Health, Culture, and Identity as Diabetes Treatment Factors

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Table of Contents

Introduction
Overview of the Health Issue
Scope of the Problem and Statistics
Implications for Health
Cultural Identity
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Race and ethnicity are the factors that provoke a number of discussions in various fields, including politics, economics, health care, and medicine. In their article, Purcell and Cutchen (2013) defined the incidence of diabetes among African Americans as a serious and complex problem that had to be defined, analyzed, and solved. In this paper, the role of culture and identity will be discussed from the point of view of health and care offered to a particular group of people. The goal is to overview diabetes among the African American population with available statistics and implications for health and describe the population’s cultural identity using the PEN-3 model in the study of Purcell and Cutchen.

Overview of the Health Issue

In the article by Purcell and Cutchen written for the American Journal of Health Education, the issue of diabetes among the African American population is discussed. The authors relied on various scholarly studies to investigate Type 2 diabetes and its disparities in relation to the chosen community (Purcell & Cutchen, 2013). There are many factors that may contribute to the development of this disease. They include age, obesity, family history, impaired glucose metabolism, and a lack of physical activity (Purcell & Cutchen, 2013). Compared to other cultural groups, the high incidence of the disease, as well as diabetes-related mortality rates, is observed in African Americans. The researchers took into consideration the role of social and economic factors that challenge the population. Poverty, lack of insurance, and low levels of education create additional obstacles for African Americans to improve their health compared to the opportunities that are available to the Whites.

Scope of the Problem and Statistics

The necessity to define the scope of the problem means that one should think about what works and what does not work in the chosen situation. African Americans have already been proved as the community with a high incidence of diabetes (Purcell & Cutchen, 2013). Despite the fact that various factors and reasons were recognized, it is hard for healthcare workers to prevent the growth of cases and control diabetes-related problems. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 30 million Americans are diagnosed with diabetes, which estimates about 9% of the total population of the United States. Non-Hispanic blacks include about 12% of this number, second only to American Indians (15%) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Type 2 diabetes accounts for about 90% of all cases of diabetes diagnosis, compared to 6% of Type 1 (Bullard et al., 2018). The Northwestern University proves that blacks gain more weight with time, making obesity as one of the major contributors to the risk for diabetes. Biological and physiological factors, along with racial disparity, provoke new uncontrolled cases of diabetes.

Implications for Health

As well as any diseases, diabetes is characterized by serious implications for health among African Americans. Hypoglycemia and hyperglycemic crisis are the common reasons for emergency department visits for diabetic patients (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2017). Diabetes is the inability to control the level of sugar in the blood, which leads to new cardiovascular diseases, nerve or skin damage, vision or hearing problems, and mental health disorders.

Cultural Identity

The PEN-3 model is a helpful tool to plan, implement, and evaluate healthcare interventions. It aims at identifying and examining the relationship between health and cultural meanings (people’s beliefs, family values, and social contexts). Cultural identity is one of the categories of this model, and Purcell and Cutchen (2013) focused on each component. Their approach helps explain why family-focused intervention is the best solution for diabetic African Americans.

Person

The success of healthcare interventions depends on a person and a clear understanding of their beliefs and values. In the chosen study, African Americans adult men and women have to live with type 2 diabetes (Purcell & Cutchen, 2013). A patient may experience a lack of trust in the healthcare system or be afraid of general recommendations. Although the theme of racism was closed decades ago, biased effects, as the causes of subordination, cannot be ignored.

Extended Family

Being defined as the representatives of a separate minority group, African Americans respect the idea of family support and its role in growth and development. In addition, Purcell and Cutchen (2013) identified coworker support and cooperation with an entrusted physician as the two critical factors in health care. African Americans are not ready to trust every person around, but if the circle of trust is created, diabetes becomes a common problem for a community.

Neighborhood

Finally, the role of community is impressive for African Americans who have serious health problems. Purcell and Cutchen (2013) underlined a high level of spirituality in the population, and the church was defined as a source of social and moral support for people. Diabetes is a challenge, and beliefs in God promote strengths and readiness to manage diabetes. Faith healing may not be effective, but it has to be considered by African Americans to improve their health.

Conclusion

Diabetes is a global burden with a number of consequences for African Americans. It is not enough to say that a black patient has a high level of predisposition to this disease just because of his or her ethnic belonging. Cultural identity is a chance to understand if African Americans are ready to cope with the challenge of diabetes using their beliefs, family support, and the environment.

References

Bullard, K. M., Cowie, C. C., Lessem, S. E., Saydah, S. H., Menke, A., Geiss, L. S., Imperatore, G. (2018). Prevalence of diagnosed diabetes in adults by diabetes type – United States, 2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(12), 359-361.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2017). National diabetes statistics report, 2017. Web.

Northwestern University. (2018). Blacks’ high diabetes risk driven by obesity, not mystery.Science News. Web.

Purcell, N., & Cutchen, L. (2013). Diabetes self-management education for African Americans: Using the PEN-3 model to assess needs. American Journal of Health Education, 44(4), 203-212.

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