Effect of Culturally Tailored Education in Type 2 Diabetes Patients of Asian American Origin

The global burden of type 2 diabetes is still seen to be significantly worrying the health
Sector as it stands at exceeding 5% of the population across the globe. However, in some regions like Middle East and North Africa the prevalence stands at 20% making the burden of type 2 diabetes to be recognised internationally. It is known to be a major contributor to cardiovascular disease and mortality. Indeed, the International Diabetes Federation indicate that each year, there are some five million deaths that are directly linked to diabetes, this figure is way higher than the HIV/AIDS, Malaria and Tuberculosis all combined (David W.R. 2011). It is also a leading cause of lower leg amputation, kidney failure and acquired blindness. Some 673 billion dollars are spent annually on diabetes and this figure is expected to rise if the pandemic is not controlled.
In 2002, it was estimated that 18 million Americans had diabetes, this accounted for 6.9% of the US population. It is estimated that the type 2 diabetes often accounts for 90-95% of the total diabetes cases. This gives the magnitude of the problem that the type 2 diabetes presents to the American population and government. The main cause of this massive numbers and unmetered increase in the number of type 2 diabetes is the social affluence experienced in the US (Cheng D., 2005). Affluence is seen to bring convenience to life with the rise in technology, but on the other hand, it is seen to be harmful as diabetes cases occur at an alarming rate.
There are various risk factors associated with type 2 diabetes such that one is likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they are of 45 years and over, they are overweight or obese, have a family history of diabetes, they are from the African American, American Indian, Asian American, Alaska Native, Hispanic/Latino, Native Hawaiian, or one is of pacific Islander origin. High blood pressure is another factor, if one has a history of gestational diabetes, one is not physically active, have history of heart disease or stroke, has depression among other predisposing factors (National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, 2017).
Being that the target population in the study herein, the Asian American population is among the risk factor category, it is paramount that the research is conducted with the aim of furthering research data and practical handling of the type 2 diabetes. The results that will be obtained therein, it is hoped, will be instrumental in furthering the care for type 2 diabetes among the Asian Americans.
Summary
Gap; being that the challenge of type 2 diabetes is rampant and the prevalence ever increasing especially among the Asian Americans, there is need to have evidence-based approaches and methods to help improve the health of the students and the general population by the use of culturally tailored education particularly on dietary and nutritional aspects.
Previous studies indicate that the use of culture specific approaches often have positive results since there is cultural sensitivity in the content and implementation of the interventions to do with type 2 diabetes. The intervention is seen to know the cultural view of the target group and taking into considerations their special weaknesses and strengths in outlining the interventions.
The quantitative data will be collected from the participants during the follow-up visits and calls that will be made to the participants by the researcher and his assistants. For accuracy, the information will be captured in written form so that it can be useful during the data analysis stages.
Problem statement
While it there is abundant literature on the overall education that type 2 diabetes patients need to have, it is not clear yet if the equipping of students with culturally tailored education on the management of type 2 diabetes can have extensive effect that would lead to better management of the condition among patients of Asian American origin.
PICOT Question
In Asian Americans with type 2 diabetes, does culturally tailored diabetes education to implement patient-specific dietary and lifestyle modifications, reduces their A1C levels after 3 months.
Sample
Location; New Jersey
Population; first year university students within the randomly selected ten universities will be included in the context of this research.
The sample size will be a total of 100 students who are of Asian origin and are type2 diabetes patients. The choosing of the students to participate will first start with the identification of ten universities that will be divided into intervention and control universities through random act of picking folded papers with names of universities. Thereafter, the research assistants will pin notice to take part in research in the academic boards, with the permission of the specific universities. Expression of interests will be considered on a first come basis and this will aim at making it totally random. Ten students will be picked from each university.
Variables
Independent variable in this concept will be the culturally tailored education on type 2 diabetes.
Dependent variable for this research will be the improvement in both knowledge and personal care for the type 2 diabetes among the students.
Methodology and design
This research will use the quantitative approach in the collection and analysis of the data on the proposed topic above. It will also use the quasi-experimental approach in pursuit of the objective data.
As stated, the sample size of 100 students will be randomly picked from the ten identified universities and registered for the study. Since this will be a research aimed at seeing the effect of a given intervention, in this case the culturally tailored education, the sample size will be split into two through random selection method. Papers with the names of the universities will be written down and randomly picked and allocated intervention and control with each picking. At the end of the selection, there will be 50 students on the intervention arm and 50 students on the control arm.
The inclusion/exclusion criteria will be that the participants must be university students who are freshmen, must be of the Asian American origin, of sound mind and autonomous enough to volunteer and consent and suffering from type 2diabetes.
The participants will be involved in the research for a period of three months, then the data will be collected, analysed and interpreted over the last one month of the school calendar semester. Essentially, there will be a baseline test of knowledge of self care among the participants at the beginning of the research. Then the participants in the intervention arm will be subjected to culturally tailored literature and talks on a frequent basis, while their counterparts in the control arm will not be given any kind of education but allowed to follow the standard normal knowledge they come across in the college setting.
Purpose statement
The aim of this quantitative research is to determine what effect the culturally tailored education on type 2 diabetes patients of Asian American origin who are students at New Jersey universities. The culturally tailored education will derived from hitherto known literature but taking into account the culture of the Asian American students and their prevailing ways of life. The effects expected, which include change in lifestyle and the reduction of the A1C levels, will be gauged by the end point awareness levels and the voluntary changes in lifestyle of the students in the intervention wing of the study.
Data collection
The data will be collected by a means of structured questionnaires that will be administered to the 100 participants who will be involved in the research. The same questionnaire, aimed at gauging the levels of lifestyle changes and adjustments made over three months will be issued to both the intervention and control participants. There will then translocation of the results in excel sheets to enable the translation of the word to numbers that will make meaning in context of the research. In order to make this data collection a success, research assistants will be used and the respondents will be personally served with the questionnaire and given three days to fill in the questionnaire before it is collected back.
Data analysis
The T-test will be used to test the significance levels in the results that shall have been obtained from the collected data. It will be used to test the variance levels and their significance between the responses from the 50 control and 50 intervention students who participated in the research as indicated above and further determine if the variance in the A1C levels issignificant enough to point at the intervention as the factor behind such changes.
References
Cheng D., (2005). Prevalence, predisposition and prevention of type II diabetes. January 12, 2018 from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1309619/
David W.R., (2011). IDF Diabetes Atlas: Global estimates of the prevalence of diabetes for 2011 and 2030. Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice. Elsevier BV; 94(3):311-321. Retrieved January 12, 2018 from http://www.diabetesresearchclinicalpractice.com/article/S0168-8227(11)00591-2/fulltext
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, (2017). Risk Factors for Type 2 Diabetes. January 12, 2018 from https://www.niddk.nih.gov/health-information/diabetes/overview/risk-factors-type-2-diabetes