Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Population.

Population-Specific Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Paper: Combat Veterans

NU-629 Health Promotion

July 10th, 2020

Population-Specific Health Promotion and Disease Prevention Paper: Combat Veterans

Section 1

Introduction

The World Health Organization (WHO) asserts that health is when an individual has a complete state of physical, mental, and social wellbeing. The WHO suggests that the absence of infirmity or disease does not mean that a person is healthy (Fisher, 2017). Also, the organization states that mental and physical wellbeing is one of the human rights which eradicate the limitations and restrictions to life (Fisher, 2017). [Your assignment description stated to have at least five sentences per paragraph. It’s okay to combine the two paragraphs, you just have to compose a sentence that would provide smooth transition to the concepts of health.]

Some of the concepts of health include wellbeing, physical, psychosocial, control, and capacity. Welfare refers to the state whereby a person is happy, healthy, or comfortable. Physical health is the condition of the human body, such as fitness affected by lifestyle, diet, behaviour, diet [You have already mentioned diet.], and physical activity. The psychosocial concept of health refers to health dimensions, including emotional, spiritual, emotional [You have already mentioned emotional.], and mental capacity (Fisher, 2017). Health promotion refers to the process of promoting health and prevention of disease, premature death, and disability through education to drive voluntary activities that change behaviour. Behaviour change options include prescription of physical activities, healthy eating, patient education, and quitting harmful behaviour such as smoking (Fisher, 2017). Vulnerable populations in health refer to individuals who are disadvantaged in some ways that put them to health risks. Vulnerable populations include economically underprivileged people, low-income families, the homeless, racial and ethnic minorities, and the elderly (Fisher, 2017).

Historical Perspectives of Health

One of the significant historical perspectives of health is that Americans always consulted the elderly in the family when disease strikes one of the members. Benson and Blendon (2001) suggest that Americans believed that the elderly had more knowledge on health and how to deal with health issues [How does this relate to combat veterans? Kindly relate this to the theme of your paper.]. The public also believes that the government has the responsibility to create and improve health care facilities. The public confidence in health professionals is decreasing as time moves on. For example, the percent of Americans with confidence in health professionals decreased from 73% in 1966 to 44% in 2000 [Did the statistics consistently go down? Kindly detail on it more.].

Healthy People Initiative

The Healthy People Initiative refers to the development of 10-year national objectives in health based on science. The initiative aims to improve the health of all Americans. For example, the Healthy People 2020 initiative involved 42 topics, such as family planning. The initiative highlights several high-priority health issues that affect Americans. The initiative also highlights and communicates actions by the governments and the public in addressing the pressing health issues. The measures, goals, and points listed in the initiative are used to assess the health of the United States of America for the next decade.

Levels of Prevention

Primordial level of prevention refers to the actions that people undertake in minimizing future health hazards that increase the risk of disease. The primary level of prevention involves conducting measures that thwart the onset of certain conditions through behaviour alteration to reduce the risks leading to these diseases [I feel that you still have to distinguish primordial from primary level more.]. Secondary prevention is the detection and treatment procedures that facilitate preclinical pathological changes; secondary prevention deters disease progression. Pandve (2014) assert that tertiary level of prevention refers to the process of softening or reducing the impact of the disease on patient functioning, quality, and length of life. Quaternary level of prevention is defined as the actions undertaken to identify patients at the risk of over-medication [Do you mean just pharmacologic interventions? Kindly clarify.]. Also, this prevention seeks to protect patients from the invasion of new medications. Quaternary prevention is also responsible for suggesting ethically acceptable interventions to patients.

The Role of Nursing (APRNs) in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Nurses play a vital role in health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses, especially Advances Practice Registered Nurses (APRN), promote health by providing patients and the critical public information needed in managing and improving health. APRN roles such as nurse practitioners and certified nurse-midwives are in better positions to support health promotion and disease prevention. Certified nurse-midwives (CNM) can educate new mothers on proper health behaviors such as the upcoming baby’s vaccines. Such nurse actions promote health and prevent disease.

Section 2

Vulnerability and Health Disparities

Vulnerability refers to the degree to which a population, community, or person is unable to recover, resist, anticipate, or cope with the effects of a disaster or a disease outbreak. Vulnerable populations are disadvantaged in the event of unprecedented disasters, pandemics, or endemics (Tanner & Mechanic, 2007). Health disparities refer to existing and preventable health differences such as disease, violence, and injury [How about access to healthcare?]. Disadvantaged populations experience higher health disparities in disease, mortality, or damage than other communities.

Cultural Competency as a Provider

Cultural competency refers to the ability of care providers and healthcare institutions to providing and delivering healthcare services effectively to all populations regardless of differences. Culturally competent providers effectively meet the linguistic, cultural, spiritual, and social needs of their patients.

Defining Resilience and Applying to the Vulnerable

Resilient persons can recover and recuperate quickly from challenging situations. Resilience can help vulnerable populations to recover from stressful situations such as disasters, pandemics, and war (Tanner & Mechanic, 2007). Resilience helps the weak [Kindly clarify what you are referring to by “weak”.] to love themselves, accept current circumstances, and adopt tactics and behaviours that support their recovery.

Advocacy as a Provider

Advocacy refers to the process of preserving human dignity; provide freedom from suffering, and patient equality promotion by supporting the choices of patients. Additionally, vulnerable people, groups, and populations are at higher risks of getting ill or suffering extreme impacts of disasters (Tanner & Mechanic, 2007). Societal views refer to how society sees healthcare and adverse effects on vulnerable people.

