My community or population implementation paper is about McDougald Terrace in Durham North Carolina. McDougald Terrace is a multifamily community that was established in the 1950s and it is the largest conventional public housing community in Durham. The community has 360 apartments. It was named after the late R. L. McDougald who was an outstanding Durham pioneer and community leader. McDougald Terrace is located in the southeast section of Durham (Durham Housing Authority). The community is minutes away from North Carolina Central University, one of the historically black colleges and universities in the nation.
I performed a windshield survey in the neighborhood one Saturday afternoon. It was a beautiful day and I noticed kids playing,
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Nationally representative survey data show that the prevalence has steadily increased over the past three decades although there are large disparities between population groups and continuing changes in the associated pattern (Wang, Beydoun, Liang, Caballero and Kumanyika). The community is aware of the problem as evidenced by walking trails through the community. Residents are aware that exercise, especially walking can help decrease obesity and can lower medical bills. According to Wolf and Colditz, medical costs associated with overweight and obesity may involve direct and indirect costs. Direct medical costs may include preventive, diagnostic, and treatment services related to obesity. Indirect costs relate to morbidity and mortality. Morbidity costs are defined as the value of income lost from decreased productivity, restricted activity, absenteeism, and bed days.
If obesity is not addressed in this community, many residents will suffer from chronic illness such as hypertension, diabetes and heart diseases. During my windshield survey I witnessed several older looking men in wheelchairs and I assumed it is related to amputation due to
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I am aware that change will not happen overnight in this community but, with time I hope people of McDougald Terrace will understand the importance of healthy weight, healthy eating habits, the importance of increasing physical activity and seeking medical help on time to decrease morbidity and mortality.
References:
Nies, M., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (5th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby Elsevier
Saint Arnault, Denise, PhD, RN. (2009). Cultural determinants of help seeking: A model for research and practice. Research and Theory for Nursing Practice, 23(4), 259-78. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/207664067?accountid=6143
Wang, Y., Beydoun, M. A., Liang, L., Caballero, B. and Kumanyika, S. K. (2008), Will All Americans Become Overweight or Obese? Estimating the Progression and Cost of the US Obesity Epidemic. Obesity, 16: 2323–2330. doi: 10.1038/oby.2008.351 Wolf, A. M. and Colditz, G. A. (1998), Current Estimates of the Economic Cost of Obesity in the United States. Obesity Research, 6: 97–106. doi:
Strasser, Judith A., Shirley Damrosch, and Jacquelyn Gaines. Journal of Community Health Nursing. 2. 8. Taylor & Francis, Ltd., 1991. 65-73. Print.
Holden, Diana. "Fact Check: The Cost of Obesity." CNN. Cable News Network, 09 Feb. 2010. Web. 06 May 2012.
Goldstein, Hesh. Why There is an Obesity Epidemic. 16 Nov. 2009. 12 Nov. 2011 .
In 1990, obese adults made up less than 15 percent of the population in most U.S. states. By 2010, 36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher, and 12 of those had obesity rates of 30 percent or higher. (CDC) Today, nationwide, roughly two out of three U.S. ...
Flegal, K. M., Carroll, M. D., Ogden, C. L., & Curtin, L. R. (2010). Prevalence and trends in obesity among U.S. adults, 1999-2008. Journal of Medical Association. 303, 235-241.
A community can be defined as a group of people, who live, learn, work and play in an environment at a given time. (Yiu, 2012, p.213) There are many factors that may influence the community’s development and health status. These can include resources available, accessibility, transportation, safety, community needs etc… These influences may combine together to form community strengths and as well as community challenges or weaknesses. As a community health care nurse, it is significant for us to assess and identify these strengths and challenges within the community in order for us to intervene and provide the appropriate needed health care services for the community members. This individual scholarly paper will explore and focus on one challenge issue identified from our group community assessment.
Since the 1960?s obesity in America has more than tripled regardless of sex or race. Today 30.5 percent, or 69 million, American Adults are considered obese (?AOA Fact Sheets? np). In addition, 13 percent of children aged 6-11 years old are considered overweight, and well on their way to becoming obese. Obesity causes over 300,000 deaths a year and costs the country $117 billion dollars, prompting health care providers and the government to label it an epidemic (?Overweight and Obesity?? np).
During one of my undergraduate courses, “Community and Population Health”, I completed a paper on my community and access to healthcare. During the research and community outreach performed to meet the goals of the paper, my eyes were opened to the plight of small communities in regards to access to quality healthcare. This plight has become my passion, and has formed the basis for my vision of the Family Nurse Practitioner role.
Holden, Diana. "CNN." 9 Febuary 2010. Fact Check: The cost of obesity. web. 19 January 2012.
This public health issue does not only effect individuals but the national as a whole in regards to the health care system costs. Obesity in children "costs the health care system $14 billion per year, much which comes from public funds" (Glanz, 2008). Also, obesity is expected to cause 112,000 deaths per year in the United States(Gollust, 2014). In addition, many changes seen in the health care sy...
Recent data shows that close to 80 million American are obese. Now, considered a chronic disease, obesity is associated with various health conditions and increases one's risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, asthma, osteoarthritis, gall bladder disease, sleep apnea, and some cancers. Aside from these medical issues, obesity also raises psychosocial as well as economic problems.
Harkness, G. A. & Demarco, R. (2012). Community and public health nursing. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer Health/Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Edwards, N. C., Etowa, J., Peterson, W. E., & Kennedy, M. A. (2012). Community health
Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2011). Community/public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (5th ed.). St.Louis, MO: Saunders.
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is