obesity and disease
Introduction:

More emphasis is being placed on healthier communities as changes are occurring in the fields of healthcare financing, policy, and focus. One of the primary roles of a community health nurse is to assess the community or population in order to determine its health status in relation to its assets and needs.

Note: If you are a California student, please contact your course mentor.

Requirements:
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A.  Identify an appropriate community for which there is published data available (county, state, or national data) that will support the diagnosis.
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B.  Assess the health needs and risks of the identified community by utilizing the following tools:
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Note: The collection of this data should include a variety of data sources, such as focus groups with older adults and/or youth, epidemiological data from the health department or department of vital statistics, investigations of community resources from stakeholders or faith-based organizations, and/or surveys. You do not have to answer every question listed in the assessment tools. Each of these tools can be found either in the web links section or as an attachment to this task.
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•   Population Economic Status Assessment

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•   Neighborhood/Community Safety Inventory

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•   Cultural Assessment Tool

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•   Disaster Assessment and Planning Guide

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•   Windshield Survey

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•   Population Health Scavenger Hunt

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Note: The name of each of the six tools should be identified in the needs assessment summary, along with a brief summary of how each of the six tools was used in the needs assessment.

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1.  Interpret the collected data using concepts of epidemiology and health determinants (e.g., birth rate, death rate, rates of disease, morbidity).

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C.  Formulate an appropriate community diagnosis for the selected community by doing the following (suggested length of 4–6 pages):

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1.  Identify the top three problems for the selected community based on the Healthy People 2020 goals.

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a.  Discuss the problems in relation to the Healthy People 2020 goals.

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2.  Select one of the problems identified in part C1 that you would like to investigate further, and do the following:

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a.  Discuss community resources (e.g., Public Health Department, American Red Cross, American Heart) that are available to address this problem.

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3.  Formulate a primary prevention topic based on the problem you identified in part C2.
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Note: See the attached “Approved Topic List” for guidance in formulating your topic.
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D.  Include all in-text citations and references in APA format.
Note: For definitions of terms commonly used in the rubric, see the Rubric Terms web link included in the Evaluation Procedures section.

Note: When using sources to support ideas and elements in an assessment, the submission MUST include APA formatted in-text citations with a corresponding reference list for any direct quotes or paraphrasing. It is not necessary to list sources that were consulted if they have not been quoted or paraphrased in the text of the assessment.

Note: No more than a combined total of 30% of a submission can be directly quoted or closely paraphrased from outside sources, even if cited correctly. For tips on using APA style, please refer to the APA Handout web link included in the APA Guidelines section.

Approved Topic List: Choosing Your Field Project Topic with a Primary Prevention Focus

Note: You may not log any work on your field project until you are enrolled in Community Health and Population-Focused Nursing Field Experience/Community Health and Population-Focused Nursing Clinical and have selected your topic.

What is a Primary Prevention?
The Community Health Nursing practicum requires a field project. The project focuses on primary prevention. Primary prevention is the prevention of disease, injury, disability or premature death before they occur.

First Steps in Choosing a Field Project Topic
First, consider what might be an issue of public health concern in your own community. The pertinent questions to consider are:
What is the biggest contributor to disease (morbidity) and premature death (mortality) in your community?
What are the controversial community health concerns discussed in your local newspaper?
What do you believe people in your community are most concerned about related to health?
What is generating the most visits to the emergency room or hospital admission in your community?
What do you believe is reducing the quality of life in your community?

Possible Topic Areas to Choose for Field Project
Access to Healthcare
access to mental health services
access to dental health services
access to health services
Alcohol and Drug Use
responsible alcohol consumption
prevention of drug abuse, including
IV drug use
prescription drug use
Child Health
prevention of neonatal mortality
prevention of unintentional childhood injuries, including:
sudden unexpected infant death (SUID)
poisoning
drowning
motor vehicle related (child safety seat and seat belt use)
sports related
pedestrian related
prevention of child abuse
promotion of vaccination
Disabled
promotion of health and well-being, including
access to disability related services and devices,
limit barriers to participating in home, work, school, or community activities
Disaster Preparedness
prevention of adverse health consequences caused by natural and human caused disasters
HIV/AIDS
prevention of HIV/AIDS, including
sexual transmission
prenatal transmission
IV drug use transmission
Oral Health
prevention of dental caries
Overweight and Obesity
prevention of overweight and obesity through healthy nutrition and physical activity
Physical Environment
promotion of healthy physical environment, including
air quality
land quality
water quality
Seniors
prevention of falls
prevention of social isolation
promotion of vaccination
Sexual Health
Prevention of sexually transmitted infections.
Social Environment
safe, affordable, quality housing (prevention of homelessness)
Tobacco
prevention of tobacco use
prevention of smoking
Unintentional Injuries
prevention of workplace injuries
prevention of motor vehicle related death/injuries
prevention of pedestrian injury and death (includes bicyclists)
Violence
prevention of domestic violence/intimate partner violence
prevention of dating violence
prevention of gang violence
prevention of bullying/cyber-bullying
prevention of suicide/depression
Women’s and Maternal Health
prevention of unintended pregnancies
lack of breastfeeding/promotion of breastfeeding
promotion of vaccination

With the increased mobility of human populations, diseases can quickly spread around the world. In addition, changes in vaccination practices have revealed an increase in communicable diseases that were once thought to be under control. These global health issues present new problems for community health officials.

In this task, you will analyze a recent outbreak of a specific global communicable disease that crossed international borders (e.g., the measles outbreak that moved from the Philippines to the United States).

Note: If you are a California student, please contact your course mentor.

Requirements:

A. Choose one of the following communicable disease outbreaks that crossed international borders:

• influenza

• measles

• respiratory syndrome coronavirus

• meningococcal disease

1. Describe the chosen outbreak (suggested length of 2–3 pages), including the following information in the description:

• name of the disease

• the countries involved

• the date the outbreak was discovered

• the dates the disease reached each involved country

2. Analyze the epidemiological determinants of the outbreak.

a. Discuss the route of transmission of the disease.

b. Discuss the risk factors involved.

3. Discuss how an outbreak would have affected your community at a systems level (i.e., the functioning of schools, local government, businesses, hospitals) if an outbreak had occurred in your community.

4. Explain what the reporting protocol would be if an outbreak were to occur in your community in the future.

5. Discuss two strategies (e.g., patient education strategies, community education strategies) that you would recommend to prevent an outbreak in your community.

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B. Include all in-text citations and references in APA format.