Application 6.5

People Served

Please describe the strategy or method used to estimate the number and demographics of people who need the service and will be reached (400 words or less).

Example:

As an autoimmune disease, T1D causes the immune system to attack healthy beta cells that produce insulin to regulate blood sugar (Rewers et al., 2018). T1D typically presents in two adolescent peaks, between ages 4–7 and 10–14 (ADA.org, n.d.). Genetics, family environment, socio-demographics, and geographic factors can impact the onset of both diabetes types (Akesson et al., 2009; McCullough et al., 2021). Medical advancements combined with a decades-long push for patient agency through diabetes education and patient self-care have increased patient mortality (Dedding et al, 2014; Mistry et al., 2022), according to the ADA’s “The Burden of Diabetes in Utah” (2021), the disease wreaks a devastating physical, emotional, and financial impact on those diagnosed and their families. In 2020 alone, Utah hospitals recorded more than 1,200 emergency department encounters and 829 hospital admittances of patients under age 24 for diabetes mellitus-related care (Public Health, n.d.).

According to the American Diabetes Association (2021), diabetes in Utah is epidemic. Approximately 8% of Utah’s adult population has been diagnosed with diabetes, and those numbers increase annually (Lawrence et al., 2021; “The Burden of Diabetes in Utah,” 2021). Until 2018, national year-over-year increases in the pediatric diagnosis rate of T1D fell between 3-5% (Rewers et al., 2018). Yet, doctors at Salt Lake City’s Primary Children’s Hospital have reported more than a 25% increase in new-onset diabetes cases from 2020 to 2021. Research has suggested that a recent infection of COVID-19 can trigger an on-set of T1D (Gujral et al., 2022), and the CDC’s January 2022 Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report estimates that children diagnosed with COVID-19 have a 30% – 150% higher risk of developing diabetes. Based on studies that 1 in 300 children will develop T1D (Rewers et al., 2018), the prevalence of pediatric T1D in the project area is estimated at 3,190 in Utah, and 1,876 in combined metropolitan areas. The University of Utah Health and Primary Children’s Hospital has reported a 25% increase in children diagnosed with diabetes (T1D and T2D) from 2020 to 2021. Worldwide, the number of people living with T1D is expected to double by 2040 (Gregory et al., 2022).

Your turn! Identify and describe the target population. How will you estimate the number of participants? How will they be included in your project?