Research Report on Diabetes: Symptoms, Awareness, and Challenges

This research report discusses the symptoms of diabetes, ways to generate awareness, and challenges faced by diabetic patients. It aims to increase knowledge and understanding about diabetes.

Research Report
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Abstract
Diabetes is a condition or disease wherein the pancreas in the human body fails to
produce insulin. This leads to an increase in the levels of blood sugar. The symptoms of the
disease include problems with vision, a considerable amount of weight loss, increased hunger
etc. Therefore, it is important to generate awareness about the same among people through
various ways like social media, online or offline campaigns etc.
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Table of Contents
Abstract............................................................................................................................................2
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................4
Aims and Objectives........................................................................................................................4
Project Aim.............................................................................................................................4
Research Objectives...............................................................................................................4
Research Questions................................................................................................................4
Rationale for the research.......................................................................................................4
Literature Review.............................................................................................................................5
Methods and Methodologies............................................................................................................6
Ethical Issues...................................................................................................................................7
Results/Findings...............................................................................................................................8
Discussion......................................................................................................................................11
Key Findings..................................................................................................................................11
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................11
Recommendations..........................................................................................................................12
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................13
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INTRODUCTION
Diabetes can be referred to as a disease that occurs when the level of blood sugar is very
high. It is a chronic condition and can affect the daily lifestyle of individuals adversely. Insulin,
a hormone that is produced by pancreas lowers the level of blood glucose. There are three types
of diabetes, type 1, type 2 and gestational diabetes (Boulle and et. al., 2019). Type 1 diabetes is
also known as juvenile diabetes and occurs when the body is not able to produce insulin.
Whereas, Type 2 diabetes affects the way in which the body uses insulin. This makes it
important for the patients to have a balanced diet and an active lifestyle. This research is based
on identifying the issues that are faced by diabetic patients during their course of life. It identifies
the symptoms of the disease and the different ways through which awareness about diabetes can
be increased among people.
Aims and Objectives
Project Aim
“To identify the issues faced by patients of diabetes in their course of life.”
Research Objectives
 To identify the symptoms of diabetes in human body.
 To determine the issues faced by patients of diabetes.
 To explore ways by which awareness about diabetes can be increase among people for
better health.
Research Questions
 What are the main symptoms of diabetes in human body?
 What kind of issues faced by patients of diabetes in their course of life?
 What ways can be used to increase awareness about the diabetes among people for their
better heath.
Rationale for the research
The rationale behind choosing this topic for the research is to enhance the overall
knowledge about diabetes as well as its symptoms (Brooks, Kalyanaraman and Malek, 2019).
This will not only be helpful for the researcher but the readers as well. The reason being that this
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research will discuss the topic of diabetes in a way that awareness is generated and also the
desired objectives are achieved.
Literature Review
Diabetes is a chronic condition wherein the pancreas in the human body fails to produce
insulin, a hormone that is made by pancreas. This results in an abnormal metabolism of
carbohydrates in the body and increased levels of sugar in the blood. There are various
symptoms of diabetes that should be taken into consideration as they occur. This is because it
can help in identifying the disease (Davies, 2019). The symptoms of diabetes include weight
loss, increase in thirst, blurry vision, sores that don't heal and extreme fatigue. Additionally, there
are symptoms that are different in men as well as women. Since there are three types of diabetes,
Type 1, type 2 and Gestational diabetes, their symptoms are also different. For example, people
suffering from type 1 diabetes can experience extreme hunger and an unintentional weight loss.
On the other hand, patients suffering from type 2 diabetes cam suffer from symptoms that
include tiredness and blurry vision. Gestational diabetes is the third type of diabetes which is
usually detected during a blood sugar test. But the main symptoms of diabetes are that the person
feels extreme thirst with a considerable amount of waste. They also suffer from pain in hands
and blurry vision. When the condition is not diagnosed, the person usually complains of having
an itchy and very dry skin. They also have sores that either do not heal or take a long time to do
so. Apart from this, there are various patches of darkened skin in the creases of their bodies.
Having problems with the vision is also a common symptom that people suffering from diabetes
come across. Therefore, it is important to identify the symptoms at the right time because
otherwise the condition can increase its severity.
Patients who are diabetic face many issues during their course of life and these
complications can become long-term if they are not addressed effectively. The patients initially
suffer from short-term complications which include hypoglycaemia, which is a condition
wherein the level of glucose in the blood is very low (Freeman, 2019). Another issue is that of
hyperglycaemia ketonic syndrome, which means that the level of blood sugar in the patient's
body is very high. Also, it is common for the people suffering from diabetes to develop certain
complications. The patients have to deal with high costs of medication that are involved in curing
the disease. Apart from this, there are certain cases wherein people are not educated about the
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disease due to which they opt for a wrong treatment (Top Challenges in Managing Diabetes,
2020).
