paper obesity , diabeties and lung cancer

Epidemiological study of Diabetes, Obesity and Lung Cancer

Christopher Sharp

South University

Hannah Edmonds

October 24, 2017

Epidemiological study of Diabetes, Obesity and Lung Cancer

Epidemiological Study on Obesity

The overweight problem is big issue in the United States and worldwide with the average American weighing 3-5 kilograms more than they did ten years ago. Obesity is an excess of body fat that leads to ill health. The study was based on a sample representative of United States where 22.9 percent men and 23.3 women were obese, and 44.1percent of men and 34 percent of women were overweight indicating that almost half of the United States population was overweight. The research covered children aged 6-11 years and the prevalence rate was 15.8 percent in 2007 with a higher prevalence among Black male and female’s at 20 percent and Hispanics at 26.5 with Whites recording the lowest at13.5 percent (World Health Organization, 2007).

Adiposity is the balance between energy intake and expenditure. Excessive intake of energy rich food is one of the main contributors to obesity. The other cause is the sedentary lifestyle that most United States citizens expose themselves to with the younger generation spending more time on the couch either watching television, playing games or on the computer. This lack of exercise is a contributory factor of obesity (Cole, 2000). The other factor is the modern day preference for food rich in energy and fats from the traditional lean meals. Low sugar and a high fat diet are more prone to cause obesity than high sugar low fat diet. The high fructose corn syrup used in soft drinks has also been found to contribute to obesity and Americans are big consumers of these soft drinks. The other main cause for the rise in adiposity is the affordability and availability of junk food in the United States resulting to risk exposure. In the study it was established that individuals that consumed junk foods are at a higher frequency more likely to suffer from obesity. Most of obesity’s risk factors are behavioral. Obesity in the long run has been found to cause type two diabetes and coronary diseases due to the fat blocking the heart vessels (Reilly et al., 2000).

The study design was prospective qualitative design with a clinical and nonclinical sample population. The sample population was interviewed and also observed by the research team. The next step involved the . The sample population was 1000 persons from a diverse races, and socioeconomic positions, therefore the study was representative of the whole population of United States and other similar developed countries.

Epidemiological Study on Diabetes

. The research was conducted in Washington.

Risk factors for diabetes type 1 are usually genetically influenced. On the contrary, Type 2 diabetes is mostly influenced by behavioral traits like weight; the fatter one has the more the resistance to insulin leading to diabetes. The second major cause is inactivity. Physical exercises use up energy and makes cells more responsive to insulin. An individual with a family history of diabetes is also at risk of getting diabetes. Certain races example Africans, Hispanics, American Indians and Asians are more prone to diabetes. Age is also another risk factor with risk increasing as one grows older. A person with a high level of triglycerides (type of fat found in blood) increases the risk of type 2 diabetes. High levels of cholesterol also make the risk higher. Women who have polycystic ovary syndrome characterized by irregular menstruation, excessive hair growth and obesity increases the risk of diabetes. Women who experience gestational diabetes during child birth are also more likely to acquire the full scale diabetes type 2.

The study sample for the research was 3000 adults over the age of 35 years based in Washington. The mode of study was quantitative with the participants filling questionnaires and the medical professionals conducting experiments on some of the participants in selected counties and observed over a period of 6 months. It was conducted by the Mayo Clinic and Diabetes Centre which is a full scale diabetes research centre. The mode of study was chosen due to its accuracy of results and the necessity of theory testing by conducting experiments. The research was accurate and representative of the whole American population.

Epidemiological study on lung cancer

The Heartland Radon Research and Education Program (HRREP) was a recognized study conducted by the University Of Kansas School Of Medicine in the United States conducted in Iowa due to its high levels of radon. The other reason was the minimal mobility of the Iowa population which made it easy for the research team to calculate the exposure time of the study sample (Krewski et al., 2007).

The risk factors in Iowa were both environmental as it has been established to have the highest concentration of radon in the US (Kansas University, 2004). Other factors were behavioral with the risk increasing for smokers. Other carcinogenic factors were from industrial pollution and vehicle smoke. Diet also played a big role with consumption of red meat increasing the risk of lung cancer while green vegetables generally lowered the risk. People exposed to radon for longer periods mostly adults who had lived in Iowa for longer than 20-30 years were at more risk. Smokers who had practiced the habit for more than 15 years or their spouses who were exposed to second degree smoke were also twice likely to acquire the disease. The reasons for the higher risk by smokers and people who consumed red meat were the presence of carcinogens in the two products which increased the risk (Hackshack, 2008).

The study design had three components fieldwork and laboratory validation of radon detectors. The next step involved the reanalysis of the Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study with exposure limits measured by Retrospective Radon Measurements. The final stage of the study was calculation of risk estimates and the comparison with pooled analyses from National Cancer Institute and Iowa Lung Cancer Study. The study was conducted in 2004. From the high levels of radon in Iowa the case study is not representative of other states with lower radon levels (Smith et al., 2004).

References

Cole T.(2000). Establishing a standard definition for child overweight and obesity worldwide:international survey. New York: Jossey-Bauss press.

Hackshaw K.(2008).The accumulated evidence on lung cancer and environmental tobaccosmoke.Iowa: Kansas University Press.

Kansas University Website: Iowa Radon Lung Cancer Study (2004). Retrieved October 14 2017, from: www.cheec.uiowa.edu/misc/radon.html.

Krewski, D., Lubin, J., Weinberg, C. & Wilcox, A. (2007). North American Case-Control Studies of Residential Radon and Lung Cancer, Journal of Toxicology and Environmental Health. Iowa: In Press.

Reilly J., Dorosty, A. & Emmett, P. (2000). Identification of the Obese Child: Adequacy of the Body Mass index for clinical practice and epidemiology.

Smith, B., Platz, C., Robinson A. & Brus, C. (2004). Agreement Between SEER Reported Versus Independently Reviewed Lung Cancer Morphologies: A Quality Assurance Analysis, Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

World Health Organization: Obesity in the United States. ( 2007). Retrieved October 14 2017, from: http//www.who.int.