Week 1: Determinants of Health
Professor and Class,
Choose one of the five determinants and discuss its importance. This was a difficult decision
as each of the five determinants of health are so closely interrelated, however I have discovered
that policy making has the most widely influence on both individual and population health. In
fact, policy making significantly impacts how successful and unsuccessful the additional four
determinants can have on the vast majority of health outcomes. For example, it has been
estimated that individual behaviors are responsible for approximately 50% of all premature
deaths in the United States (McEwen & Nies, 2015). According to Healthy People 2020,
tobacco use is classified under the determinant, individual behavior. Policy makers at the state
level have been historically known to increase taxes on tobacco sales in efforts to reduce the
number of smokers thus improving the overall population health (Healthy People 2020).
Secondly, health services is by no means a stranger to the political realm as it continues to be
among the top contenders of controversial debates. Fortunately, several literature have supported
the correlation of access to health services and disease/illness prevention and health promotion.
It was policy making efforts that enacted and signed into law The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. This law was created to improve access to affordable,
quality health insurance for all Americans (Healthcare.gov).
Still not convinced? Public safety, transportation options, and quality schools all fall under the
umbrella of social determinants of health (Healthy People 2020). Unfortunately the longevity of
these functions rely on funding received from the federal, state, and local levels. It was most
recently in April 2018 that many marched to our Kentucky capital, Frankfort, to protest against
further budget cuts towards public education during the state budget process of 2018-2020. This
made national headlines ( Beam & Schreiner, 2018)!
Discuss how a community nurse could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the
Public Health Intervention Wheel to address this determinant. I have chosen advocacy for
one important reason, it takes those to advocate for change to be heard at the government level!
We, as professional nurses, should advocate for the general population, community, and/or
individuals at the government level for an increase or preservation of current funding towards the
prevention and promotion of health. This may include factors such as continued support of
public education, cleaner water sanitation, continued affordable healthcare, and academic
research. In conclusion, the change starts with someone, somewhere!
References
Beam, A. & Schreiner, B. (2018). Teacher Victory: Kentucky Lawmakers Override Budget Veto.
U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site..
Professor and Class,
Choose one of the five determinants and discuss its importance. This was a difficult decision
as each of the five determinants of health are so closely interrelated, however I have discovered
that policy making has the most widely influence on both individual and population health. In
fact, policy making significantly impacts how successful and unsuccessful the additional four
determinants can have on the vast majority of health outcomes. For example, it has been
estimated that individual behaviors are responsible for approximately 50% of all premature
deaths in the United States (McEwen & Nies, 2015). According to Healthy People 2020,
tobacco use is classified under the determinant, individual behavior. Policy makers at the state
level have been historically known to increase taxes on tobacco sales in efforts to reduce the
number of smokers thus improving the overall population health (Healthy People 2020).
Secondly, health services is by no means a stranger to the political realm as it continues to be
among the top contenders of controversial debates. Fortunately, several literature have supported
the correlation of access to health services and disease/illness prevention and health promotion.
It was policy making efforts that enacted and signed into law The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act on March 23, 2010. This law was created to improve access to affordable,
quality health insurance for all Americans (Healthcare.gov).
Still not convinced? Public safety, transportation options, and quality schools all fall under the
umbrella of social determinants of health (Healthy People 2020). Unfortunately the longevity of
these functions rely on funding received from the federal, state, and local levels. It was most
recently in April 2018 that many marched to our Kentucky capital, Frankfort, to protest against
further budget cuts towards public education during the state budget process of 2018-2020. This
made national headlines ( Beam & Schreiner, 2018)!
Discuss how a community nurse could use one of the 17 intervention categories from the
Public Health Intervention Wheel to address this determinant. I have chosen advocacy for
one important reason, it takes those to advocate for change to be heard at the government level!
We, as professional nurses, should advocate for the general population, community, and/or
individuals at the government level for an increase or preservation of current funding towards the
prevention and promotion of health. This may include factors such as continued support of
public education, cleaner water sanitation, continued affordable healthcare, and academic
research. In conclusion, the change starts with someone, somewhere!
References
Beam, A. & Schreiner, B. (2018). Teacher Victory: Kentucky Lawmakers Override Budget Veto.
U.S. News. Retrieved from https://www.usnews.com (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site..