Lack of education can make it very difficult for the patients to understand what their
body is suffering from and the consequences that will take place if they skip medications and
appropriate treatment. Also, it is important for the patients suffering from diabetes to be able to
test their blood sugar levels, because if they fail to do so they wouldn't be able to manage their
diabetes (Inga-Britt and Kerstin, 2019). Also, the patients have to go through a lot of medications
not only to cure diabetes but also to balance their cholesterol levels. Therefore, it is important to
make sure patients suffering from diabetes have a complete knowledge of the type of diabetes
they are suffering from as well as the right medication for the same.
There are many ways through which awareness about diabetes can be increased among
the people. This will help them understand the disease in an effective way and make sure that
they avail right treatment for the same. One of the ways of generating awareness is to support
children at school and encourage other people to join social media campaigns. This is because
social media is one of the most effective ways in which a particular message can be
communicated to the people across different locations. Participation in local charity events
should be encouraged among them. The campaigns should talk about how can diabetes affect the
human body and what are the measures that can be adopted in order to overcome the same.
People who suffer from diabetes and have a smoking habit should be encouraged to quit the
same. Thus, this will help in generating awareness as well as making sure that people are aware
of their respective health conditions.
Methods and Methodologies
Primary Methods – Primary methods of data collection are considered to be among the
most commonly used methods in research (Nguyen and et. al., 2019). This is because they allow
the researcher to collect data which is first-hand and can be relied upon. The different primary
methods include telephone interviews, observation, online surveys, focus groups etc.
Secondary Methods – These methods consist of books, online journals, diaries etc. and
are also time as well as cost effective. This is because information is available through various
sources.
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Quantitative Research – This is a kind of research whose results can be expressed in the
form of graphs, numbers and tables. A quantitative research is mainly used for a large
population to draw results that are effective.
Qualitative Research - A qualitative research is basically carried out in order to
understand the reason about a particular research problem (Parsa, Aghamohammadi and
Abazari, 2019). The sample size is comparatively small and the results cannot be quantified.
Questionnaire – It can be defined as a research instrument that comprises of a series of
questions relating to a research problem. A questionnaire has been used in order to collect data
for the research.
Sampling – It can be defined as the process of selecting a number of observations that is
already determined. The sample size for this report is 30 respondents. The time scale of this
research is 4 weeks.
Interview Method – This is a type of method that is used to collect data from a relatively
small group of people. There are two types of interviews, i.e., structured and unstructured
interviews. Structured interviews a5re comparable and can be compared to a questionnaire.
Interviews are a qualitative technique of gathering data wherein the respondents are asked a
series of predetermined questions.
Observation – This is another method of collecting relevant data by observing of the
aspect and when it occurs. This method helps the researcher in collecting the relevant details that
are first hand and can provide relevant insights. The different methods of observation include
case study, testing method, laboratory method etc.
For this research, a questionnaire has been used because it is not only cost effective but
also helps in collecting first hand data from the respondents. Also, it is easy to analyse and can
help the researcher in conducting the research in an ethical and effective way.
Ethical Issues
In order to complete a particular research in an effective way, it is important to make sure
that it is carried out ethically. A good research is carefully planned, designed appropriately and
follows the different ethics of research. But there can be cases wherein certain ethical issues can
arise. These issues will not only affect the way in which research is conducted but its overall
quality as well (Saint-Pierre and et. al., 2019). Therefore, in order to avoid ethical issues, it is
important to develop a research protocol. The different ethical issues in this research include the
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respondents providing inappropriate answers or choosing not to answer some of them etc.
Another ethical issue in research can include analysing the data in a wrong manner or the
researcher copying someone else's work and presenting the same as their own.
Questionnaire
Q1 What are the symptoms of diabetes?
a) Increased thirst
b) Extreme hunger
c) Unintentional weight loss
Q2 What are the ways in which awareness about diabetes can be generated among
people?
a) Through social media
b) Designing campaigns
c) Emails
Q3 What problems do diabetic people face in their course of life?
a) Vision problems
b) Hearing loss
c) Hypoglycaemia
Q4 Any suggestion/recommendations
Results/Findings
Q1 What are the symptoms of diabetes?
Increased thirst 5
Extreme hunger 12
Unintentional weight loss 13
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Interpretation
From the above stated graph, it can be said that 5 respondents are of the viewpoint that
increased thirst is a symptom of diabetes while 12 respondents stated that extreme hunger is the
symptom. 13 respondents said that an unintentional loss in weight is a symptom of diabetes.
These participants were recruited because they possessed knowledge about the topic which is
diabetes.
Q2 What are the ways in which awareness about diabetes can be generated among
people?
