Diet and Lifestyle Changes to Control Diabetes

Diet and Lifestyle Changes to Control Diabetes

Diabetes is a disease that is currently on the rise and this is owed to lifestyle and uncontrolled dietary habits. The purpose of this paper is of this paper is to discuss how Dorothea Orem Self-care theory may be used to improve diabetes patient’s outcomes in relation to diet and lifestyle modification. The state of science has been effectively established through a review of four scholarly articles which were retrieved from nursing journals database. The paper has established that control of the disease involve direct regulation of the feeding habits, control of food composition and modification of lifestyle activities such as doing physical exercises.

Introduction

            Diabetes is a disease that affects the levels of sugar in the blood and usually leads to dysfunction of the body organs. Diabetes is unrecognizable in the early stages hence patients suffering from the disease fail to adapt to healthier living. Blood sugar levels are often affected by the dietary habits of an individual and hence one can physically manipulate them with the kind of food he or she consumes. Since diabetes is a disorder in the level of blood sugars in the body, one can control or contain the disease with proper dieting. The theory of self-care developed by Orem proposes that one can manage his or her health through deliberate action against self. Orem’s theory argues that a person has the power to control his actions and the environment that may affect his health (Denyes, Orem, & Bekel, 2001, p. 49). The aim of this paper is to discuss how Dorothea Orem Self-care theory may be used to improve diabetes patient’s outcomes in relation to diet and lifestyle modification. The importance of carrying out this study is to establish an alternative option to clinical based care in controlling diabetes.

State of the Science Summary

            The state of science was determined through a critical analysis of nursing articles related to patients’ self-care. Comprehensive review of nursing literature related to the theory was consequently conducted to establish the significance of Orem’s theory in controlling and improving diabetic patients’ outcome. Four scholarly articles were identified and retrieved from scholarly nursing journal database. The journal articles were published not later than the year 2007 through year 2014. The articles had a high correlation to the main area of the study and contained key words to the research which includes; self-care, diabetes, diet and lifestyle. The selected theory provides a rationale for the control of diabetes through self-management…”