NURS 3335 Discussion Health Promotion, Wellness, and Healthy Lifestyles

Health outcomes are heavily influenced by social determinants, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
When providing treatment and care, it is important to take into account the patient’s education, income, and environment.

 

 

Health outcomes are heavily influenced by social determinants, particularly for the most vulnerable populations.
Treatment and care must take into account a patient’s educational background, financial situation, and surrounding circumstances.

 

 

Using a meta-analysis of nearly 50 studies, researchers found that factors such as education, racial segregation, social support systems, and poverty accounted for over a third of total deaths in the United States in a year,” according to a recent report from the Kaiser Family Foundation.

 

 

Therefore, primary care providers such as FNP-trained nurse practitioners must consider social determinants of health to provide more holistic, comprehensive healthcare for their patients and their families.

 

 

Social determinants of health have an effect on health outcomes. We’ll look at how we can work together to improve the healthcare system.

 

 

 

Socioeconomic Factors Affecting Health

 

 

Getting a good education and living in a safe neighborhood are important for good health, according to the CDC. Poverty also affects one’s ability to obtain nutritious foods.
By Healthy People 2020, these factors are referred to as social determinants of health:
When it comes to health, “social determinants of health” refer to the conditions in the places where people grow up and develop throughout their lives. These include where they live, learn and work as well as where they play and worship.
The health of a population can be greatly improved if resources are made available to combat harmful social determinants of health.

 

 

However, in the absence of such resources, social determinants can lead to unfavorable outcomes, such as inequity and discrimination, among other things.
In Nancy Krieger’s words, “embodied inequality” refers to the dynamics of social injustice that lead to poor health outcomes and may have a long-term impact on future generations.
According to Krieger, populations “would continue to exhibit persistent disparities reflecting prior inequities” even when discrimination is absent.

 

 

People’s knowledge and access to healthcare and resources can be negatively impacted by negative social determinants of health.
According to a growing body of research:

 

 

When parents don’t finish high school, their children are more likely to grow up in unhealthy environments.

Compared to poor minorities, poor whites are less likely to live in areas of concentrated poverty.

Premature death rates rise in direct proportion to a person’s level of income.

Those who smoke are more likely to die early and earn less money in their lifetimes.

Future generations may be influenced by the environment in which an individual lives.

Disparities-related stress has a direct impact on health and is frequently the result of multiple, interrelated factors.

Stress has been shown to harm people of all ages, including children and the elderly, according to a growing body of research.
Biological “wear-and-tear” that puts people at higher health risk is known as “allostatic load,” a term that refers to chronic exposure to social and environmental stressors.

Disparities in health are costly and have a negative impact on the quality of care and population health—resulting in additional healthcare costs, lost productivity, and early death.
Black, Hispanic, and Asian-Americans collectively owe the Kaiser Family Foundation an additional 30% of their total medical expenses, which they attribute to health disparities.
Direct and indirect costs of inequity cost the US economy an additional $309 billion each year.

Reducing Healthcare Costs by Improving Access to Care

Coordinating health care services across the continuum is becoming increasingly important as our population becomes more diverse and vulnerable to poor outcomes due to negative social determinants of health.
In order to address the wide range of social determinants of health and well-being, it is critical to link and integrate healthcare services and support from the broader community.
Many of these goals can be met by enhancing communication and cooperation amongst healthcare providers.
Experts recommend:

Better treatment plans can be developed by taking into account the social determinants of health and how they influence health-related behaviors and status.

Identifying and addressing social support needs by making appropriate referrals.

Creating community-based health promotion initiatives to enhance the quality of people’s daily lives and workplaces.

Investigating the social determinants of health and identifying the most effective strategies for enhancing health outcomes is an important part of any research effort.

Involvement in policymaking at all levels of government to promote health equity for all citizens of the United States.