NR503: POPULATION HEALTH, EPIDEMIOLOGY & STATISTICAL PRINCIPLES
WEEK 1: DISCUSSION - EXERCISE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM CURLEY TEXT BOOK
The preventable differences that “socially disadvantaged populations” have related to
injury, violence, the burden of disease, or even the achievement of an ideal level of health
are known as health disparities (HD) (CDC, 2018). Several factors define a population (CDC,
2018). These factors include: education, gender, income, disability, race, geographic
location, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity (CDC, 2018). HDs are unjust and are associated
with the imbalanced disbursement of resources (CDC, 2018). HD can be caused by a wide
range of factors (Curley & Vitale, 2016). These include unequal educational opportunities,
threats from the environment, insufficient access to healthcare, poverty level, behavioral
and individual factors, housing, access to clean water and fresh food, physical or mental
disability, work environment, and socioeconomic status (Curley & Vitale, 2016). Advanced
Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) have a moral commitment to care about people and
must continually fight against these inequities (Pearson , 2012). These APRNs understand
that most chronic health related issues are correlated with the injustices of society (Pearson
, 2012).
Understanding a community’s needs aids in serving the community more efficiently (Ballad
Health, 2018). This can be accomplished by performing a needs assessment that aids in the
visualization of the health status of its inhabitants (Ballad Health, 2018). In the health needs
assessment, performed by Ballad Health, for Dickenson County, Virginia, it was determined
that socioeconomic status plays a big role in the health of its population (Ballad Health,
2018). Most of the households in Dickenson County have a significantly lower household
income than the rest of the state (Ballad Health, 2018). For Dickenson County in 2018, the
average household income was $25,000-$50,000. However, for the state, the average was
around $68,144 (Ballad Health, 2018). Only 35% of the population in Dickenson County has
a high school diploma and only 10% have a bachelor’s level education or higher (Ballad
Health, 2018). Another HD in Dickenson County is access to care (Ballad Health, 2018).
Dickenson County only has four primary care offices and for specialized care, individuals
must travel upwards to 50 miles to receive treatment (Ballad Health, 2018).
WEEK 1: DISCUSSION - EXERCISE AND DISCUSSION QUESTIONS FROM CURLEY TEXT BOOK
The preventable differences that “socially disadvantaged populations” have related to
injury, violence, the burden of disease, or even the achievement of an ideal level of health
are known as health disparities (HD) (CDC, 2018). Several factors define a population (CDC,
2018). These factors include: education, gender, income, disability, race, geographic
location, sexual orientation, and/or ethnicity (CDC, 2018). HDs are unjust and are associated
with the imbalanced disbursement of resources (CDC, 2018). HD can be caused by a wide
range of factors (Curley & Vitale, 2016). These include unequal educational opportunities,
threats from the environment, insufficient access to healthcare, poverty level, behavioral
and individual factors, housing, access to clean water and fresh food, physical or mental
disability, work environment, and socioeconomic status (Curley & Vitale, 2016). Advanced
Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) have a moral commitment to care about people and
must continually fight against these inequities (Pearson , 2012). These APRNs understand
that most chronic health related issues are correlated with the injustices of society (Pearson
, 2012).
Understanding a community’s needs aids in serving the community more efficiently (Ballad
Health, 2018). This can be accomplished by performing a needs assessment that aids in the
visualization of the health status of its inhabitants (Ballad Health, 2018). In the health needs
assessment, performed by Ballad Health, for Dickenson County, Virginia, it was determined
that socioeconomic status plays a big role in the health of its population (Ballad Health,
2018). Most of the households in Dickenson County have a significantly lower household
income than the rest of the state (Ballad Health, 2018). For Dickenson County in 2018, the
average household income was $25,000-$50,000. However, for the state, the average was
around $68,144 (Ballad Health, 2018). Only 35% of the population in Dickenson County has
a high school diploma and only 10% have a bachelor’s level education or higher (Ballad
Health, 2018). Another HD in Dickenson County is access to care (Ballad Health, 2018).
Dickenson County only has four primary care offices and for specialized care, individuals
must travel upwards to 50 miles to receive treatment (Ballad Health, 2018).
