It is a commonly known fact that the emergence and development of chronic health conditions have always been a major issue for any population. Indeed, various genetic factors, along with aging and high-stress levels, contribute to the rapid patterns of chronic disease emergence and severity. However, despite everyone being at risk of obtaining a chronic health issue, some diseases are more likely to occur within some social groups. Thus, the primary purpose of the present paper is to examine how physical activity as an integral part of a daily routine may prevent the occurrence of such health issues as type 2 diabetes and heart disease among adult men.
To begin with, it is necessary to dwell upon the issue of type 2 diabetes. Thus, type 2 diabetes is a chronic condition caused by improper insulin function and poor blood sugar management. The disease itself is usually diagnosed in older people who do not take care of their sugar intake, diet, and physical activity. When speaking of prevalence, it becomes evident that disease manifests itself with age. For example, in people aged 18-44, the type 2 diabetes prevalence constitutes no more than 3%, whereas people aged between 45 and 64 show an indicator of 13.8% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2020a).
The situation deteriorates when gender is considered, as men are generally more likely to have this chronic health condition at the age of 45 and older. Thus, it may be considered that type 2 diabetes is a drastic health issue that leads to various complications. However, when aware of the risk, the disease may be averted by implementing a healthy routine.
Another severe chronic condition, heart disease, also becomes more dangerous with age. According to the CDC (2019), some of the major heart disease occurrence risks include alcohol and tobacco use, poor diet, and lack of physical activity. When speaking of disease prevalence, it is necessary to mention that health disease is considered to be a leading cause of death for men in the United States (CDC, 2019). Moreover, half of the men dying of coronary heart disease have no prior symptoms indicating failure risk. For this reason, the major risk factor indicating the health issue is hypertension, which is, in its turn, caused by physical inactivity and diabetes. For this reason, it would be safe to assume that both type 2 diabetes and heart disease serve as major health issues for adult men who pay minor attention to their physical activity patterns.
In order to avert the risk, nurses working with men aged 45 and older should explicitly incorporate physical activity as a major part of one’s daily routine. According to the CDC (2020b), physical activity has been proven to have a positive outcome in terms of chronic disease prevention. Thus, when planning a quality intervention, nurses should indicate that adult men are to fulfill the basic requirement of 150 minutes of active physical activity per week.
These activities include moderate-intensity aerobics and muscle-strengthening activities (CDC, 2020b). However, despite the generally accepted requirement, nurses are to take into account individual specifics of the patient, encouraging them to embrace even light physical activity such as going for a short walk but doing it consistently indeed or pursuing complex cardio exercises that affect one’s heart and overall desire to exercise. When perceiving a fast stroll as a heart disease prevention instead of a tiring burden, people are more likely to create a habit of daily physical activity.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2020a). National diabetes statistics report 2020 . Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2019). Know your risk for heart disease. Web.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC]. (2020b). Physical activity prevents chronic disease. Web.