Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

Walden University Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health-Step-By-Step Guide

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

How to Research and Prepare for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

How to Write the Introduction for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

The introduction for the Walden University Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

How to Write the Body for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

After the introduction, move into the main part of the Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

How to Write the Conclusion for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

How to Format the References List for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

Stuck? Let Us Help You

Completing assignments can sometimes be overwhelming, especially with the multitude of academic and personal responsibilities you may have. If you find yourself stuck or unsure at any point in the process, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional assistance. Our assignment writing services are designed to help you achieve your academic goals with ease.

Our team of experienced writers is well-versed in academic writing and familiar with the specific requirements of the Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health assignment. We can provide you with personalized support, ensuring your assignment is well-researched, properly formatted, and thoroughly edited. Get a feel of the quality we guarantee – ORDER NOW.

Sample Answer for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

“Genetic epidemiology is the approach to determine whether and how variation in the genetic material interacts with environmental factors to increase (or decrease) risk of disease” (Friis & Sellers, p. 524). For this discussion I have chosen to research skin cancer including keratinocyte carcinoma, melanoma, cutaneous T-cell lymphoma, Merkel cell carcinoma, sebaceous carcinoma (Sweeney, 2020), and Xeroderma Pigmentosum (Xeroderma Pigmentosum: Rare disease causes an extreme sensitivity to sunlight, n.d.).

Environmental Agent and Genetic Factor

Everyone around the world is exposed to the damaging UV rays of the sun. Until recently, sunscreens and the encouragement to wear protective clothing when exposed to direct sunlight for hours at a time were not developed, nor was public education regarding the dangers of severe sunburns given or the dangers of using tanning beds had not yet been studied. Research of genetic predisposition to skin cancers had not yet been completed. Several generations of people world-wide suffered and some died from skin cancers that migrated to internal organ systems.

Significance of Protection from Sunburn and Skin Cancers

Blistering sunburns before the age of 18 predispose people to basal and squamous cell skin cancers (Sun exposure and skin cancer, n.d.). Typically, these lesions must be surgically removed and frequent examinations by a dermatologist is highly recommended. Melanoma is the fifth most common cancer among men and women in the US (Melanoma: Statistics, 2021). It is 20 times more common in Caucasians. People who have had more than one occurrence of melanoma are 9 times more likely to experience recurrence and 90% have a survival rate of at least 5 years post initial diagnosis (Melanoma, n.d.). Increased morbidity and mortality from skin cancer in people of color is due to lack of education, diagnosis late in development of disease, and socioeconomic barriers to accessing adequate healthcare on a regular basis (Gupta, 2016). However, a genetic connection has been discovered through an autosomal dominant pattern causing altered genes to increase the risk of developing melanoma (Melanoma, n.d.). Informal observational studies have been conducted by family physicians and dermatologists who treat more than one member in a family. Jaykumar C. Patel, MD, plastic surgeon affiliated with Lower Bucks Hospital and Jefferson Health Northeast is one of these non-published skin cancer specialists. In one family that he treated, correlations between a grand-aunt who suffered from Xeroderma pigmentosum (Ngan, 2002), multiple basal, squamous, and melanoma lesions in niece, multiple basal and squamous lesions in daughter of niece, and several squamous lesions in son of daughter. While Dr. Patel did not conduct formal genetic studies, the similarities of the lesions encouraged him to determine causal genetic predisposition to environmental exposure to UV rays resulting in cancers in several family members.

The annual cost of treating skin cancer in the US is estimated to be $4.8 billion for nonmelanomas and $3.3 billion for melanoma treatment (Skin Cancer Facts and Statistics, n.d.). While it is the most common cancer in the world, the average death rate in the US in 2 people per hour, twice as many from squamous cell carcinoma than melanoma.

