Diabetic Education for Native American (Seminole Tribe)

Females Age 15-25 Years



Part I Nursing Process: Community Diagnosis

Community Diagnosis indicates that people from different minority populations are more likely to suffer from type 2 diabetes. These minority groups comprise of 25% of the adult patients with diabetes in US and correspond mostly to children and adolescents suffering from type 2 diabetes. Native Americans, African Americans, Hispanic American and some Asian Americans are more at risk to suffer from type 2 diabetes. Prevalence rate of diabetes in American Indians is 2 to 5 times more as compared to in whites. On an average African American adults (1.7 times), Mexican Americans and Native Americans (2 times) are at a greater risk to have diabetes as compared to non-Hispanic whites of similar age (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services, 2013).

Objective D-14 states the baseline for age adjusted adults to the year 2000 standard population over the age of 18 that reported receiving formal diabetes education in 2008 as 56.8 percent, with a target of 62.5 percent (U.S. Department of Human and Health Services, 2013).



Why This Diagnosis is a Health Problem?

For past 40 years, diabetes has been disproportionally affecting public life problems in American Indian communities and crossed the highest prevalence record in the whole of the world. Since 1983, American Indians and Alaska natives are found to be the victims of diabetes compared to any other US populace. According to the survey made by Indian Health Service (HIS), children under 15 years of age, adolescents (15-19 years) and young adults (24-34years) had been mostly identified with diabetes. Above all, most disturbing fact is the increasing trend in youth that accounted for 71% increase and 46% prevalence from the 1990 to 1998 documented by census data of IHS contract health delivery service (Acton, Burrows, & Engelgau, 2002).

The affected communities have posed major public health challenge because young people with diabetes would mean more years burdened with disease and higher chances of developing diabetes-related complication early in life. The young women bearing child, affected by diabetes attribute an alarming public health concern. That is because of the vicious cycle of diabetes that affects not just the women but passes on to generation. The cause of the increasing precedence has not yet been known, however, the trend is believed to continue that can pose a vulnerable site to the future generations of Americans (Chen, Magliano, & Zimmet, 2011).

The Orange county rates with the first quarter in the most favorable situation for females diagnosed with diabetes, the rate of hospitalization and other associated problems related to diabetes falls within the fourth quarter, the least favorable situation. The main cause for this is lack of education and self management of the disease in normal condition and even during pregnancy among the females diagnosed with diabetes. Among the various other aspects special attention is required towards diet, foot care and exercise during pregnancy and during normal conditions. This is evidenced by statistics from the Florida Department of ...