American Culture and Diabetes
Peggy Dismuke
ANT 101
Kathryn Johnson
June 25, 2009
American Culture and Diabetes
The growing rate in which Americans are becoming obesity and developing diabetes did not just develop over night. These changes in society began years ago and are still changing. According to Marion (2005), “these societal changes affected the structure of families, schools, neighborhoods, consumer demands, agricultural production, business practices, and technology” (p. 1497). It is just like a domino effect. Americans bring in the diverse foods and eating habits and they get to busy to exercise, they begin to lose control of their weight and health.
(Marion Nestle, 2005). As you can see, cultural changes can affect us in a large scale. With the change in America’s eating habits it is no wonder diabetes is on the rise. You should have a check up if diabetes runs in your family or if you are obesity.
There are different symptoms you can look for: symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar are shakiness, dizziness, sweating, hunger, headache, pale skin color, sudden moodiness or behavior changes, clumsy or jerky movements, seizure, difficulty paying attention or confusion, and tingling sensations around the mouth. The symptoms for hyperglycemia or high blood sugar are high blood glucose, high levels of sugar in the urine, frequent urination, and increased thirst. According to Mayo Foundation for Medical Education & Research (2009), “To diagnose type 2 diabetes before it does serious damage, diabetes screening is recommended for all children and adolescents at high risk of type 2 diabetes, even if they have no symptoms of the condition. Those considered at high risk include children:
With a body mass index over the 85th percentile
With a sibling, parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, or cousin with type 2 diabetes
With signs of insulin resistance, such as darkened skin on the neck” (p.1)
As I stated...