Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example
Willing Helpers Medical Clinic is a community health agency in Newton County, GA. The clinic is an appointment-only charitable medical clinic. It offers health care services for people with diabetes, prediabetes, heart disease, heart failure, asthma, seizures, chronic bronchitis, high blood pressure, and COPD, among other chronic diseases. The clinic will offer a disease prevention teaching program to address some public health issues the Covington community faces. Compared to other neighborhoods in Georgia, Chicago Lawn has adequate infrastructure, public spaces, foot, and cycling paths, plenty of social services, including parks, libraries, and churches, medical resources, such as hospitals and other health centers, policing department, and several fire stations, and good quality daycares and schools. However, public transport is limited. Most people move by car. The area experiences heavy weekday traffic, especially in the morning and evening. It is safe, quiet, and has abundant services available to the community. It is noisy in the town center due to noise from industries and moving cars. It is a good neighborhood for individuals and families, with fewer public health issues.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
Public Health Issues in Covington, GA
Although not as prevalent as other parts of Georgia, Covington, GA, still experiences homelessness and food and nutrition issues as some of the public health issues. Homeless people and peddlers can be found on the streets. Still, it is critical to address these issues because they have health implications directly and indirectly for the community. It is also vital to help individuals suffering from homelessness and food and nutrition deficiencies to make the neighborhood healthier and more conducive. Homelessness is a public health crisis because affected individuals are at increased risk for infection, transmission, and death (Sleet & Francescutti, 2021). Food and nutrition deficiency and poor diets are also a public health concern because it is a risk factors for premature death and illness in the area. High poverty levels in Covington contribute to poor nutrition. The area is considered a food desert because of the high number of fast-food restaurants compared to grocery stores.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
Food/Nutrition Deficiency/Food Insecurity/Poor Nutrition
Poor nutrition is a public health issue associated with health conditions such as diabetes, obesity, and premature deaths. Public health providers are increasingly seeing the need to consider and treat food insecurity and poor nutrition as a public health issue to improve patient health outcomes and community health and save on health care costs. Food insecurity and poor health status are significantly associated. Food insecurity is also significantly associated with lower scores on physical health and mental health assessments(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example) (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015). People experiencing food insecurity tend to consume fewer healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains and consume more sugar, fat, and salt. The direct consequence of this nutrition imbalance is chronic diseases like diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. The vulnerable populations, particularly the elderly and children, suffer the most (U.S. Department of Agriculture, 2015). Many non-profit hospitals and clinics like Willing Helpers Medical Clinic engage in proactive efforts to address food insecurity and poor nutrition as they treat their patients. They engage in community benefit programs to promote population health in the surrounding communities. These hospitals and clinics partner with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Services. (Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
Addressing Food/Nutrition Deficiency/Food Insecurity/Poor Nutrition in Covington, GA
Health education is one of the most effective strategies for addressing poor nutrition/diet. Research shows that most people are unaware of the adverse effects of poor dieting (Nelson, 2017). Also, most people do not perceive their diet as a problem, even when they experience health issues related to poor dieting. Spreading awareness about the problem would help change the community’s perception of poor dieting/nutrition and its impacts on individuals, families, and the community. Health education will promote lifestyles and environments to enhance health, wellness, and quality of life for individuals, families, and communities. The process of community health education and promotion involves a detailed introduction to vital information, perspectives, and competencies required to address poor nutrition/diet. The clinic will:(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Raise community collaboration to enhance healthy lifestyles
- Heighten and align community healthy living messaging
- Increase access to skill-building opportunities for individuals and community groups/initiatives working with the affected populations(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Support physical activities initiatives
- Inform local policies to encourage healthy lifestyles
- Support brief intervention and treatment for affected populations, including treatment of conditions like prediabetes, diabetes, hypertension, stroke, and heart disease
Disease Prevention Teaching Program
Process of healthy dieting teaching program:
- Needs and Capacity Assessment
The clinic will conduct a needs and capacity assessment for health education and promotion. It will survey individual, family, and community needs associated with poor nutrition/dieting. It will assess the community’s resources to determine its capacity to address the individual, family, and community needs linked to poor nutrition/dieting. The assessment will help decide what is needed, where to start, and what to focus on.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Community Health Administration
The clinic will provide leadership and management of health education activities. It will work with other community-based and human rights organizations, health agencies, mental health centers, homeless shelters, research and development centers, national health departments, and hospital settings involved in the health nutrition/dieting promotion program.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Community Health Information
Effective communication is critical during health education, especially on healthy eating. The clinic will employ communication strategies that include posters, pamphlets, notices, media such as print, TV, and radio, health department notices, sensitization of private doctors, rural camps, organizations’ websites, law/police department notices, and social media. (Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Advocating for Neighborhood Health Needs
The clinic will advocate for healthy nutrition/dieting to encourage individuals, families, students, and the community to eat healthily and refer the affected people to the appropriate resources. An advocacy campaign will include activities that share messages to encourage the community to practice safe and healthy behaviors.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
- Resources Access and Management
The clinic will increase healthy lifestyle resources access and availability, including community programs, organizations, volunteers, health care facilities, school-based awareness programs, youth groups, women self-help groups, religious heads, local government bodies, local public health centers, and local NGOs to people. These resources can offer health information and support, professional help, and awareness. The clinic will also connect the affected people, especially the homeless and the poor, to people and organizations in the community that offer job opportunities.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
References
Nelson J. B. (2017). Mindful Eating: The Art of Presence While You Eat. Diabetes spectrum: a publication of the American Diabetes Association, 30(3), 171–174. https://doi.org/10.2337/ds17-0015(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
Sleet, D. A., & Francescutti, L. H. (2021). Homelessness and Public Health: A Focus on Strategies and Solutions. International journal of environmental research and public health, 18(21), 11660. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph182111660(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)
U.S. Department of Agriculture. (2015). Nutrition and Public Health. https://www.fns.usda.gov/partnerships/nutrition-public-health#:~:text=Those%20living%20in%20food%20insecure,%2C%20cardiovascular%20disease%2C%20and%20cancer.(Disease Prevention Teaching Project Comprehensive Solved Nursing Paper Example)