Section 3: Combat Veteran Victims

Combat Victims

The population under study is the combat veterans. According to Connell (2016), these are victims of past combat who have been exposed to adverse impacts of warfare, such as harm, physical and mental injury, economic loss, and emotional suffering. Victims of combat may also suffer from substantial impairment regarding fundamental human rights. Combat victims may suffer from issues such as combat stress reaction (CSR).

Social Justice for Combat Victims

Combat victims often stay for long years before receiving social justice. Social justice for combat victims seeks factors that may have contributed to the combat and whether these factors would have been solved in other ways other than combat. This process aims to represent the victims and seek justice for the sufferings and loss suffered as a result of such battles. [Kindly clarify this paragraph. It is too general and it’s unclear what you are referring to by “factors”. Meanwhile, I suggest that you focus on equitable access to care.]

Low Literacy and Health of Combat Victims Veterans

Low literacy among combat victims is one of the significant factors that prevent them from seeking justice against the government for the woes they faced during combat. Low literacy also contributes to high vulnerability if these victims in regards to their health (Tanner & Mechanic, 2007). Combat veterans do not know how to seek health assistance to deal with the effects of combat such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), combat stress reaction, and economic losses. Combat affects the health of victims in various ways such as mental health, disability, and destroys infrastructure that supports the health of the community.

Combat victims and Current Healthy People Initiative Guidelines

The current Healthy People Initiative guidelines will affect combat victims in various ways. The ongoing healthy people initiative will provide health improvements for combat victims. Combat victims will benefit from the directive that seeks to increase public awareness and understanding of health, disability, and disease determinants. Critical research, evaluation, and data collection needs will help the government to learn about the health challenges suffered by combat veterans.

One Primary Concern for the Population, Preventive Guideline, and Motivating Behavioral Changes

One of the primary health concerns about combat victims is their reaction to combat situations. Combat stress reaction (CSR) refers to acute behavioural disorganization experienced by combat victims as a direct effect of war trauma. CSR may cause a change in behaviour, increase the chance for injury, and can lead to PTSD. One of the preventive guidelines for CSR is creating opportunities for progress for combat victims. One way to motivate combat victims in fighting CSR is requesting them to reach out to other victims with similar experiences who have probably overcome the reaction.

Use of Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR) on Combat Victims- Pros and cons, influencing individual and family health

Some of the benefits of using CBPR on combat victims include innovative adaptation and empowering the victims. CBPR can empower the combat victims and use them as agents of investigating their problems and challenges such as health disparities and use them as change agents for the whole population (Oxford University Press & Windsor, 2015). Some of the cons of using CBPR involve ethical dilemmas of the process. For example, it may create conflicts among combat victims as it is challenging to determine people who can act as appropriate community representatives; who can provide information on behalf of all victims.

Community health interventions are effective in influencing individual and family health. Community health interventions can affect individual and family health by showing individuals they are not in the problem alone. Community health interventions also promote healthy behaviours as people become motivated by seeing the same behaviour among the fellow community and family members, such as physical activities.

Available Resources within the Community for combat Victims and Vulnerable Populations

Some of the available resources for combat victims and vulnerable populations in the State of Florida include OVC-funded Victims Assistance for Florida, Department of Veterans Affairs, AARP (non-profit organization advocating for independence, purpose, and dignity for older Americans in Florida), and Advocacy Centre for Persons with Disabilities.

Section 4

Conclusion

Health promotion and disease prevention are vital factors in contributing to a healthier population in the United States. Nurses are key players in taking health promotion and disease prevention to the next level. Improving the health of Americans should also offer a peculiar focus on vulnerable populations such as combat victims. Combat victims live with unimaginable war scars that affect their families.

Approach for Improving Health Literacy within Combat Victims

The state government of Florida should create an education program for combat victims in the state to improve their health literacy. The application should focus on issues such as CSR that affect combat victims.

How, as an APRN, I can impact vulnerable individuals in Miami, Florida

As an APRN (Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner), I can impact the lives of vulnerable individuals in Miami, Florida, by offering mental health services to the vulnerable people in the state. I can guide them in changing behaviours that may cause PTSD or CSR [Could you give a few examples to illustrate your point?]. I can also guide them out of mental stress disorders. As a result, I can assist them with improving health and engaging in behaviours that can help them forget their trauma.

Summary of America’s doing with health promotion and disease prevention

The United States of America has several initiatives and programs that focus on health promotion and disease prevention. These programs aim to keep Americans safe and healthy. Some of these initiatives include the Healthy People 2020, CBPRs, Educational and community-based programs, communication, policy, systems, and environmental programs. American health programs seek to empower and engage individuals and communities to help them adopt healthy behaviours and ditch unhealthy ones. America is also reaching out to vulnerable populations to ensure inclusivity and to reduce health disparities in the country. [In your opinion, are the current national policies in place working? If yes, why? If no, could you name a few areas that you believe will improve healthcare delivery?]

References

Benson, J. M., & Blendon, R. J. (2001). Americans’ Views On Health Policy: A Fifty-Year Historical Perspective. HealthAfairs.Org, 20(2).

Connell, C. L. (2016). PTSD in the 20th Century American Military: Its Diagnosis, Effects, Treatment, and Management, With a Focus on the Vietnam War. Bound Away: The Liberty Journal of History, 1(2), 7.

Fisher, K. A. (2017). Understanding Healthcare: A Historical Perspective. Freedom in Health Care.

Oxford University Press, & Windsor, R. A. (2015). Evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention programs : improving population health through evidence-based practice. Oxford University Press, cop.

Pandve, H. T. (2014). Quaternary Prevention: Need of the Hour. US National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health, 3(4).

Tanner, J., & Mechanic, D. (2007). Vulnerable People, Groups, And Populations: Societal View. Healthy Affairs, 26(5).