Health Disparities in Global Populations

Environmental locations, cultural practices, employment locations, and recreation activities contribute to UV ray exposure. As ozone

levels deplete, the atmosphere loses its protective filter and more solar UV radiation reaches the Earth’s surface (Radiation: Ultraviolent (UV) radiation and skin cancer, 2017). People with pale skin, blue eyes and red or blonde hair appear to be more susceptible to exposure to damaging UV rays even when that exposure is not experienced on a daily basis. Geography plays a major role in skin cancer development as studies have found that malignant melanoma morbidity increases as latitude decreases (Radiation: Ultraviolent (UV) radiation and skin cancer, 2017). While basal cell and squamous cancers were identified and received early treatment in Caucasian patients, people of color were not as apt to seek medical attention for skin lesions since their melanin pigmentation often disguises early detection signs (Skin Pigmentation Disorders, n.d.). Rigorous public health information must be developed for all populations and early detection/treatment plans must be put in place for accessibility.

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

References

Friis, R.H., & Sellers, T. A. (2021). Epidemiology for public health practice (6^th ed.). Jones &

Bartlett.

Gupta, A. K., Bharadwaj, M., & Mehrotra, R. (2016). Skin Cancer Concerns in People of Color:

Risk Factors and Prevention. (2016). PubMed.gov, 17(12), 5257-5264. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28125871/

Melanoma: Statistics. (2021). Cancer.Net. Retrieved from https://www.cancer.net/cancer-

types/melanoma/statistics

Melanoma. (n.d.). In MedlinePlus. Retrieved from https://medlineplus.gov/melanoma.html

Ngan, V. (2002). Xeroderma pigmentosum. DermNet NZ.

https://dermnetnz.org/topics/xeroderma-pigmentosum

Radiation: Ultraviolet (UV) radiation and skin cancer. (2017). WHO. https://www.who.int/news-

room/questions-and-answers/item/radiation-ultraviolet-(uv)-radiation-and-skin-cancer

Sweeney, M. (2020). Can Genetics Increase Your Risk of Skin Cancer? Healthline. Retrieved

from https://www.healthline.com/health/is-skin-cancer-genetic#types-of-skin-cancer

Sun exposure and skin cancer. (n.d.). Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/10985-sun-exposure-and-skin-cancer

Skin cancer facts and statistics. (n.d.). In Skin Cancer Foundation.

https://www.skincancer.org/skin-cancer-information/skin-cancer-facts/

Skin Pigmentation Disorders. (n.d.). Medline Plus. https://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-

bin/query-meta?v%3Aproject=medlineplus&v%3Asources=medlineplus-bundle&query=Skin+Pigmentation+Disorders&_ga=2.170523682.347967202.1640819403-537530771.1640819403

Xeroderma Pigmentosum: Rare disease causes an extreme sensitivity to sunlight. (n.d.). In AAD.

Retrieved from https://www.aad.org/public/diseases/a-z/xeroderma-pigmentosum-sensitivity-to-sunligh

Sample Answer 2 for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

“Environmental epidemiology refers to the study of the relationship between environmental factors (e.g., exposures) and adverse health outcomes that occur in the population” (Friis & Sellers, 2021, p. 480). The exposures are generally outside of the individual or populations control and considered involuntary (Friis & Sellers, 2021). I’ll be looking at environmental factors in pediatric asthma.

Environmental Agent or Genetic Factor

15% to 18% of children in the United States live with some form of chronic illness with asthma being the most common (Hines, 2011). There are many environmental factors or triggers that can exacerbate and be irritants for pediatric asthma patients (Woodley, 2019). Some of the major environmental factors are emotional stress, smoking, poor outdoor air quality, and buildings in disrepair which lead to higher levels of allergens such as mold, dust, cockroaches, and rodents (Woodley, 2019). These environmental agents increase the severity of the patient’s asthma, especially for the disadvantaged child and those children living in urban areas (Woodley, 2019).

Significance

The cost to society for the pediatric asthmatic patient is great. The costs of exacerbations result in increased emergency department visits and hospitalizations (Woodley, 2019). Low annual income households are more at risk for the environmental factors and often cannot afford their child’s asthma medications (Woodley, 2019).

