Date of Award
Spring 2015
Degree Type
Essay
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
First Advisor
Mary-Michelle J. Coleman-Walsh
Abstract
Diabetes is a chronic disease in which one’s blood glucose, more commonly known as sugar, rises to above average levels (American Diabetes Association [ADA], 2015). According to the 2014 National Diabetes Statistics Report, in 2012, 29.1 million Americans age 20 and older have diabetes, up from 25.8 million in 2010, with 90-95% of those diagnosed cases being Type II diabetes (ADA, 2014). As of 2010, diabetes remains the seventh leading cause of death in America (ADA, 2014). Several studies have found regular physical activity and maintaining a normal body mass index (BMI) can significantly reduce one’s risk of developing Type II diabetes even if one is already in a pre-diabetic state (CDC, 2014). This research leads us to recognize Type II diabetes as a preventable disease and one that does not require medications to manage but simply the adjustment of certain health and lifestyle behaviors, specifically those which influence blood sugar levels and weight management. A starting point for promoting behavior change to lower the risk of Type II diabetes is through communication interventions targeting men and women between the ages of 20 and 30 who are graduating from college and entering a monumental stage of their lives filled with significant lifestyle change, for better or worse. This project is designed to review literature on type II diabetes, characteristics of the millennial generation, modern health communication targeting millennials, communication theory, and health campaign design techniques. A proposed health campaign aimed at reducing the risk of type II diabetes in an organization, comprised mostly of individuals under age 30, through the promotion of healthy behavior change will be outlined following literature review.
Recommended Citation
Bruns, Jessica A., "PROMOTING HEALTHY BEHAVIOR CHANGE: COMMUNICATION INTERVENTIONS TO LOWER RISK OF TYPE II DIABETES IN MEN AND WOMEN UNDER 30" (2015). Masters Essays. 16.
https://collected.jcu.edu/mastersessays/16
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License.