Diabetes Among Hispanic Americans

It should come as no surprise that obesity rates are skyrocketing in the United States. It has become a health crisis within the last decade and there are no signs of slowing down. No matter what experts advise, it seems to be an unavoidable epidemic. For most people, being overweight comes with disastrous consequences that can greatly interfere with everyday life and physical health. Among these issues, one of the deadliest and well known is type 2 diabetes. What makes matters worse is that low income and minorities such as Hispanics are more prone to this disease and less likely to seek medical care. Recent statistics have proven that diabetics of Hispanic descent have higher mortality and incidence rates than the general population. Thanks to these two articles, several reasons and plentiful evidence exist and will be listed to prove these claims.

Summaries

In Virginia Alexandria’s article “Diabetes Among Hispanics: All Are Not Equal”, she provides several statistics showing how common diabetes is among Hispanic Americans. “People of Hispanic and Latino origin are at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes and related cardiometabolic abnormalities” (Alexandria, 2014, para 1). Alexandria notes that studies have found that the incidence of type 2 diabetes was roughly seventeen percent for Hispanics in both genders. In contrast, a mere ten percent of Caucasians are affected. Virginia Alexandria also shows how diabetes becomes increasingly common with age among Latino women specifically. Roughly half of all Hispanic women will become diabetic before age seventy, compared to approximately forty-four percent of men at that time. To make matters worse, Alexandria points out that a limited amount of income and education tends to be more common in some minority populations. In her final paragraph, Alexandria concludes that a whopping half of all Americans have prediabetes, which often goes unnoticed until it progresses to type 2 diabetes. (Alexandria, 2014, para 1-19)

In the second article by Chukwueke, “Overview of type 2 diabetes in Hispanic Americans” published on January 2011, he informs his audience about statistics of diabetes in among Hispanics. Chukwueke tells us that Diabetes Mellitus is one of the leading causes of death among people of Latino descent. Not only does he show the high percentage rates, he also notes that several complications of diabetes are more serious and abundant in this population. These conditions are not limited to eye problems, depression, renal conditions and diabetic foot. The occurrence rate of end-stage renal disease for whites is about sixty percent, compared to a hefty ninety-three percent for Hispanics. Mental illness is highly possible to affect diabetics more than the general population. In fact, Mexican Americans with type 2 diabetes are at a much greater risk of depression compared to all other ethnicities. Chukwueke wraps up his article up by giving advice. He recommends making healthy food choices, engaging in physical exercise, and to get tested more often to slow progression. (Chukweuke, 2014, para 1-29)

Synthesis

Although Alexandria’s article is shorter, she makes her points clear and does not fail to show her audience the startling facts. My assumption about the audience is the public about educating and informing all types of people about the dangers of diabetes and the shockingly common occurrence rate. What makes her writing stand out was the amazing job she does giving valid and sound evidence regarding the situation. For example, she includes the names of numerous medical professionals and researchers. In addition, she also makes reasonable suggestions about racial bias playing a role in low income populations. The fact that healthy food choices and medical insurance are so expensive already, one could easily assume how hard it would be for people to afford such things on an extremely tight budget. The statistics mentioned in this article appear to be very similar to other websites. However, one of the few spots could be its shorter length.

On the other hand, Chukwueke’s article is more advanced. With that in mind, my assumption about the audience is that he probably targets more educated individuals such as researchers and medical providers. The author gives excellent percentages and ratios without going overboard on medical jargon. In my opinion, this article is equally valid. It does not fall short of providing reasonable and balanced evidence. One study that was done was the “Veteran Affairs Diabetes Trial”. This was a massive test done at kidney centers in Texas counties that provided evidence supporting elevated kidney failure rates in Hispanics. Also, there was another study done on Latino women who were pregnant in the early nineties which lasted about ten years in support of a higher link to gestational diabetes. All the trials conducted are very reasonable and realistic. A slight downfall could be the that the statistics listed don’t come from a specific source, but the webpage itself.

Conclusion

In conclusion, both websites do an outstanding job at portraying this crisis in very similar ways that are easily understandable. They come to the same final points by conducting impressive trials and studies that are in favor. Moreover, they both mention the large contributing factors such as healthcare affordability and budget problems that plague Hispanics in America. I believe that the biggest problem is how deadly and ubiquitous this disease is. As a result, they appropriately approach the topic by providing amazing research and facts which are continuing to be done. Although there are several ways to live a healthy lifestyle such as choosing healthy foods and exercising, the odds of long-term success are bleak for some people. Perhaps, individuals will soon realize how their quality of life is affected and reach out to spread awareness.