Through social media 12
Designing campaigns 10
Emails 8
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Increased thirst
Extreme hunger
Unintentional weight
loss

Interpretation
From the above graph, it can be stated that 12 respondents stated that social media is one
of the ways in which awareness regarding diabetes can be generated while 10 respondents said
that campaigns can be designed. Lastly, 8 respondents stated that emails are also a way of doing
so.
Q3 What problems do diabetic people face in their course of life?
Vision problems 15
Hearing loss 8
Hypoglycaemia 7
Interpretation
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Through social media
Designing campaigns
Emails
0 2 4 6 8 10 12 14
Column B
Vision problems
Hearing loss
Hypoglycaemia

From the above graph, it can be stated that 15 respondents stated that vision problems is
one of the problems that diabetic people face during the course of their life while 8 respondents
stated hearing loss as a problem. Hypoglycaemia was voted as a problem by remaining 7
respondents.
Discussion
Diabetes is a chronic disease wherein the pancreas fails to produce insulin in the human
body. There are three types of diabetes, Type 1, Type 2 and Gestational diabetes. The symptoms
of the disease include increased thirst, vision problems, unintentional weight loss etc. These
symptoms should be taken into account and addressed in an effective manner. Also, it is
important to generate awareness about the same among people (Swarna Nantha, Haque and
Swarna Nantha, 2019). This can be done by adopting various ways which can include social
media platforms, campaigns etc. Lastly, people who suffer from diabetes face various problems
during the course of their lives. This can include hypoglycaemia, hearing loss etc. The purpose of
the study is to raise awareness about diabetes and how does it influence the overall health of an
individual. Increasing awareness regarding this will help in improving the health and well-being
of the people who suffer from diabetes. This can be done by conducting public health awareness
campaigns.
Key Findings
By undertaking this research, it has been found that majority of the people have
knowledge about the topic of diabetes. (Vujosevic and et. al., 2019) A considerable portion of
respondents were aware of the different symptoms of diabetes, like vision problems, loss in
weight etc. Also, there were many respondents who said that different methods can be adopted
for generating awareness among people.
CONCLUSION
From the above report, it can be concluded that diabetes is a serious condition that should
be treated effectively. The symptoms of the disease include vision loss, loss of weight, increase
in hungers and thirst. People who suffer from diabetes face many issues during the course of
their life. Therefore, it is important to raise awareness about the same because if people will not
have any knowledge about their condition, they will not be able to manage the same properly.
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Therefore, different ways can be adopted in order to generate awareness about the same in an
effective manner.
Recommendations
By analysing the results of the research, it is recommended that people should be made
aware of diabetes. This can be done by adopted various methods because if this is not done, then
people who suffer from this will not be aware of how to manage the same. It is also
recommended that they should be made aware of the symptoms and the right medication because
otherwise, it can affect their overall health.
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REFERENCES
Books & Journals
Boulle, P. and et. al., 2019. Challenges associated with providing diabetes care in humanitarian
settings. The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology. 7(8), pp.648-656.
Brooks, L. K., Kalyanaraman, N. and Malek, R., 2019. Diabetes Care for Patients Experiencing
Homelessness: Beyond Metformin and Sulfonylureas. The American journal of
medicine. 132(4). pp.408-412.
Davies, M., 2019. Psychological aspects of diabetes management. Medicine. 47(2). pp.131-134.
Freeman, J., 2019. Management of hypoglycemia in older adults with type 2 diabetes.
Postgraduate medicine. 131(4). pp.241-250.
Inga-Britt, L. and Kerstin, B., 2019. Challenges faced in daily life by persons with type 2
diabetes: A meta-synthesis. Chronic illness. 15(3). pp.167-186.
Nguyen, H. V. and et. al., 2019. Impact of comorbid chronic conditions to quality of life among
elderly patients with diabetes mellitus in Vietnam. International journal of
environmental research and public health. 16(4). p.531.
Parsa, S., Aghamohammadi, M. and Abazari, M., 2019. Diabetes distress and its clinical
determinants in patients with type II diabetes. Diabetes & Metabolic Syndrome:
Clinical Research & Reviews. 13(2). pp.1275-1279.
Saint-Pierre, C. and et. al., 2019. Relationship between continuity of care in the multidisciplinary
treatment of patients with diabetes and their clinical results. Applied Sciences. 9(2).
p.268.
Swarna Nantha, Y., Haque, S. and Swarna Nantha, H., 2019. The development of an integrated
behavioural model of patient compliance with diabetes medication: a mixed-method
study protocol. Family practice. 36(5). pp.581-586.
Vujosevic, S. and et. al., 2019. Early microvascular and neural changes in patients with type 1
and type 2 diabetes mellitus without clinical signs of diabetic retinopathy. Retina. 39(3).
pp.435-445.
Online
Top Challenges in Managing Diabetes. 2020. [Online]. Available
through:<https://www.drugtopics.com/view/top-challenges-managing-diabetes>.
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