Analyzing a Research Article

For my last blog of this semester, I will be analyzing a research article that contains a common theme with my other blogs - Diabetes. My article, "14-Year Diabetes Incidence: The Role of Socioeconomic Status", caught my attention for two reasons. First of all, it is relevant to the material I have learned in my Kinesiology 140 class. A large gap in socioeconomic status results in an overall lower heath status of the overall population; individuals with lower incomes have a higher chance of obtaining diabetes and other health implications. Secondly, it also provides insight to my own experience; this article allows me to depict whether my father's diabetic condition is related to socioeconomic status.

The following information was obtained from the article, "14-Year Diabetes Incidence: The Role of Socioeconomic Status, composed by Ross, Nancy A; Gilmour, Heather; Dasgupta, Kaberi (2010).

Methods:

This study was conducted on 5,547 women and 6,786 men aged 18 or older, who did not have diabetes in 1994/1995. Subjects were followed to determine if household income and education level were associated with an increased risk of diagnosis or death from diabetes by the year of 2008/2009. The data used for this study was Statistic Canada's National Population Health Survey (NPHS). Excluding people on Indian Reserves, territories, Canadian Forces and some remote areas, the household component of the NPHS covers the population living in private houses in 10 provinces in 1994/1995.

Using the year 1994/1995 as a reference point, the researchers applied three models. Model 1 was adjusted for income, education and lengths between observations. Model 2 was adjusted for variables included in Model 1 and the addition of age. Lastly, Model 3 was adjusted for all the variables previously with the inclusion of cultural background, Body Mass Index (BMI), and number the number of secondary risky behaviour factors. Secondary risky behaviour factors include: heavy drinking, smoking and physical inactivity. For all these models, the researchers separated the data into three categories: income and education for men, for women, and for both sexes.

BMI Chart
Retrieved from: http://www.spudart.org/blogs/randomthoughts_archives/A2007053

Results:

Among the people aged 18 and over who were free from diabetes in the 1994/1995 period, 877 people were diagnosed with diabetes by 2008/2009 and 23 (12 men, 11 women) of them died. Although men in this study were more likely than women to live in high income households and be postsecondary graduates, they were also more likely to be overweight/obese and report 2-3 incidents of secondary behaviour risk factors.

Discussion:

From this study, it shows that there is a consistent association between low income and incidents of diabetes when compared with the higher income individuals. Previous cross-sectional have also found an association between socioeconomic status and diabetes prevalence. Thus, this study adds onto previous studies and affirms a clear association between low-income and incident of diabetes. The take home message from this study is that individuals in the lower spectrum of society's socioeconomic status have a higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes. A limitation to this study is that BMIs were based on reported height and weight. As a result, the calculations tend to yield lower estimates of obesity and could potentially underestimate the association between obesity and Type 2 Diabetes.

In conclusion, socioeconomic status is associated with diabetes. Further studies should be conducted to increase the amount of data available and to inform individuals of these statistics. It is essential for the public to be more aware of this topic and to help reduce inequities through various means.

References:

Ross, Nancy A; Gilmour, Heather; Dasgupta, Kaberi. (2010). 14-year diabetes incidence: The   

          role of socio-economic status. Health Reports, (21)3, 17-28. Retrieved from  

          http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/docview/904161014?accountid=13800

Insulin Sliding Scale - Is it good? Is it bad? 

Today, we will be discussing about a controversial approach in diabetic therapy - The Insulin Sliding Scale. The Insulin Sliding Scale is a set of procedure used by doctors to determine the amount of insulin required at a specific glucose level, and to provide dosage according to glucose tests (3). The insulin given in this process are fast- or rapid-acting and is given when glucose levels are particularly high (4). Administered to patients who has hyperglycemia or high blood sugar, this scale is used primarily in a health institution setting rather than daily use for patients at home (3).

