Health Profile of Salford: Diabetes and Associated Health Complications

Running head: NURSING ASSIGNMENT
Nursing assignment
Name of the student
Name of the university
Author note

NURSING ASSIGNMENT1
The primary aim of this paper is to critically discuss the health profile of the
chosen local council area, Salford and people of the country that are living
with diabetes and other associated health complications. This paper would
also discuss the modifiable risk factors (risk factors which could be modified
by changing the lifestyle) and non-modifiable risk factors (risk factors that
could not be changed with life style changes), associated with diabetes. In
addition, a comparison between the statistics of Salford with the entire
country as a whole would be conducted so that any specific factor enhancing
the difference could be understood. Besides this, the paper would discuss
about the key determinants that may be influencing the health experience
for people living in Salford and different interventions that nurses could use
to promote health and wellbeing.
In the year 2015-2017, the average life expectancy of the population of
Salford, United Kingdom at birth was 76.8 years among males, and 81.0
years among females (Public Health England, 2019). Comparatively the
National average of United Kingdom was 79.6 years, and 83.1 years for
males and females respectively, that indicate towards the lower rate of life
expectancy among males and females in Salford compared to the national
average of England (Public Health England, 2019). Besides this, it was also
observed that the rate of adults with age 18 years and above that found to
be overweight was 66.2% whereas, the national rate of England was found to
be 62% (Public Health England, 2019). Hence, this condition could be
controlled to prevent the emergence of diabetes among the population
(Public Health England, 2019).
Diabetes is the health condition in which a group of metabolic disorders
increases blood sugar level of the patient for a prolonged period of time and
then with the indication of several symptoms such as polyuria, increased
hunger and thirst determines the presence of the disease among patients
body (Dennick, Sturt & Speight, 2017). The blood sugar level beyond 100
mg/dL is considered diabetic (O'neill et al., 2016).

NURSING ASSIGNMENT2
As per the National Health Strategy UK (2019), diabetes has emerged as a
significant concern affecting approximately one in every five children, as well
as one in four adults. Besides this, it was also seen that severity of this
health complication is associated with the decreased life expectancy of the
population by 5 to 10 years (National Health Strategy UK, 2019). As per the
World Health Organisation (2019), more than 1.9 million people died due to
diabetes in the year 2012 in UK which indicates towards the involvement of
this in the life expectancy of the population.
Diabetes and associated health complication leads to serious as well as life-
threatening health conditions among the patients that leads to several
physical changes among the patients. Few of the critical health conditions
that could arise due to the presence of diabetes are; obesity, Stroke, cancers
specifically breast and womb cancer, as well as bowel cancer, coronary heart
disease, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, liver/kidney disease,
severe asthma, multiple metabolic syndromes, emergence of gallstones,
reduced fertility among men, sleep apnoea, and finally the gestational
diabetes (Abubakari et al., 2016).
Diabetes is also associated with multiple psychological concerns that directly
and indirectly affect the quality of life of the individual suffering from it and
the associated concern includes lack of concentration, low self-esteem as
well as increased depression (O'neill et al., 2016).
Further, it was noted that due to improper food habits lack of physical
activity, increased alcohol and smoking conditions, diabetes has increased to
its severe level in Salford and hence, as per Williams et al. (2014), it is
important for the nursing professionals working in the healthcare facilities of
Salford to implement specific interventions to prevent the occurrence of this
disease. The intervention would target the awareness regarding the risk
factors, implementing wholesale changes in the lifestyle, developing self-
management abilities among people and increasing their ability to avail

NURSING ASSIGNMENT3
integrated treatment in healthcare facilities’ around their district so that
effective and accurate care could be provided (O'neill et al., 2016).
Williams et al. (2014), one of the primary concern due to which the patients
suffer from critical health complication is the increased availability of junk
foods, lack of activity and availability of these aspects more conformably
than others. Hence, it is important to assess the modifiable and non-
modifiable aspects so that scope of prevention and implementation of
interventions could be assessed (O'neill et al., 2016). Modifiable aspects
could be easily replaced whereas the non-modifiable aspects could not be
changed properly.
Modifiable factors associated with diabetes and associated health
complications include: overeating or consumption of food that are high
caloric, increased consumption of the sugary drinks, lack of proper physical
activity, abnormal cholesterol levels, and hypertension. Overeating or
consumption of food that are high caloric could occur due to the peer
pressure or when family/friends gathers. In these scenario, people generally
consumes much more food than they actually required and hence increase
their blood sugar levels (Midha, Chawla & Garg, 2016). Besides this,
increased consumption of the sugary drinks such as, carbonised fizzy drinks,
fruit juices with added sugar as well as soft drinks and energy drinks with
caffeine increases the blood glucose level of the consumers (Public Health
England, 2019). Lack of proper physical activity is one of the primary
conditions due to which people that are working in the desk-jobs or spend
their majority of the time sitting, has the chances of suffering from diabetes
condition (Borgnakke, 2016).In addition, abnormal cholesterol levels could
increase the complications of the individuals and increases their risk of
cardiovascular diseases (Padmanabhan et al., 2018). Smoking is also
considered as one pf the modifiable factors as in this condition, people are
exposed to several stressors due to which they suffer from critical condition
and increases their risk factors related to diabetes (Maddatu, Anderson-