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Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) define vulnerable populations as “those defined at a greater risk for poor health status and health care access”(p.712). The role of a public health nurse in contrast to a vulnerable population is to establish interventions to help break the cycle of vulnerability thus aiding to eliminate health disparities within the population. The term “risk” helps public health nurses establish a person probability of something happening to them. This epidemiological term is used with the triangle of host, agent and environment in contrast to ones health within a population. The author will discuss vulnerability as discovered within a community based on surveying the community and establishing risk and interventions on the intervention wheel and with concepts related to the human becoming school of thought in relation to poverty and alcoholism. The diagnosis that will be discussed throughout this paper is risk of alcoholism among the community of zip code 92509 related to poverty stressors.
In an assessment factors such as physical environment, social environment, personal habits are all obtained to help establish risks that a population may have in correlation to the history and factors that influence a person’s health status and outcome within a web of causation. A web of causation according to Stanhope and Lancaster (2008) is “an epidemiological triangle, reflecting the complex interrelationships of numerous factors interact in, to increase or decrease a risk of disease.” Public health nurses can use this web of causality as a tool to help assign risk factors that impact a community (p.711). One’s education level, living conditions, poverty level, genetic factors and access to health care can all be applied t...
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... 2011, from HHS GOV website:
http://aspe.hhs.gov/ poverty/11poverty.shtml
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Valdez, A., Kaplan, C., & Curtis, R. (2007). Aggressive crime, alcohol and
drug use, and concentrated poverty in 24 U.S. urban areas. The American Journal Of Drug And Alcohol Abuse, 33(4), 595-603. Retrieved from EBSCOhost.
(2008, August). [Commentary] ADDRESSING INEQUALITIES IN ALCOHOL
PROBLEMS: THE MARATHON HAS ONLY JUST BEGUN. Addiction. pp.
1294-1295. doi:10.1111/j.1360-0443.2008.02310.x.
According to the World Health Organisation (2017) the social determinants of health are defined as the conditions where people are born, grown, work and live, which also includes the health system. The social determinants of health determined populations health’s outcomes and therefore linked with health inequalities (WHO, 2017)
Substance abuse is a wide-reaching issue affecting millions of people worldwide. It is an issue particularly troublesome for members of an oppressed class, in this case homeless women, as examined by the authors (Wenzel et al, 2009) in the article. Nearly 50% of homeless women reported drug use, and 32% of them reported binge drinking in Los Angeles, compared to 16% and 17% for drug use and binge drinking among women occupying a low-income house (p. 16).
Social determinants of health (SDOH) are increasingly becoming a major problem of Public Health around the World. The impact of resources and material deprivation among people and populations has resulted in an increase in mortality rate on a planetary scale. Social determinants of health are defined as the personal, social, economic and the environmental conditions which determines the health status of an individual or population (Gardner, 2013). Today’s society is characterized by inequalities in health, education, income and many other factors which as a result is becoming a burden for Public Health around the world. Research studies have shown that the conditions in which people live and work strongly influenced their health. Individuals with high levels of education and fall within the high income bracket turn to have stable jobs, live in the best neighborhood and have access to quality health care system than individuals who have low education and fall with the low income bracket. This paper is to explain different social determinants of health and how they play ...
Being susceptible to health issues, can result from an interaction between the resources available to individuals and the built environment. Also, these negative health issues can be due to disadvantaged social status, leading to a plethora of ill effects, such as degraded neighborhoods, food deserts, and lack of community mobilization. The complex interactions of these factors over the course of time can create vulnerabilities in the
Social determinants of health have attracted the attention of governments, policy makers and international health organisations over the last three decades (Hankivsky & Christoffersen 2008). This is because social conditions which people are born in, live and work play an important role in their health outcomes (WHO 2015). According to Kibesh (1200) social determinants drive health disparities, disrupts the human developmental process and undermine the quality of life and opportunities for people and families (ref). Thus, several theories have been developed over the years to provide in-depth understanding of the social determinants of health and to reduce health inequalities (Hankivsky & Christoffersen, 2008). However, there is still significant
“Vulnerability is at the core, the heart, the center, of meaningful human experiences” (Brown, 2014). Vulnerability can be regarded as a constant human experience that can be affected by physical, social and psychological dimensions (Scanlon & Lee, 2006; Malone, 2000) Deconstructing the concept of vulnerability and how it relates to client care is imperative for nurses due to their dynamic role in health care (Gjengedal et al.2013). In this paper I will provide a theoretical overview of the nursing concept vulnerability. I will explore how a thorough understanding of vulnerability informs the nursing concept of vulnerability and informs the nursing practice and the nursing profession. I will identify the gaps in the nursing
Also, changing their perceptions about their health and to overcome the issues that restrict them from having a healthy lifestyle. (Lapkin & Doab 2015) Moreover, nurses can prevent illness in the community to worsen and assist them to manage their health. Nurses will have a better understanding of the factors that may influence the patient’s behaviour which can be used to assess them to provide them with better treatment. Further, fulfilling the patient’s needs, preventing further damage to their health while promoting a healthy environment. (Stein-Parbury 2014) Nurses may also promote health equity effectively, in addressing the social determinants of health in public health policies and research to increase health of the community and educate others in taking responsibility of their health, to reduce illness and disease in the community. (Lapkin & Doab
“Poverty in the United States.” Congressional Digest 89.10 (2010): 298-300. Academic Search Premier. EBSCO. Web. 24 Jan. 2011.
