NR 443 Week 2 Graded Discussion Topic: Demographic and Epidemiologic Assessment
NR 443 Week 2 Graded Discussion Topic
NR 443 Week 2
NR 443
NR 443
... [Show More] Week 2 Graded Discussion Topic: Demographic and Epidemiologic Assessment
For this post, you will collect assessment data about your city or county. This post will include information about demographics (general characteristics) and epidemiological data (disease or health behavior rates) of your community. This data collection will help with two sections of your Week 4 Milestone 2 assignment.
1. Demographic data: Go online to the U.S. Census Bureau at http://quickfacts.census.gov/. Obtain information about the demographic characteristics of the population for your city or county of residence. You may have to look at county data if your city is not listed. Collect a range of demographic data about age, ethnicity, poverty levels, housing, and education.
2. Epidemiological data: Go to your city or county health department website (search the Internet) or County Health Rankings (http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/) to discuss epidemiological data about your area. Identify several priority health concerns for your area.
Here is a helpful tip sheet about the U.S. Census website that will assist you in using this website as a resource.
BEGIN:
Demographic and Epidemiological Assessment of Streetsboro, OH, Portage County
ANSWER
Professor and classmates,
Florence Nightingale was a true pioneer in studying the relationship among environment, disease, and patients. Today, these studies continue to drive programs aimed at health promotion and disease prevention. Nurses working in the community are aware that there are different models for studying the epidemiology of a health condition in a population. One model of investigation of the interrelationships and characteristics of disease is the epidemiologic triangle. This model analyzes agent, host, an environment (Neis & McEwen, 2015, p. 70). By familiarizing oneself with statistical data developed through census and public health records, identification of corrective action plans can emerge. Different epidemiologic models were developed to study the many factors involved in the development of the health conditions plaguing communities –the web of causation model guides epidemiologists in researching factors associated with chronic illnesses (Neis & McEwen, 2015, p. 73). Investigative efforts often lead to identification of effective prevention measures –providing prevention for the community before has developed is a key initiative. As the Lesson (2015) discusses the value of studying epidemiological data to designing primary prevention efforts is paramount.
Demographics
Streetsboro, OH (Portage County) per U.S. Census Bureau, population in July 2010 was 16,028. According to U.S Census Bureau, as of 2010 Streetsboro, Portage County had 6,562 households, 31.4% of households had children of 18 years and below, 50.3% are married couples living in the same household, 11.1% of households have a female householder as the head with no other adult partner present, 34.2% are non-families, 26.5% are households with single individuals, and 6.8% of households has someone ages 65 years and above living alone. The average household size was 2.43 and the average family size was 2.97.
The city’s population is spread out such that 22.3% were under the age of 18 years, 8.3% ranged from 18-24, 30.5 % from 25-44, 27% from 45-64, and 11.7% aged 65 years and above. The median age was 37.9 years. The gender makeup of the city was 48.5% male and 51.5% female.
The median income for an average household in the city is $59,631, and that of a family $71,734. Males have a median income of $43,429 versus $24,854 for females. The city’s per capita income is $28,058. Approximately 5.83% of families and 8.5% of the total population lives below the poverty line.
Epidemiology
According to the 2016 Portage County health rankings, the priority health concerns for Portage County include-
• Smoking - 20% of populace are adult smokers
• Obesity - approximately 29% of adults report a BMI of 30 or greater. Although this ranking has remained the same it is above the national average.
• Excessive drinking - 19% of adults report heavy drinking
• Sexually transmitted infections - This measure is worsening at 221.1 newly reported cases of chlamydia per 100,000 population.
• Primary Care Physicians - The ratio of population to physician is 2,410:1
• Mammography screening - 58% of female ages 67-69 enrolled in Medicare receive mammography screening. This ranking is worsening for the county and falls below the national and state average.
• Severe Housing problems – 17% of households have at least 1 of 4 housing issues: overcrowding, high housing cost, or lack of kitchen or plumbing facilities.
