Introducing the Topic
There are numerous health concerns affecting the quality of life, and type 2 diabetes is one of them. Regardless of the critical role of genetic specificities in determining predisposition to type 2 diabetes, the influence of lifestyle is as well significant (Asif, 2014). Therefore, it is essential to obtain a better understanding of nutrition and physical exercise patterns that have proved to be effective in decreasing risks of type 2 diabetes as well as managing them for maximizing their efficiency.
Identifying the purpose of the Study
As stated above type 2 diabetes is a critical health concern. According to the World Health Organization, around 8% of the global population (slightly less than 400 million of people) is diagnosed with diabetes (Ley, Hamdy, Mohan, & Hu, 2014). However, the real scope of the problem may be even more terrifying, as there are numerous instances when people are not aware of their diagnosis, i.e. are undiagnosed (American Diabetes Association, 2017).
More than that, the figure is projected to increase and amount for more than 500 million people with diabetes by 2035 (Ley et al., 2014). The criticality of this health concern is associated with the dramatic increase in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes around the globe without regard to the level of country’s economic development (Carter, Khunti, & Devies, 2012). Except for the worldwide epidemic of type 2 diabetes, the rationale for selecting this topic is the history of diabetes in the family so that there is the desire to ensure excellent health condition of all family members.
Based on the personal and general criticality of the issue under consideration, the purpose of the proposed research is to obtain a better understanding of effective patterns for preventing type 2 diabetes. The idea is to identify and describe the most productive strategies so that patients – both without the history of diabetes and with prediabetes – know how to minimize its risks and avoid negative changes in the quality of life. Therefore, the intended goal is to draw attention to the scope of the problem as well as evoke change, at least, in the local community. This objective is realistic in case of conducting a thorough research that will address the issue in detail.
Defining Intended Target Audience
Community members are the intended target audience. The rationale for selecting them is the desire to evoke change in the community and potentially improve the overall health condition of people with prediabetes. There is no specific age, gender or socioeconomic status group to address. Instead, it is planned to catch the attention of all community residents regardless of their background. The belief is that the conducted research will be valuable because it will shed light on the most effective nutrition and exercise patterns that will help minimize the risks of type 2 diabetes and complications related to it, such as forced changes in lifestyle and limiting life choices when it comes to dieting and entertainment.
Designing Research Questions
- What are the most common dietary and physical exercise patterns for managing risks of type 2 diabetes?
- What are the main factors associated with nutrition and physical exercises that lead to the increased risks of type 2 diabetes?
- How does adherence to nutrition and exercise patterns affect the effectiveness of type 2 diabetes prevention programs?
- What are the specificities of dietary and exercise type 2 diabetes prevention programs that predetermine their effectiveness?
- Is there any difference in nutrition and exercise recommendations for ordinary patients and patients with prediabetes when it comes to type 2 diabetes prevention?
- What are age and gender differences in type 2 diabetes prevention programs based on nutrition and exercise patterns?
- What is the evidence that points to the effectiveness of type 2 diabetes prevention programs based on recommendations related to changes in lifestyle (nutrition and exercise)?
Problem Statement
Even though type 2 diabetes is a challenging health concern affecting the quality of life and everyday activities, making some changes in one’s lifestyle may be helpful for minimizing risks of being diagnosed with it and addressing the diabetes epidemic challenge in the modern world.
Drafting a Hypothesis
The proposed paper will be based on the following hypothesis: meaningful changes in lifestyle (reviewing nutrition and physical exercise patterns) are helpful for preventing type 2 diabetes. This hypothesis is based on two variables: nutrition and physical exercise and predisposition to type 2 diabetes. The latter is a dependent variable because it can be altered based on one’s choices and changes in behavior. As for the first one, it is an independent variable. Even though behavioral patterns can be modified, there is always one outcome of specific behaviors.
It means that deploying different nutrition and exercise patterns is associated with different risks of being diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. This hypothesis can be tested by implementing an intervention based on various exercise and dieting patterns (as well as no changes in lifestyle) and measuring the level of blood sugar level of patients with prediabetes before, during, and after the program. However, it is essential to state that the program should be lengthy in order to test the hypothesis, while tests should be taken on a timely basis to eliminate risks of undesirable complications related to changes in lifestyle.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2017). Prevention or delay of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes Care, 40(Suppl. 1), S44-S47. doi:10.2337/dc17-S008
Asif, M. (2014). The prevention and control of type-2 diabetes by changing lifestyle and dietary pattern. Journal of Education and Health Promotion, 3, 1-8. doi:10.4103/2277-9531.127541
Carter, P., Khunti, K., & Devies, M. J. (2012). Dietary recommendations for the prevention of type 2 diabetes: What are they based on? Journal of Nutrition and Metabolism, 2012(4), 106. doi:10.1155/2012/847202
Ley, S. H., Hamdy, O., Mohan, V., & Hu, F. B. (2014). Prevention and management of type 2 diabetes: Dietary components and nutritional strategies. Lancet, 383(9933), 1999-2007. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(14)60613-9