Nurses around the world collaborate with various providers and partners to address multiple challenges in the community. With emphasize on health promotion and disease prevention, nurses have an important role in delivering nursing services in the community and in the home. Challenges that impact the overall health of the community can arise from unequal access to health care or lack of insurance causing individuals do not receive healthcare. However, all nurses can help improve health outcomes and help to prevent and manage diseases. With the help of community health nurses, public health nurses, and home health nurses, the ability to provide safe and effective care for all sectors of health is possible.
Social Determinants of health is the “conditions in which people are born, live, work and age that affect their health” Healthypeople.gov. (2017). Social Determinants of Health | Healthy People 2020. [online] Available at: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health [Accessed 22 Sep. 2017]. The determinants of health are important because it helps create policies to make changes, as well as improving public health conditions by addressing the different health outcomes an individual can face and improving the need for healthier conditions. Healthy People 2020 organizes the determinants of health in both a social and physical determinant which has an impact on health.
The primary goal of public health nursing is promoting health and preventing disease within the community, so it’s essential that nurses understand how to gather and assess demographic information to diagnose the local needs of the population and to consider that information when developing a health improvement plan (Nies & McEwan, 2015). The assignment this week is to gather statistics from the local county, the state, and national databases and analyze the findings to identify actual or potential areas of concern in the community.
Over the years, the social determinants of health (SDOH) have been receiving more attention due to its importance in determining peoples’ health access, health quality and health outcome. The social determinants of health have been described by various scholars as the situation or environmental condition in which people are born, or where they grow, live and work; unfortunately these conditions have continued to affect and determine people’s ability to access proper care.1-5 In other words, the SDOH continues to consciously and unconsciously influence people’s access to most opportunities in life including access to healthcare services both in developed and developing countries.2 This issues have continue to deteriorate in most developing countries increasing people’s susceptibility to multi-morbidity among different age groups, with a slight increase among the elderly.6
...on, race, and political belief, economic or social condition. Improving the poor health of disadvantaged individuals and reducing health gaps is important but not enough to level up health through socioeconomic groups. The objective of tackling health inequalities can be changed to local needs and priorities of a community allowing wide-ranging partnerships of support to be organised. However it needs to be made clear that what can be done to help improve the life chances and health prospects of individuals living in poverty may not come close to bringing their health prospects closer to the average of the rest of the population or prevent the gap living on throughout the generations. Being clear about what is trying to be overcome and achieved needs upmost importance in the development and delivery of policies that will promote health equality across the population.
Throughout my study I will focus on poverty pertaining to African-American males between the ages of 18-25 with substance abuse. The United States recession continues to illuminate the experience of poverty in this country and the weaknesses in programs designed to protect families from the effects of poverty. The poverty rate has risen over the last four years, and is just beginning to stabilize.
Certain individual in the community are at an increased risk for detrimental health issues. These individual are “unable to anticipate, cope with, resist and recover from the impacts of disasters” or health illness. (WHO, 2002) This is what makes these individuals a vulnerable population. The vulnerable population endures multiple combinations of factors that make them more susceptible to illness, injury or disasters. These are the factors that affect the vulnerable population: limited economic resources, limited social resources, age, and chronic disease and obesity. (Wilkinson, Treas, Barnett, & Smith, 2016) Each factor can have a significant impact on the healthcare of the individuals or group.