Topic 4 DQ 2 – Research a health concern that impacts a population with which you are familiar. How do biostatistics affect the research focus? How do you define the population as your patient? Make sure to include the population and health concern.
Topic 4 DQ 2
Diabetes is a health concern among elderly populations. That is because it increases the risk of other serious health concerns that include eye problems, kidney disease, heart disease as well as nerve damage that could result in amputation. In addition, it increases the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and cancer (Yamagishi, 2018).
Diabetes is of particular concern for the elderly population in El Paso, Texas, since they comprise 11% of the persons living in the area. 23% of this elderly population lives alone. 16% of them have an annual income of less than $10,000, 38% have an annual income of less than $20,000, and 33% of them receive food stamps. This is an indication that they may have difficulty paying for health care (Senior Care, 2020). Health statistics reveal that 12% of adults in El Paso have ever been diagnosed with diabetes, a value that is significantly higher that 11.4% reported for Texas State (Paso del Norte, 2020a). In addition, the death rate due to diabetes in El Paso stands at 34.1 deaths per 100,000 population, a figure that is significantly higher than Texas value at 20.9 and US value at 21.3 (Paso del Norte, 2020b). These statistics are worrying and they indicate a need to address the issue of diabetes among the elderly population in El Paso, Texas.
Biostatistics affects research focus on diabetes among elderly populations in two ways. Firstly, it helps in establishing the population demographics that characterize the disease in terms of incidence and risk as well as fatalities and comorbidities. This helps in identifying the specific populations that warrant an intervention, rather than applying the intervention to populations who may not need it thereby resulting in the limited resources being wasted. Secondly, it helps in understanding clinical research that acts as the foundation of evidence-based practice (EBP). Biostatistics helps in understanding prior research on the same subject and influencing recommendations for EBP (Rosner, 2016).
References
Paso del Norte (2020a).
Adults with Diabetes
.
http://www.healthypasodelnorte.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=81&localeId=2645&localeTypeId=2&periodId=241
Paso del Norte (2020b).
Age-Adjusted Death Rate due to Diabetes
.
http://www.healthypasodelnorte.org/indicators/index/view?indicatorId=100&localeId=2645
Rosner, B. (2016).
Fundamentals of Biostatistics
(8
th
ed.). Cengage Learning.
Senior Care (2020).
El Paso, Tx Senior Guide
.
https://www.seniorcare.com/directory/tx/el-paso/
Yamagishi, S. (Ed.) (2018).
Diabetes and Aging-related Complications
. Springer Nature.
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