Diabetes Prevention
Diabetes Prevention Prototype
The prototype is created to inform end users about diabetes. It is also created to bring awareness on how to prevent the disease. The prevention starts with the end users building knowledge about the disease and changing their lifestyle based on healthy choices that can prevent acquiring the disease. The prototype has the preventative information and logs which will give the end users a visual on their lifestyle behaviors. The prototype is created around different end users from different lifestyles, and environment exposure in order to find the common understanding of controlling the disease.
End Users
Type 2 Diabetes patient, child of a diabetes patient (caregiver), healthcare professional, and a nurse
The end users mostly affected by the problem is the diabetes patient and the child of the diabetes patient
Build Knowledge
What is Diabetes:
It is a condition where the body does not properly break down the food that is used as a source of nutrition. Food generally turns into sugar during the digestion phase and is used to supply the body with energy. Insulin, which is created from the pancreas allows the sugar to enter into the cells of the body. Diabetes is caused when the body doesn’t properly create enough insulin and cause the sugar to build up in the bloodstream. Diabetes can cause serious health issues such as heart disease, blindness, kidney failure, and lower-extremity amputations. Diabetes has been categorized as the seventh leading cause of death in the United States.
African Americans are 1.7 times as likely to develop diabetes as Caucasians. This number has tripled within the past 30 year.
Type 1, also known as insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (IDDM) or juvenile-onset diabetes. Autoimmune, genetic, and environmental factors are involved in the development of this type of diabetes. Type 2, also known as non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM) or adult-onset diabetes, is the most diagnosed cases of diabetes. The development of this type is age, obesity, family history of diabetes, impared glucose tolerance, lack of exercise, and race/ethnicity.
Studies have shown physical activity and proper nutrition have been a major way to reduce the risk of developing Type 2 diabetes (Center, n.d.)
People who don’t have diabetes, the blood sugar level is around 70 to 80 mg/dL prior to eating.
People with diabetes are 70 to 130 mg/dL before meals, and less than 180mg after meals (WebMD,2019).
Diabetes Prevention
The prevention is created by the end users monitoring their food intake and ensuring t o eat a balance meal. Their meals and beverages were documented on a log. There is an exercise log created to document daily exercise. A glucose reading log was created so the end users can track their glucose level to compare it to the range of normal and abnormal levels.
Prevention Forms
These forms are the tracking forms created with the prototype to bring awareness to end users nutrition, exercise, and glucose patterns.
Nutrition Log
Exercise Log
Glucose Tracking Log
End Users
Individual approaches to understand prevention
"Diabetes has caused my vision has became weaker, bruises and scars appear on my legs, feet and hands, circles around my eyes, cuts are critical due to the nature of my body does not heal quick and the cuts are prone to more infections which can lead to possible amputation. I have side effects from my medication and my stomach has started to protrude since I’ve been diagnosed."
Aretha Burns
Diabetic Patient
“In some cases I think the disease is hereditary. In the books it says it’s hereditary but I feel like body type is hereditary and that is what leads to diabetes. The way that people cook and the exposure of the eating patterns in their household. So I would say the habits of diabetes is hereditary, but I think the actual disease can be prevented and people are subjected to what they have been exposed to.”
Trevor Burns
Educator (son of diabetic mother)
“I don’t think it’s enough information out there for people who are outside of the healthcare community. I don’t think kids are exposed to enough information or understand the risk factors of the choices they are making now will affect their body in the future. Also with working parents, it’s more convenient to stop grab a pizza or hamburger, than it is to go home and cook a healthy meal everyday. Also, buying healthy food is expensive. People shop in the middle isle of the grocery store where all the unhealthy foods are located more than the outskirts of the grocery store where the healthy choices are located.”
Bill Court
Healthcare Manager
"I do think there could be more teaching. Teaching is very important when it comes to preventing certain element. I feel like in the community there should be more physician teaching personal diet based on that individual's body and also tell them what can happen if they don’t do this. A lot of physicians and healthcare specialists aren’t really saying what can happen if you don’t do the recommendations.”