DQ: Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health
NUR 550 Topic 7 DQ 2
Obesity, or having too much body fat, can be a complex health issue. It can lead to numerous other health conditions including type two diabetes, high blood pressure, cardiovascular disease and stroke. The increasing rates of obesity has led to an epidemic in the United States and globally. In fact, since 1975, the obesity count has nearly tripled (National Institute of Health [NIH], 2021). Obesity has been found to be caused by poor dietary habits and lack of physical activity. Many restaurants cook with a lot of oil and butter, which makes the food delicious. However, Americans, may not be aware of all the fat that is really in the foods at their favorite restaurants. Therefore, we have implemented the food menu labeling law that requires restaurants to list calories and other nutritional information on their menus (U.S. Food & Drug Administration [FDA], 2020). This provides the public knowledge about the food they are intaking so Americans can make informed decisions with their dietary habits.
References
National Institute of Health. (2021, March 23). Obesity. National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://www.niehs.nih.gov/health/topics/conditions/obesity/index.cfm
U.S. Food & Drug Administration. (2020, April 1). Menu labeling requirements. U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Retrieved July 27, 2021, from https://www.fda.gov/food/food-labeling-nutrition/menu-labeling-requirements
DQ: Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health
DQ: Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health
RESPOND HERE (150 WORDS, 2 REFERENCES)
I agree with you that obesity is one of the major health concerns in the US that is associated with many comorbidities, among them stroke, heart failure, type 2 diabetes and a number of cardiorespiratory conditions (Ward et al., 2019). Over the years, there has been major emphasis to American population to adopt healthy lifestyles. These involves reduced consumption of junk foods, reduced intake of alcohol and cigarrete smoking. Community Health Nurse or Public Health Nurse have continued to experience an expanded role that helps in promoting better health outcomes within the population. The role of the community health nurse covers a broad scope of practice but to a specific group of patients within the community such as in a school setting. They do help in educating the members of the community on health promotion measures and formulation of policies that are meant to enhance quality healthcare, however, the responsibilities vary depending on the health needs of the community at a particular time (National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine et al., 2017).
References
National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, Health and Medicine Division, Board on Population Health and Public Health Practice, in, Baciu, A., Yamrot Negussie, Geller, A., & Weinstein, J. N. (2017, January 11). Partners in Promoting Health Equity in Communities. Nih.gov; National Academies Press (US). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK425859/
Ward, Z. J., Bleich, S. N., Cradock, A. L., Barrett, J. L., Giles, C. M., Flax, C., Long, M. W., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2019). Projected U.S. State-Level Prevalence of Adult Obesity and Severe Obesity. New England Journal of Medicine, 381(25), 2440–2450. https://doi.org/10.1056/nejmsa1909301
Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: DQ: Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health
According to Eyler, Et. Al. (2016) by changing public policies we can effectively affect public health. I chose the current policies related to the public health achievement of motor vehicle safety (Eyler, Et. Al, 2016). By looking at the related public strategies to achieve this by requiring safety belts and child safety seats; requiring motorcycle helmets; and programs for decreased drinking and driving (Eyler, Et. Al, 2016).
So, our goal with the population is to make it safer to do one of the most dangerous things that you can do, driving. Let’s start with why to wear a seatbelt as an adult. Millions of adults admit to not wearing a seatbelt, in 2016 almost half of the people who died in a car accident were not wearing a seat belt, motor vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death among Americans aged 1-54, ejection from a vehicle makes it 20x more likely to end in a fatality (Kailee Mills Foundation, 2020). Now on to why we should put our children into safety seats until they properly fit a seat belt. Car accidents are the leading cause of death in children in the US, by just putting a child into a proper safety seat it reduces serious and fatal injuries by up to 80% (Child Passenger Safety, n.d.). If a person riding a motorcycle decides to wear a helmet while riding their risk of head injury is reduced by 69% and risk for death by 42% (Kennedy, 2020). Also riders are twice as likely to have a cervical spine injury when not wearing a helmet (Kennedy, 2020).
DQ: Select an effective current health policy that focuses on or affects population health
Eyler, A. A., & Brownson, R. (2016, January). The Power of Policy to Improve Health. Oxford Medicine Online. https://oxfordmedicine.com/view/10.1093/med/9780190224653.001.0001/med-9780190224653-chapter-1
Kailee Mills Foundation. (2020, September 15). Seat Belt Safety | Kailee Mills Foundation | Texas Charity. https://www.kaileemillsfoundation.org/seat-belt-safety/?gclid=Cj0KCQjw6ZOIBhDdARIsAMf8YyENuWKlTbxcL2ZHAfGPREQitnwA6B9999Gkll27nMWRi6VBf8NDvtMaAmD7EALw_wcB
Child Passenger Safety | Motor Vehicle Safety | CDC Injury Center. (n.d.). CDC.Gov. Retrieved August 1, 2021, from https://www.cdc.gov/transportationsafety/child_passenger_safety/index.html
Kennedy, A. (2020, February 18). Motorcycle Helmets. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. https://saferoads.org/issues/motorcycle-helmets/#:%7E:text=Motorcycle%20helmets%20reduce%20the%20risk,disability%20in%20America%20%E2%80%94%20head%20injuries.
RESPOND HERE (150 WORDS, 2 REFERENCES)
I do agree with you that motor vehicle safety is an issue of concern and the policy formulation should be tailored towards enhancing a safer environment for drivers and other road users. The congress has been actively involved in enacting bills on vehicle safety legislation together with the department of transportation (DOT). The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) which has been in existence for almost half a century is mandated to carry out regulatory actions especially on passenger cars (Motor Vehicle Safety: Issues for Congress, n.d.). Some of the safety action policies include seat belt warning systems for the back seats of passenger cars and periodic reauthorization of the surface transportation programs under the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation (FAST) Act. Policies regulating the highway safety are set up by both the state and federal governments (Hughes et al., 2019). The states policies work to regulate drivers and vehicle licensing, build and maintain highways and formulate and enforce traffic rules while the federal government has a responsibility of regulating the motor vehicles designs (Motor Vehicle Safety: Issues for Congress, n.d.).
The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA) has proved to be an effective population health policy. This policy focuses on health promotion and disease prevention, by shifting priority toward value-based care (Tullai-McGuinness & Reimer, 2017). Components of ACA that have created efficacy include its focus on addressing various issues, such as reimbursement, cost of health insurance, and provider discrimination (DeNisco, 2019). Additionally, this policy has helped to increase access to preventative care and create new patient care models. In 2010, the ACA was signed into law to address the previously listed issues, which the country has struggled with in prior decades. While its incorporation has been successful, many components of the ACA have been repealed or changed in significant ways.
References
DeNisco, S. M. (2019). Advanced practice nursing: Essential knowledge for the profession (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Tullai-McGuinness, S., & Reimer, A. P. (2017). Health policy and health services delivery. In J. Fitzpatrick (Ed.), Encyclopedia of nursing research (4th ed.). Springer Publishing Company. https://search-credoreference-com.lopes.idm.oclc.org/content/entry/spennurres/health_policy_and_health_services_delivery/0?institutionId=5865