The Portage County Health Status Assessment data for 2015 was released on March 10, 2016. The data was obtained by independent researchers from the Toledo-based Hospital Council of Northwest Ohio (Portage County Community Health Assessment Partnership, 2016). Surveys taken consisted of customized questions and a set of core questions taken from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, and National Survey for Children’s Health (PCCHAP). The survey was a cross-sectional, randomized sample of Portage County residents as follows: adults aged 19 years and older, youth aged 12 to 18 years, and parents of children aged 0 to 11 years.
The Health Assessment data identified that 10% of Portage County adults were without health care coverage, the least likely to be uninsured were adults under age 30 (PCCHAP). In Portage County, 18.1% of residents live below the poverty level (PCCHAP). 22% of adults reported they were unable to access a physician within the past year due to cost. This percentage increased to 45% for those under the age of 30 and 33% of those with incomes less than $25,000 (PCCHAP). According to the Portage County Health Status Assessment, adults are affected by the four known risk factors for heart disease, 38% adults had been diagnosed with high blood cholesterol, 29% had high blood pressure, 13% were smokers, and 28% were obese (2016). In 2015, 22% of adults admitted to consuming who drank had five or more drinks (for males) and 4 or more drinks (for females) on one occasion (binge drinking) in the past month (PCCHAP).
The Health Assessment identified that according to the BMI by age that 15% of Portage County youth were obese and 15% were considered overweight in 2015 (PCCHAP). Only 13% of Portage County youth admitted to eating 5 or more servings of fruits and vegetables per day, 80% ate 1 to 4 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. About 11% youth reported they went to bed hungry at least one night per week because their family could not afford enough food. 12% of youth did not participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity on any day in the past week. The CDC recommends that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of physical activity per day. The 2016 Health Assessment indicated that 26% of Portage County youth had tried cigarette smoking, 21% of current youth smokers smoked cigarettes daily, and 17% of youth used e-cigarettes. The Health Assessment results indicated that 47% of Portage County youth in grades 6-12 had drank at least one drink of alcohol, increasing to 71% of youth seventeen and older. The Health assessment identified that 11% of youth grades 6th-12th had used marijuana at least once in the past 30 days, increasing to 17% of those ages 17 and older, 7% of youth used medications that were not prescribed for them, increasing to 11% of those over the age of 17. (27%) of Portage County youth have had sexual intercourse, increasing to 55% of those ages 17 and over, 55% had multiple sexual partners, and 26% of youth participated in sexting. The Health Assessment results showed that youths exhibit behaviors that endangered their own personal safety or safety of others. 18% of Portage County 6th-12th grade youth had seriously considered attempting suicide in the past year, 27% of youth drivers texted while driving, 23% of youth had been involved in a physical fight in the past year, 43% of youth had been bullied in the past year, and 33% had been bullied on school property.
Reference
Chamberlain College of Nursing/CCN. (2016). Week 2 lesson: Community assessment and health planning [Online Lesson]. Downers Grove, IL: DeVry Education Group.
University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute. (2016). County health rankings & roadmaps. Retrieved from http://www.countyhealthrankings.org/
Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2015). Epidemiology. Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (6th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier.
Portage County Community Health Assessment Partnership. (2016). Portage County community health needs assessment. Retrieved from http://www.co.portage.oh.us/pchd/
U.S. Census Bureau. (n.d.) Quickfacts: Streetsboro city, OH. Retrieved from http://quickfacts.census.gov/
RESPOND:
Machaela,
Your community sounds quaint per size and based on the demographics appears to be a middle-class society in which education is a valued element. Also, is evident through many counties researched by the class that the key concerns across America are obesity, smoking, and nutrition. I too am astounded at the rate of deaths before at 18 at such a high percentage. In Pinellas County 2010-2012, the primary culprits of mortality are cancer and heart disease and outweigh total Florida death rates by these as well as unintentional injury and diabetes. Another statistic I found interesting but expected in reading these posts is that there are more women than men in total populations. Homelessness is a major health factor in Pinellas County with 20-30% suffering from mental health disorders.
This exercise has truly opened my eyes to see more of my community than I had previously known and has invited fresh insight to my role as a nurse. Reading these posts confirms the need for nurses to utilize their knowledge and efforts to reach the community before illness develops.
Thank you for your research,
Sherri [Show Less]