Insulin Chart for Diabetes
http://www.safehavenpch.com/speciality-care/diabetes-management/ 

Since the scale has been around for 80 years and many physicians and therapists still continue to use this method, it may seem to have made a breakthrough in the realm of diabetic therapy (3). The higher the glucose reading from the test, the greater the amount of insulin that should be given (3) - this seems to make sense right? What actually occurs is that the use of this method has not proven to stabilize a patients blood glucose level but rather causes patient’s glucose level to become out of control (3).

An argument against this method is it does not manage the blood glucose level, but rather “chases” it (1). Since a blood test is required before hand to determine the amount of dosage, the patient will already be at that specific level of blood sugar; the dose will simply comply with the amount of blood sugar at that time (3). Another perspective for opposing this procedure is that doctors may use this to reduce their own botheration (1). The doctors will not be continually called while a patient is in the hospital, as the nurse would be able to apply the scale to administer insulin (1).

Despite all the arguments made against the Insulin Sliding Scale, this practice continues to prosper in academic medical centers and community hospitals (2). The scale is a “Historical Practice Habit” (4). Thus, breaking these habits and practices would require a lengthy amount of time because it is deeply entrenched (4). Alternatively, the process is convenient and straightforward; nurses will be able to administer insulin while doctors handle other more severe cases (2). 

My perspective on this Insulin Sliding Scale is quite gray; It depends on the standard of living and whether funding is sufficient in a specific location. For example, if funding for health care is high and the cost is low, I agree to removing this procedure from hospitals and other health institutions. More doctors would be readily available to attend to patients  On the other hand, if funding for health care is low and costs are high, then there are fewer options for institutions. There is no perfect solution; whatever we gain for ease, we pay for it in terms of costs.

Sources Cited:

1) DiabetesLife (n.d.) Insulin Scale - What’s the Whole Controversy About? Retrieved from:
        http://www.diabitieslife.com/diabetes/diabetes-basics/treatment-of-diabetes/insulin-sliding-scale.htm

2) Hirsch, B. I. (2009). Sliding Scale Insulin - Time to Stop Sliding. Retrieved from:

http://jama.ama-assn.org.proxy.lib.sfu.ca/content/301/2/213.full 

3) Insulin Sliding Scale (n.d.). Insulin Sliding Scale - A Controversial Approach Diabetic Therapy. 

        Retrieved from: http://www.insulinslidingscale.net 

4)  Miller, D. (2011). Why Won’t the Sliding Scale Go Away?. Canadian Diabetic Association. 

        Retrieved from: http://www.diabetes.ca/documents/for-professionals/CJD--Sept_2011--D.Miller_.pdf

Diabetes & Credibility

In order to begin talking about credibility in diabetic treatment articles, we first need to understand what diabetes is. Diabetes is a condition in which there are high levels of sugar in the blood (4). Typically, Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, is used by the body to control blood sugar (4). In the case of diabetics, their body cannot produce enough insulin, is resistance to insulin, or both (4). There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 Diabetes occurs at any age where the body naturally does not produce or produces very little insulin in the body – Daily injections of insulin is needed (4). Type 2 Diabetes is most often a result of obesity (4). For this post, we will focus on the credibility of DiabeRex, “The New Diabetes Miracle”.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WuvWE9Ws7fM&feature=player_embedded

DiabeRex is a diabetic supplement aimed to lower blood sugar, cholesterol level, hypertension and boost healthy blood flow through the combined efforts of various medicinal herbs (1). Michael Dess, the author of this article, claims DiabeRex is chemically free and has no side effects (1). With a healthy diet and exercise, Michael assures users of DiabeRex will see results within 15-60 days (1).

When I first came across this webpage, I was surprised at the amount of information it offered. The tedious article provided diabetic information, videos, testimonials and promotional offers on the pill. Although most of the information is related to diabetes itself, there are sections which lack credibility.

The five areas that lack credibility on www.diaberex.com:

1)      Author – The article was written by Michael Dess (No doctors, nutritionist or professional of any kind to support this medication.)

