NR 443 Week 1 Discussion, Determinants of Health

Week 1: Determinants of Health This week's graded topics relate to the following Course Outcome (CO). • CO1: Apply principles of nursing theory to the public health system by analyzing determinants of health and the public health intervention wheel. (PO1) What are some factors that make some people healthy and others ill? Healthy People 2020 identifies five determinants of health that influence the health of individuals and populations. Healthy People 2020 describes them as "a range of personal, social, economic, and environmental factors that influence health status" (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 2018, About Determinants of Health, para. 1). Determinants fall into five categories, including (a) policy making, (b) social factors, (c) health services, (d) individual behavior, and (e) biology and genetics. • Go to the Determinants of Health link at • Choose one of the five determinants other than individual behavior (as we are all aware of how individual behavior impacts health). In your post, describe this determinant and its importance. • Discuss how a community health nurse (CHN) could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the Public Health Intervention Wheel to address this determinant (Nies & McEwen, 2015). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2018). Healthy People 2020: About Determinants of Health. Retrieved from Professor and Class, Human behavior plays a critical role in the maintenance of health, and the prevention of disease. The determinant of health that I chose was Individual Behavior. “Positive changes in individual behavior can reduce the rates of chronic disease in this country” (Healthy People 2020). If individual behaviors change in a positive manner it can decrease obesity, heart disease and improve overall health from different populations. “Public health interventions have a long history of improving the health of populations in areas such as the environment, social justice, and health promotion” (Nies & McEwen, 2015). If the individuals are educated properly through community health recourses it can change their overall view of promoting a better life style for themselves. There are many times discharges instructions are given to patients who are ill to eat healthy, exercise and stop smoking/ use of tobacco to enhance their life span. Patients with lack of education, support or resources to understand how to make better decision for themselves are likely to make the effort to change. Community health nurse play a strong role in assessing patients who lack resources to develop plans to improve positive behavioral toward health. The public health intervention wheel is recognized as a framework for community and public health nursing practice. These interventions within the wheel act to improve communities systems, individuals, and families to improve or protect health status (Nies & McEwen, 2015 Pg. 14). Receiving early education can improve and eliminate preventive disease through community nursing and public health interventions. Jill References Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2015). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2016). Healthy People 2020: About Determinants of Health.