Determinants For Healthy People 2020

As stated by the World Health Organization (WHO), ‘health’ is defined as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity” (WHO, 1948). The health and wellbeing of individuals is generally determined by their circumstances and environment, a phenomenon referred to as the social determinants of health. WHO describes the social determinants of health as:

The determinants of health are economic and social conditions that affect people’s health status. These influence the living and working conditions that impacts people’s everyday living condition. Factors such as the place and the environment we live in, genetics, educational level or work status and income, as well as friends and family are some of the aspects that affects our health condition. On the other hand, the people that have an access to good health care and have financial stability are less susceptible and are often less affected. (NANB, 2009)

The health status of the population in the United States is a national priority. The Healthy People 2020 outlines priorities and to improve the health of individuals and communities across the country. Healthy People 2020 is defined as a comprehensive set of national objectives for “improving the health of all Americans” (Healthy People 2020, n.d, para. 1). The Healthy people 2020, is aimed at improving the health of individuals and communities and envisions “a society in which all people live long, healthy lives” (Healthy People 2020, n.d, para 4). A short priority list was developed and contains twenty-six objectives knowns as Leading Health Indicators (LHI). The list of objectives was created to prioritize health issues that must be addressed and to find appropriate actions to take in order to improve the health of the population.

A variety of challenges including personal, social, economic, and environmental factors can determine the health of an individual as well as its community. Others determinants of health include genetics, access to medical care, and socioeconomic measures such as education and poverty. Any interference among these factors can often lead to health disparities, which are health gaps that exist between different communities and populations. Health disparities can affect communities based on gender, age, race, social status, economic status, or special care needs. Therefore to understand which factors affect the health of a community, it is necessary to examine the social and economic conditions in which people live in, as well as the rates of diseases

I spent the past week reviewing all the data I have collected to this point. The data and health needs reported in Healthy People 2020, as well as the epidemiological and community data I collected, convey consistent themes. The HP 2020 topics of injury and violence prevention, hearing and communication disorders, oral health and access to health services all appear to be topics of concern and are identified health needs of the community I am targeting. With epidemiological data showing the rates of autism climbing at steady levels, the need for an increase awareness and planned interventions involving these health topics will be essential to meet the objectives established by the federal government.

Healthy People 2020 is a promotion to help raise public awareness by providing measureable objectives and goals for individuals to obtain higher qualities of lives, decrease premature deaths, and promote a higher quality of life (US Department of Health and Human Services, 2014). Healthy People 2020 has monitored its progress for over three decades between communities over the nation to understand where prevention measures are needed most. Fielding, Teutsch, & Koh (2012) projected that Healthy People 2020 will project a greater emphasis on social needs when it comes to health care disparities and will focus on education and income across the reform. One strength I noticed, when navigating through U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Healthy People 2020 was released in December 2010 to help the United States practice healthy lifestyles and learn to live a long healthy life. It is a set of goals that are designed to guide health promotion and disease prevention nationwide. These guidelines are set for a whole decade with the results being available after 2020. The vision and mission statement along with the goals of Health People 2020 are available on the website (healthypeople.gov) making it user friendly for everyone.

Healthy People 2020 define health equality as “the attainment of the highest level of health for all people.” Comprehension of this ideal brings forth the conclusion that everyone should receive equal amount of attention to prevent inequalities, injustices, and to remove health and health care disparities. According to the National Institute of Health, health disparities are resulted from multiple factors defined by race/ethnicity, sex, education, geographic location, income, and disability status. These disparities can stem from many elements like increase risk for disease, which may originate genetically, by ethnicity, or familial factors, occupational exposure, and if access to health care is available. Health inequality has

A person’s health can be affected by many factors such as housing, income and environment. This essay will define and explain the term ‘social determinants of health’, discuss why housing, income and environment are considered social determinants of health and how these determinants can have a negative affect on one’s health.

The overall goals of Healthy People 2020 are to achieve health equity, eliminate disparities, and improve the health of all groups (Lancaster & Stanhope, 2016). Rev. Dr. Granger Westberg coined the term “parish nurse” in the early 1980’s as he collaborated to establish healing ministries among healthcare professionals (Brehm & Cruz, 2007). Objectives that are amenable to parish nursing within Healthy People 2020 are that a patient’s physical, mental, quality of life, well-being/satisfaction and participation in everyday activities are addressed which addresses a patients needs in a holistic approach. Parish nurses provide encouragement, support, and information to motivate and facilitate clients as they seek to utilize health services which

In 2010, Healthy People 2020 was started by the Department of Human Health Services. Health programs and research topics were instituted to help Americans live healthier and longer lives (CDC, 2014). The 42 topics presented are all very important in maintaining the goals set by Healthy People 2020. If these programs were to be cut or budget restraints imposed on them, the impact would be felt by all Americans. There would be more unhealthy people, preventable chronic diseases would be more prevalent, and education and health associated programs would be

Healthy people 2020 used “general health status, health-related quality of life and well-being, determinants of

National initiatives promote these interests, providing examples of ways citizens and the government work together to address the health and wellness needs of all people. Healthy People 2020 is the newest wave of an initiative established to improve the health and well-being of people across the country. Their goals are to help people of all ages around the world. This certain initiative has 600 objectives within 42 topic areas. Another initiative is The Healthy, Hunger Free Kids Act of 2010. It directs the USDA to increase access to healthy foods for low-income children. The national call to action to promote oral health, healthy child care America, national health and safety performance standards for child care are other initiatives.

An array of factors like personal, social, economic, and environment issues influence and determines the health of individual and population, acting in various combination (Knickman & Kovner, 2015). These determinants of health, known as population health determinants generally include genetics, access to health care, individual behavior, social determinant, physical environment (Knickman & Kovner, 2015).

Healthy People 2020 is a program that was launched in December 2010 with goals and objectives aimed at promoting health and preventing diseases in U.S. (Aungst, 2011). Chronic diseases such as diabetes and cancer cause seven out of ten deaths in every year. Many of the risk factors that contribute to the development of these diseases are preventable. The package is aimed at implementing appropriate measures to ensure most people live a healthy life so as to exploit their full potential. Healthy People 2020 is product of a stakeholder feedback process that is supreme in government and the health sector. Thousands of remarks were considered before a final draft was drawn for the program`s objectives. Among the objectives addressed in the program include mental health and mental disorders, environmental health, injury and violence preventing, diabetes, nutrition and weight status, blood disorders and blood safety and tobacco use. In my research, I picked on tobacco use as one of the objectives in the Healthy People 2020. Every year almost half a million people die in the U.S from smoking related illnesses and millions suffer from a disease caused by smoking.