asians have higher level of visceral fat (Hasson, 2015) (Park, 2001). Psychologically, there is a link between mental health diagnosis and diabetes outcomes and treatment (Dismuke, 2014). Socially, it is known that low socioeconomic status and living in a poorer neighborhood plays a role in developing diabetes. The prevalence of diabetes is very relevant to the field of health psychology. Understanding the prevalence within different ethnic groups will help health psychologists better develop behavioral treatments for patients. Health psychologists play a vital role in creating diabetes management plans and helping people with diabetes adhere to these plans. Mental health problems such as depression and anxiety often develop after diagnosis. It is up to health psychologists to help their patients learn to live with the chronic disease and the complications resulting from diabetes. It is important to help patients maintain their desired quality of life. Application of the Biopsychosocial Model Health psychologists use the biopsychosocial model to develop interventions to combat health disparities and diseases. Biologically, research suggests that many racial minorities are more likely to develop diabetes due to race-specific variations in genes. These variations result in insulin resistance and differences in metabolic functions. When comparing