(Picture from http://diabetespreventionprograms.

com/different-types-of-type-2-diabetes-medications/)
(Picture from http://favorite4news.blogspot.com/)
I chose the population of people with diabetes because my mother is a diabetic. She was
diagnosed for ten years before she ever went to an education class. Her sugar had been out of
control because she didnt have a basic understanding of her disease.
I went with her to her education class as a support person. I noticed that the visual aids
they used were busy and complicated. There was so much going on in the board they had that it
was hard for me to understand what they were trying to convey.
Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death in the United States (Mokdad, Ford,
Bowman, Dietz, Vinicor, Bales, & Marks, 2003). According to the World Health Organization
more than 80% of diabetes deaths occur in low to middle income countries (2014). Obesity,
physical inactivity, smoking and low birth weight have been associated with low socioeconomic
status and are known risk factors for type 2 diabetes (Connolly, Unwin, Sheriff, Bilous, & Kelly,
2000).
I chose to make my health promotion tool simple with smaller words to allow people of
all socioeconomic status to be able to understand it. I wanted a visual aid that would be easy to
read and follow. I wanted something that wasnt as busy as the visual aid used in my mothers
education class.
I chose the picture of the woman injecting herself with insulin because, in my
experience, taking insulin is the biggest thing diabetics want to avoid. I have found that they are
willing to take oral medication to control their diabetes but dont want to give themselves a shot
every day. I thought putting this picture on my tool will be kind of like a scare tactic to make
them think, If I dont want to give myself a shot I better follow these steps. I chose the other
picture because monitoring blood sugar levels regularly is so very important. It is impossible to
know how well a person is controlling their diabetes if they are not checking their levels.
In my research for this assignment I found Hughes Think SAFE article from 2012. I
thought, That is really great! Its easy to remember and understand. I tried to keep it short
enough to fit on one page with the thought that people would be able to put it up on their
refrigerator and see the important information right up front. If I worked in a doctors office I
would use this tool when I had a newly diagnosed diabetic or when my patient is having trouble
controlling their diabetes. I would give them this handout along with other reading material, a list
of websites they can visit, and their scheduled diabetes education class.
The SAFE acronym not only helps people to remember the important aspects of diabetes
management, but it also teaches them to pay attention to their body and how they are feeling.
Paying closer attention to their body and how it reacts to certain foods or activities may help
them to gain better control of their diabetes.
The health promotion theory I thought supported my tool was the Theory of Reasoned
Action (TRA). Pender, Murdaugh, &Parsons (2011) state, In the theory of reasoned action, a
persons intention to perform a behavior is the most immediate determinant and best predictor of
that behavior (p. 40). She goes on to explain the attitude regarding the behavior can be either
positive or negative based on the outcome.
My health promotion tool explains to a diabetic the basic tasks they need to do in order to
control their diabetes. If they use this tool and follow their physicians orders appropriately they
will see positive results. Positive results will give them a positive evaluation of this tool and
doctors orders. Pender, Murdaugh & Parsons (2011) state, When the evaluation of the behavior
outcome is primarily desirable, the result is a positive attitude, whereas a negative attitude results
when the evaluation is primarily negative (p. 40).
References
Connolly, V., Unwin, N., Sherriff, P., Bilous, R. & Kelly, W. (2000). Diabetes prevalence in
socioeconomic status: A population based study showing prevalence of type 2 diabetes
mellitus in deprived areas. Journal of Epidemial Community Health. 54: 173-177.
Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1731634/pdf/v054p00173.pdf
Hughes, L. (2012). Think SAFE: Four crucial elements of diabetes education. Nursing. 42:1.
58-61. DOI: 10.1097/01.NURSE.0000406197.96182.bf
Keyvive. (2013). [Self-administration of insulin]. Retrieved from
http://diabetespreventionprograms.com/different-types-of-type-2-diabetes-medications
Mokdad, A.H., Ford, E.S., Bowman, B.A., Dietz, W. H., Vinicor, F., Bales, V.S., & Marks, J. S.
(2003). Prevalence of obesity, diabetes, and obesity-related health risk factors 2001.
Journal of American Medical Association. 289:1.76-79. Retrieved from http://0-
jama.jamanetwork.com.libcat.ferris.edu/article.aspx?articleid=195663
Pender, N.J., Murdaugh, C.L., & Parsons, M.A. (2011). Health promotion in nursing practice.
(6
th
ed.). Pearson Education Inc. Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Sawyer Sommers, M. (2011). Diseases and disorders: A nursing therapeutics manual (4th ed.).
F. A. Davis Company. Philadelphia, PA. Retrieved from http://0-
online.statref.com.libcat.ferris.edu/document.aspx?Offset=0&StartDoc=1&QueryID=-
1&FxID=62&Lt=TOC&SessionID=1C8B5F6WNXNILEMP#H&0&ChaptersTab&Hfbr
qXobp5Ugr79Uqz7pVg%3d%3d&&62
World Health Organization (2014). Diabetes. Retrieved from
http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs312/en/
Zex. (2012). [finger-stick blood check]. Retrieved from http://favorite4news.blogspot.com/