Introduction
Diabetes:
Diabetes is a chronic disease that affects how the pancreas functions. The pancreas can either be damaged by the immune system, which will cause a person to get type 1 diabetes. Or, the pancreas can't produce enough insulin for the body, which will result in a person contracting type 2 diabetes. Type 1 diabetes is less common than type 2. A person with type 1 diabetes will have to inject themselves with insulin, which would make them insulin-dependent [19]. The person would have to monitor their glucose levels as well. As for type 2 diabetics, they will have to take medication, and they would also have to monitor their glucose levels. If the body is having issues producing insulin, the person has to take an injection of medication that encourages the pancreas to operate properly. Some factors that can contribute to type 2 diabetes are an unhealthy diet, not being active, being overweight, and even genetics. About 95 percent of diabetes cases are type 2 [13]. Type 2 is reasonably prevented and is the focus of this project. The factors that can contribute to type 1 diabetes are genetics, and a virus that tells the immune system to attack the pancreas. Type 2 diabetes is reversible through diet changes and weight loss and can result in a person's glucose levels returning to normal. Both types of diabetes have become increasingly common across the United States. Unlike type 2 diabetes, type 1 diabetes is neither reversible nor preventable.
Impact of Diabetes:
Diabetes has a consequential impact on New Mexico’s health and economy. It affects the body’s systems, which makes one’s immune system weaker than in individuals without diabetes. Type 2 diabetes raises the risk of cardiovascular problems. These are just two examples of the tremendous economic losses that are caused by diabetes. In 2017, approximately 327 billion dollars were spent on diabetes-related costs such as buying insulin, a pump, medical supplies, medications, and doctor’s visits in the U.S alone [11]. This cost does not include the loss of productivity from diabetes. Also, long term diabetes that is not treated properly can cause health problems as well. It can damage blood vessels, which can cause problems in the kidneys, eyes, and feet. In New Mexico, more than 14.1 percent of the population suffers from diabetes [12].
Definition of Problem:
Diabetes is a widespread health problem that is a result of one’s entire lifestyle. Our project aims to identify demographic factors that correlate with diabetes rate data in New Mexico counties and visualize their effect in as much detail as possible. Society as a whole needs to be aware of the demographics that affect diabetes rates on a macro level. It is on the macro level that a general population can be encouraged to live an anti-diabetic lifestyle. A visual model is an effective way of analyzing demographics as well as educating others on their impacts on diabetes. Our ideal result is a program that is capable of correctly predicting the diabetes rate of a town based on inputted factors.