Introduction
Despite the multitude of breakthroughs made in the healthcare industry, there are still many diseases for which no cure has been found. Such illnesses as cancer, diabetes, stroke, and others continue to undermine the health of millions of people worldwide. Still, whereas these conditions cannot be cured, there are ways of preventing them, which brings positive outcomes for individuals. Based on the information gathered through the course, the preventable disease that the adult participant is at risk for developing is type 2 diabetes. The modifiable risk factor to be analyzed in this relation is diet. The purpose of the paper is to overview the preventable disease, describe an evidence-based intervention related to the modifiable risk factor, and suggest a teaching plan for the patient.
Preventable Disease Overview
Type 2 diabetes is one of the most widespread illnesses in the world. Signs and symptoms associated with this disease include hunger, blurred vision, fatigue, and frequent elimination (“Early symptoms of diabetes,” 2017). Type 2 diabetes is diagnosed by glucose-measuring tests, the most common of them being the glycated hemoglobin (A1C) test (American Diabetes Association, 2015). With the help of these methods, the blood sugar is measured. If the level of blood sugar is too high, it is the indicator of diabetes. The notable information from health history that helps to identify whether the person has a predisposition to diabetes includes the prevalence of the illness in the family. Physical assessment findings associated with diabetes are the poor results of eye system analysis and a high BMI. The adult participant’s risk for type 2 diabetes was established based on the family genetic history and the information gathered in the Milestone 1 Assignment. In particular, there are three cases of the disease in the family: the patient’s paternal grandfather, her father’s sister, and her maternal grandmother had all been diagnosed with diabetes.
Evidence-Based Intervention
Out of a variety of evidence-based interventions related to the modifiable risk factor, the weight-loss approach seems the most reasonable. Besides its practicality, the method is especially suitable for the adult participant since she is young, and young people enjoy using technological devices and programs. With this in view, a weight-loss mobile application described in the study by Pagoto, Schneider, Jojic, DeBiasse, and Mann (2013) is suggested for the patient. Pagoto et al. (2013) consider the following aspects to the be essential in such an intervention:
- the potential to change the patient’s behavior;
- the possibility for the person to be reminded about food intake records;
- the option of letting the person know how many calories are in the products one is consuming;
- the reminder about physical exercises in addition to the healthy diet.
The following goals can be established for the patient in relation to the intervention:
- short-term: to teach the participant how to make healthy food choices with the help of the application, to instruct her on mindful eating;
- long-term: to reach stability in the patient’s diet so that she could lose weight and gain a normal BMI.
Implementation: Teaching Plan
The methods employed in the teaching process for the adult participant will involve video lessons and lectures. I will explain the principles of using the application and ask the patient whether she has any questions or apprehensions related to the program. Then, I will ask the patient to keep a record of her food intake and to make sure that her diet contains enough fruit and vegetables and does not include much fat and sugar. Further, I will ask the client to share the results of her progress (or its absence) with me so that I could modify the plan if needed. Apart from the smartphone application that will serve as the main method of the intervention, I will provide the adult participant with additional sources such as scholarly articles, video lessons, and self-assessment tests. Data contained in these sources will be both informative and encouraging, so the patient will be more likely to change her diet to a more effective one.
Evaluation
To evaluate the success of the intervention, I will measure the patient’s BMI. This process will include measurement of the patient’s weight and height and calculating the BMI. If this index decreases and the patient’s weight reaches the norm, the teaching plan will prove to be successful. In case the intervention proves to be unsuccessful, I will revise the plan by including more radical measures such as physical activities. Also, if the patient’s condition does not improve because of her inability to adhere to healthy eating habits, I will ask a friend or family member to help the participant to promote these habits.
Summary
The paper is focused on developing a teaching plan for a person with a high risk of type 2 diabetes. The work offers an overview of the disease with its signs and symptoms and describes an evidence-based intervention that was created for preventing the mentioned disease. The teaching plan includes using the application that is aimed at promoting healthy eating habits. It is hoped that by adhering to the plan, the patient will prevent the development of diabetes. The suggested plan is expected to have high productivity and to help the individual manage her health.
References
American Diabetes Association. (2015). Classification and diagnosis of diabetes. Diabetes Care, 38(Suppl. 1), S8-S16.
Early symptoms of diabetes. (2017). Web.
Pagoto, S., Schneider, K., Jojic, M., DeBiasse, M., & Mann, D. (2013). Evidence-based strategies in weight-loss mobile apps. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 45(5), 576-582.