Dorthea Elizabeth Orem's Nursing Theory Applied to Patients with End-Stage Renal Disease and Hemodialysis TreatmentAccording to the Healthy People Database, in 2010 the elderly population was estimated to be 40 million, this number is predicted to rise to nearly 70 million by 2030 (National Center for Health Statistics, 2000). At the forefront of health concerns for this aging population will be the intervention, management and treatment of chronic diseases. This increase in both this specific population and needed medical care will place a significant amount of stress on an already struggling healthcare system, which will in turn affect the availability of resources and costs. Including patients in self-care with strategic health promotion such as encouragement and education targeted to specific socioeconomic groups will be more cost-effective and beneficial in managing chronic diseases. Studies indicate that patients involved in self-management of disease processes often achieve better outcomes. Obesity has become a very critical problem in the United States. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 2011), there has been an increasingly dramatic increase in obesity in the United States over the past twenty years. Research evidence indicates a strong correlation between overweight or obesity with the incidence of coronary heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and increased cancers (CDC, 2011). One of the major complications associated with diabetes is nephropathy which can lead to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Complications related to diabetes and kidney disease are said to account for 50% of new cases of end-stage renal disease (...... middle of article...... MA (2006). Applications of Nursing Theory on Self-Care Deficit by Dorthea Orem In M.E. Parker (Ed.) (2006). Philadelphia: EA. Davis Company.Kuther, N. (2001). Retrieved July 1, 2009, from http ://www.healthypeople.gov/data/data2010.htmOrem, DE (1995: Nursing: Concepts of practice (5th ed.), New York: McGraw Hill. Quinan, P. (2007). Control and coping for individuals with End-stage renal disease on hemodialysis: a summary paper CANNT Journal, 17(3), 77-84.United States Renal Data System (USRDS). July 2009 from http://www.usrds.org/2008/pdf/V2-02-2008.pdf