The Evolving Epidemic: A Community Program for the Prevention of Diabetes within the Family Unit

Diabetes is a chronic illness that requires continuing medical attention and patient self-care management education to prevent any acute complications and reduce the risk of long-term complications. Diabetes is a huge problem and affects not only those who have the problem but families, communities and society as a whole. It is one the leading disease contributors that impaired quality of life in patient; and it is a costly health problem. Contributing factors for diabetes include behavioral, non-behavioral, social and psychological. Obesity contributes a lot in this epidemic. Many complications associated with Type II diabetes include cardiovascular, eye, kidney disease as well as hypertension, hyperglycemia, high cholesterol. A lot of patients with diabetes use the emergency room for acute care treatment due to the inability to afford a primary care provider. We must think of programs that can mitigate the rise of such deadly disease among the most vulnerable communities. Programs to increase physical activity, affordable healthy food choices and health insurance should be at the center of treatment approach to help the people at risk. It is our responsibilities as primary care providers to execute the required changes. Remaining stagnant can be fatal, we must all act now to prevent this deadly epidemic.

Keywords: Diabetes, behavioral, non-behavioral, social, psychological, obesity.