With the economic burden of asthma exceeding a cost of $19 billion per year, there have been many health policies enacted in the United States to help mitigate some of the cost for the pediatric asthma patient such as the Health People 2020, the Affordable Care Act of 2010, and Asthmatic-School-Children’s Treatment and Health Management Act (Hines, 2011). Most of these policies included goals and looked at environmental factors in pediatric patients (Hines, 2011). Healthy People 2030 is currently bring created to identify future national health priorities and ways to meet these priorities (Hines, 2011). The Asthmatic-School-Children’s Treatment and Health Management Act made it possible for children to self-medicate with their inhalers at school, impacting asthma is a positive way (Hines, 2011).

Health Disparities

One of the ethnic groups with the highest prevalence of pediatric asthma is African Americans (Hines, 2011). The African American child had an overall asthma rate of 8%, compared to 5% rate among white children (Hines, 2011). A high percentage of African Americans reside in urban areas where there is not as much open, green space and poor air quality related to traffic and businesses (Woodley, 2019). In addition to the urban setting, there is a large proportion of African American children in low annual income families (Hines, 2011). Many families are not able to afford to purchase their children’s medication, which creates a more sensitive asthmatic that is reactive to triggers, resulting in increased hospital visits through the emergency department (Hines, 2011).

Pediatric asthma continues to not only be a national concern, but a worldwide concern (Woodley, 2019). Nurses can be transformative in this patient population by understanding racial disparity and working together to help this population receive the education and health care needed (Woodley, 2019).

References

Baker Hines, A. (2011). Asthma: a health disparity among African American children. The impact and implications for peditric nurses. Journal of Pediatric Nursing, 26, 25–33.

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. (2021). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.

Woodley, L. K. (2019). Reducing health disparities in pediatric asthma. Pediatric Nursing, 45(4), 191–198.

Sample Answer 3 for Discussion: Environmental and Genetic Factors That Influence Health

The solution to the TB health problem among the African American population ought to start from the examination of the environmental and genetic factors affecting the disease. Scientific research has been imperative in trying to locate an effective solution for TB in TB-prone locations in the US (Van Tong et al., 2017). However, the dynamic nature of the genetic and environmental factors has been affecting the ability of scientists to find a definite a long-lasting solution for the cited health concern among the African Americans in the US. Therefore, this response aids in the discussion of genetic and environmental factors affecting TB.

The current studies have been focusing on the identification of factors that underly the susceptibility of TB on healthy people. The genome scan shows that TB susceptibility among Africans emanates from UBE3A on chromosome 15. Many families with a history of TB have the susceptibility gene identified on the 8q12-q13chromosome region (Harishankar et al., 2018). This information implies that the genetic composition of people exposes people to the risk of the disease. The increased mutation of the gene sequence responsibility for the disease defines the inability of the medical research to locate definite research that solves the problem among the cited problem.

The environment is another risk factor that affects TB. The exposure of an individual to poor health, social stress, exposure intensities, and malnutrition are some of the risk factors that expose an individual to TB (Laghari et al., 2019). The mechanism on how this exposure can be linked to tuberculosis is still scanty. Poverty is another social factor that exposes people to a greater risk of the disease. The increase of the disease in African countries and developing countries is a sign of the effect of poverty on the disease (Im & Kim, 2021). While genetic factors increase the risk of people suffering from tuberculosis, it has been established that the disease has a strong environmental component. Examination of both genetic and environmental factors is imperative in studying the prevalence of the diseases within a particular community.

References

Harishankar, M., Selvaraj, P., & Bethunaickan, R. (2018). Influence of genetic polymorphism towards pulmonary tuberculosis susceptibility. Frontiers in medicine, 5, 213. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2018.00213

Im, C., & Kim, Y. (2021). Spatial pattern of tuberculosis (TB) and related socio-environmental factors in South Korea, 2008-2016. Plos one, 16(8), e0255727. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255727

Laghari, M., Sulaiman, S. A. S., Khan, A. H., Talpur, B. A., Bhatti, Z., & Memon, N. (2019). Contact screening and risk factors for TB among the household contact of children with active TB: a way to find source case and new TB cases. BMC public health, 19(1), 1-10.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7597-0

Van Tong, H., Velavan, T. P., Thye, T., & Meyer, C. G. (2017). Human genetic factors in tuberculosis: an update. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 22(9), 1063-1071. https://doi.org/10.1111/tmi.12923