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No description available.

No description available.

No description available.

Type 2 diabetes is still rapidly on the rise today, affecting 10.5% of individuals in the United States between the ages 45 to 64 and 18.4% of those between the ages of 65 to 74. In the past two decades, type 2 diabetes has doubled in all age groups. Many adults with type 2 diabetes experience difficulty managing their blood sugars, which can result in a range of further complications. One of the newest treatment options on the market today is a glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) receptor agonist, Bydureon. Similar to Byetta, Bydureon has a main ingredient of exenatide. It offers once a week dosing as opposed to twice-a-day, which may be more appealing to patients. The purpose of this study was to examine the efficacy of a newly FDA released medication, Bydureon, once weekly dosage in adults with type 2 diabetes. A descriptive, comparative, retrospective study of 35 patients evaluated efficacy by examining Hgb A1C and body mass index in adults with type 2 diabetes at baseline and 3 months after Bydureon was prescribed. Data were collected by a chart review of records in a primary care practice. Results demonstrated a statistically significant difference between baseline to 3 month means in both Hgb A1C (t (34)= -3.05, p=.0044) and BMI (t (34) = -2.86, p = .0072) for patients using Bydureon. Health care providers need to individualize the patients’ plans of care to address multifactorial areas of their diabetes care and provide them with an opportunity to successfully meet their goals. Practitioners must be knowledgeable about the treatment options available, including the newer GLP-1 receptor agonist, Bydureon and its efficacy for adults with type 2 diabetes.

Obesity is a serious health concern in modern society. One way to reduce caloric intake is with nonnutritive sweeteners (NNS). However, recent research suggests they may be compounding the obesity problem. Nonnutritive sweeteners have been linked to increased body mass in a few studies and may be a barrier to effective weight management for some individuals. Under the framework of the health belief model, the research question was: Does this pattern of NNS-BMI covariance exist in young adults at the University of North Florida and, if so, are there other dietary or activity differences that might partially explain this relationship? A sample of 113 students completed an online survey based on the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey to answer this question. Their responses quantified BMI, activity level estimates, NNS intake, and produce consumption. There was a no trend of covariance between BMI and NNS intake overall. However, there was a significant relationship between length of NNS usage and both BMI (p<0.01) and NNS intake (p<0.05). A positive correlation also existed between NNS usage and fruit and vegetable intake (p<.005). Weight variability was positively related to NNS due to the maintenance of previous weight loss (p<0.005). There was no correlation between NNS and activity. There is a tendency to have a higher BMI the longer NNS is consumed. This pattern does not appear to be explained by nutrient intake or activity. However, it may be due to increased tolerance towards sweets over time. Nurse practitioners can make recommendations that facilitate healthy behaviors amongst their patients. Therefore, this is an important issue for advanced practice nursing.