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Promoting Community Health Essay

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As a Practice Nurse I have contact with all groups accessing primary care. Women access primary care more frequently than men due to their role within the family, maternity care, and existing screening services targeting women's health (Wall & Owen, 2002). A practice audit (Appendix 1) has shown a similar result locally. Men are reticent about accessing health care on both their own and their family's behalf, and are also less likely to discuss health concerns with their peers (Annandale & Hunt, 2000). Men's health is a neglected area of research with most attention focused on young men and the elderly (Sharpe et al, 1996). Therefore to address the disparity in gender use of the health service, and to highlight the health needs of …show more content…

These statistics are reflected both at national and local level (National Statistics Online, 2001). In Dudley there are more men than women in this age group (Appendix 2) although overall women form the majority population due to their longevity (National Statistics Online, 2001). Within the local Practice population men again are in the majority within the 35 to 54 year age group, but they also form the majority of the practice population. Appendix 3 shows that the practice population is pyramid shaped with the younger age groups at the base of the pyramid greater in number than those older age groups at the top. The low elderly practice population results in there being fewer females to balance the higher numbers of male children born. The 2001 Census reports that there are now "fewer men than women at all ages over 21", however data for Dudley and Practice data (Appendices 2 & 4) show that locally this is not the case.

For the purposes of this assignment the WHO (1984) definition of health will be adopted. Health is influenced by genetics, gender, age, environmental factors such as pollution and housing, and socio-economic factors which influence lifestyle and access to services (WHO, 1984). Deprivation indices are used to measure the relative levels of deprivation and affluence in a given locality by combining information taken from national health and social databases. The Jarman (1984) and Townsend (et al, 1988) scores are examples of

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