2)      Testimonials, evidence for successfulness, have been provided but no further detail was elaborated - Michael Dess could have “created” these people.

Testimonies of DiabeRex

3)      The domain “www.diaberex.com” suggests that Michael Dess has purchased this web address and published information on this product in order to gain financially. Anyone who has IT experience can purchase a domain, and slap information on.

4)      The contact information provided leads to Michael Dess. No other contact information was provided – perhaps webpage would be more reliable if contact information leading to a medical professional was provided.

Contact Information for DiabeRex

5)   Michael Dess has provided a list of ingredients and details about the traditional herbs used in DiabeRex, but he did not disclose any references to the experimental research done to prove the effects. The individual herbs may have medicinal properties to relieve certain symptoms but when combined, could they be hazardous to our life?

One of the Five Ingredients in DiabeRex

In my research for reliable information about diabetes, I stumbled across the search engine PubMed Health. Pubmed Health is a reputable search engine for latest medical information and research (2). It is a service provided by the National Center for Biotechnology Information at the U.S. National Library of Medicine (2). The website is available at www.pubmed.ca

The testimonies on www.diaberex.com where individuals have said that DiabeRex led to lower cholesterol, improved vision and blood sugars returning to normal is misleading (1). PubMed reveals that these problems can be prevented by maintaining a healthy diet and regular physical activity (3). 


Michael Dess claims that exercise and a healthy diet is needed to complement the drug. If a healthy diet and physical activity reduces the level of blood sugar (3), which promotes a healthier diabetic life, why would there be a need for DiabeRex?


From the comparison of these two websites, I find myself more alert of the reliability of information on the internet – especially information regarding my health. Why would anyone purchase supplement/medication from an unprofessional page like DiabeRex? I personally would not order these pills for my diabetic father unless further references have been provided. Thus, whenever one is researching on health related issues, it is important to examine the credibility of the page.

Work Cited:

1) Dess, Michael. (2012). DiabeRex - The New Diabetes Miracle. Retrieved from http://www.diaberex.com

2) PubMed Health. (n.d.). About PubMed Health. Retrieved from 

       http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/about/

3) PubMed Health. (2011, June 28). Type 2 Diabetes. Retrieved from 

       http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001356/

4) PubMed Health. (2011, August 11). Diabetes. Retrieved from

       http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002194/

Introduction

Hello Everyone! I would like to welcome you all to my first ever blog on the internet! My name is Sunny Wong and I am a first year business student at Simon Fraser University. I have no idea as to what my concentration will be, nor do I know if Business Administration is the faculty for me. There are plenty of routes to take within an institution like SFU, so I am not concerned with my career path. Although my future may be a blur at the moment, there is one thing I do know for sure: I want to live a holistically healthy life. By taking Kinesiology - Contemporary Health Issues, I hope to be more aware of my own health status as well as those who I care about.

I have a question for the readers who may read this blog: Have you ever had a close relative or friend who has been diagnosed with a chronic illness such as cancer, asthma or diabetes? When I was around the age ten, my father was diagnosed with diabetes. Since then, he has been taking insulin pills and doing diabetic tests with a Diabetic Testing Meter.

Three Diabetic Testing Meters

As a human who often tries to understand the causes of things, I try to make sense as to why my father was so unlucky. For the majority of his career as a Cabinet Maker, he has been supporting the family alone; he's the financial pillar of the house and I truly understand that this pressure placed on him can be extremely frustrating and stressing. With the adequate amount of exercise he receives due to the nature of his career, I can't exactly pinpoint one specific factor to his illness. The focus of this blog will then be to draw awareness to diabetes; diabetes relates to my family and is a preventable disease. Applying the knowledge obtained in Kinesiology - Contemporary Health Issues and the research I do for this blog, I hope to find effective ways to prevent diabetes and ways to promote health of diabetics.

Sources Cited:

Diabetes Healthy Solution. (2011). Diabetic Testing Meters. Retrieved from http://www.diabeteshealthysolutions.com/diabetic-testing-meters/