The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion
There are many factors that make people healthy or ill. This week we will focus on the social factors and determinants that impact health.
It is time to get out into your community!
Go online to the U.S. Census Bureau at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/ Links to an external site.(*note, you will be using this website in the Week 2 assignment, so you can get started on collecting all the required data if desired)
Input your local zip code, city, or county. Try to get as specific data as possible (city, township, county) (My county is Stafford County in VA zip code 22406).
Next, identify the: The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion
Total population
Median income
Percentage or number of persons living in poverty
Go to your local grocery store, use a flyer, or app. Include the stores name, city, and state. Identify cost for the following items (please note whether items are organic):
1 gallon of milk
1 loaf of bread
1 bag of apples (include price per pound)
1 bag of carrots
1 large container of yogurt
1 2-liter of soda
1 bag of chips
1 package of cookies
Utilizing the data collected, discuss social factors that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.).
Discuss how a community health nurse (CHN) could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address areas of food security (Nies & McEwen, 2019).
Your discussion post should look like:
Paragraph one: Utilizing the data collected, discuss a social factor that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.)
Paragraph two: Utilizing the data collected, discuss another social factor that might impact what groceries are purchased. Try to be as specific to your community as possible (location, availability, poverty levels, etc.)
Paragraph three: Discuss how a community health nurse (CHN) could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address areas of food security
Resources: Where did you find your data?
Data collected from Fredericksburg, New Virginia revealed that the city has a total population of 29,059 as of 2020 census. The city has a population density of 1084 people per square mile, a poverty rate of 13.9%, and an average household income of $ 69,528. The median age is approximately 30.7 years and the employed population was 15, 365 (Data USA, 2022). The average prices from Walmart website for an online shopper are as follows: The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion
There are several social and psychosocial factors that determine what groceries are purchased in a given area. One of the factors is transportation and road networks. People in Fredericksburg, have an average travel time of 30 minutes with car ownership average of 2 cars per household. Transportation route is reliable meaning that majority of residents can travel to food stores to get fresh produce. The poverty index in Fredericksburg is relatively higher than the national average of 12.8%. This means that there are several people in the community who cannot afford a variety of groceries and have to shop at dollar shops for their daily food. Fredericksburg food security index varies due to the differences in landscapes and socioeconomic conditions. Some children from poor homes have limited access to healthy food choices. The social environment is another factor that significantly affects the health of communities and individuals. The type of contact people have with one another, interactions, cultures, and dietary choices all have an impact. Other complex social factors that influence health habits include level of education, income, family size, and geographical location (Nies & McEwen, 2019)The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion. Poor families with a high number of children experience difficulties in accessing healthy food choices due to limited purchasing power.
The healthcare system not only focuses on individuals in acute care settings but also those based in the community. Community health nursing practice helps improve population health and wellbeing through preventive measures and community health education. One of the seventeen intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel a community health nurse could use is “population focused intervention to improve the health of communities” (Nies & McEwen, 2019, p. 16). The community health nurse could address the issue of food security among the children as a vulnerable group. This can be achieved by identifying the affected children and the services they can obtain within their area. For instance, the community nurse can identify federal programs that respond to food insecurity such as Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, free and reduced price school lunch programs, and summer food service program and enroll the children in them. This will solve the issue of food insecurity among children The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion.
References:
Data USA. (2022). Fredericksburg, VA: Census Place. https://datausa.io/profile/geo/fredericksburg-va
Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2019). Community/public health nursing-E-book: promoting the health of populations. Elsevier Health Sciences.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.(2018).Healthy People 2020: About determinants of health. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/about/foundation-health-measures/Determinants-of-Health The Determinants Of Health Essay Discussion