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Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX 5003 Health Assessment and Promotion for Disease Prevention in Population-Focused Health
Prof. Name
Date
Assessing the health status of a state or community requires a detailed process involving healthcare organizations to pinpoint and analyze healthcare needs, particularly regarding specific diseases and their impact on particular regions. This assessment allows healthcare professionals to prioritize health needs and formulate strategies to address the unmet demands of the community. In this study, the focus is on the prevalence of diabetes in West Virginia, identifying healthcare needs among patients, and understanding the communities most affected by the disease. Data for this research has been gathered from sources such as the State Department of Health, the American Diabetes Association, County Health Data, and the American Journal of Diabetes.
Demographic characteristics include factors such as population composition, race, ethnicity, disease prevalence, religious affiliation, educational attainment, and mental health diagnoses. These demographic elements often inform behavioral patterns, with age being a particularly important factor influencing individual experiences in society. Additionally, demographic data covers community traits like income levels, employment status, gender distribution, educational attainment, and commuting habits. Racial categories, such as Asian, White, Black, and African American, often contain diverse ethnicities and cultural backgrounds (Minc et al., 2020).
Specific patient information, including birthdates and insurance details, constitutes part of illness demographics, facilitating medical billing, improving healthcare quality, and promoting cultural competence. According to the 2018 United States Census Bureau estimates, West Virginia’s total population was 1,775,156, with 93.1% of residents identifying as White, 3.7% as Black, 0.3% as Asian, and 1.9% as Latino.
Approximately 14.1% of the state’s population under 65 lives with a disability. From 2017 to 2021, around 88.1% of the population completed high school. Many residents suffer from multiple chronic conditions, including diabetes, cancer, kidney and lung diseases, arthritis, and risk factors like obesity and hypertension.
Disease prevention and health promotion share several common objectives and functions. The population-based approach to prevention suggests that interventions should target entire populations to effectively alter the distribution of disease risk factors (Minc et al., 2020). Initiatives in population health promotion and prevention primarily focus on fostering environmental resilience and promoting equity in human healthcare services.
Between 2010 and 2021, West Virginia’s population showed growth during two of the eleven years. The largest decline, at 0.8%, occurred between 2016 and 2017. Approximately 16.2% of adults in West Virginia, or about 232,336 individuals, have diabetes. Demographic reports reveal that this prevalence is on the rise, particularly among American Indians and non-Hispanic Blacks (American Diabetes Association, 2022).
Much like clinical medicine’s focus on the development and expression of disease in individuals, epidemiology can be considered the study of disease progression in communities. Public health officials are increasingly concerned with the persistent, and in some cases growing, significance of diseases. Epidemiology relies on critical concepts, including population analysis and comparison. Public health epidemiologists are tasked with researching diseases, assessing health trends, and developing policies (ADA, 2022). Key epidemiological tools include data review, program data analysis, and prompt assessment. These tools may provide varying types of information but often cover the same health outcomes or indicators.
The Diabetes in West Virginia report from 2021 collected information on participants’ age, gender, and ethnicity. Questions in the report focused on knowledge of type 2 diabetes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.
Impact of Diabetes on Specific Groups in West Virginia
Diabetes affects 16% of West Virginia’s population, with the prevalence being 17% among the Black community, 16% among the White population, and 10% among multiracial individuals (Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases, 2021). American Indians, a racial group identified in the U.S. Census, face a significantly higher risk of diabetes, more than twice that of White individuals, who have an 8% prevalence of adult diabetes. Economic well-being, healthcare quality, and overall quality of life shape population health. These multiple factors make it challenging to quantify a population’s health status.
In 2018, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that over 34 million Americans were living with diabetes. Medical expenses for diabetes patients are approximately double those for people with other diseases. In that same year, the CDC’s Division of Diabetes Translation allocated $926,068 for diabetes education and prevention initiatives in West Virginia (American Diabetes Association, 2018). Diabetes can lead to severe complications, including heart disorders, blindness, and death.
Research by Hermann et al. (2019) indicates that patient characteristics and demographics play a significant role in shaping patients’ perceptions of communication in healthcare settings. Positive behaviors exhibited by healthcare providers, such as respectful treatment, contribute to patients’ perceptions of care quality. In fast-paced healthcare environments, individualized care and clear communication are essential to ensuring patients’ understanding of their care. Health authorities can improve communication with affected communities by promoting health literacy, allowing for more effective health improvement strategies.
Respect and dignity are paramount values in patient care. These values are closely tied to actions that support healthcare teams in delivering exceptional care and assistance. Patient satisfaction improves when nurses incorporate practices such as informing patients about care delays, safeguarding data privacy, and responding appropriately. Health promotion and well-being are shaped by individual characteristics, behaviors, and social and economic environments (Hwang & Oh, 2020).
In conclusion, identifying and addressing community health needs requires comprehensive strategies and interventions. Understanding the demographic characteristics of a state is crucial for healthcare professionals to implement preventive measures and promote public health. Epidemiology plays a vital role in managing program data analysis and ensuring timely evaluation.
American Diabetes Association. (2022, July 28). Statistics about Diabetes | ADA. Diabetes.org. https://diabetes.org/about-us/statistics/about-diabetes
American Diabetes Association. (2018). The burden of diabetes in West Virginia. https://diabetes.org/sites/default/files/202111/ADV_2021_State_Fact_sheets_West%20Virginia_rev.pdf
Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases. (2021). Diabetes in West Virginia. Wv.gov. https://dhhr.wv.gov/hpcd/FocusAreas/wvdiabetes/Pages/DiabetesinWestVirginia.aspx
Hermann, R. M., Long, E., & Trotta, R. L. (2019). Improving patients’ experiences communicating with nurses and providers in the emergency department. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 45(5), 523–530. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jen.2018.12.001
Hwang, Y., & Oh, J. (2020). Factors affecting health-promoting behaviors among nursing students. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(17), 6291. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17176291
Minc, S. D., Hendricks, B., Misra, R., Ren, Y., Thibault, D., Marone, L., & Smith, G. (2020). Geographic variation in amputation rates among patients with diabetes and/or peripheral arterial disease in the rural state of West Virginia identifies areas for improved care. Journal of Vascular Surgery, 71(5), 1708-1717.e5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvs.2019.06.215
United States Census Bureau. (2018). QuickFacts: United States. Census Bureau. https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/
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