Community Study Guide for the Hesi
Population Groups across the Lifespan
Health Risks
Infants
Number 1 cause of injury or death is suffocation followed by Motor Vehicle Accident
then Homicide.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Infection is the most significant cause of illness in infants and children.
Children
Obesity – Healthy people objectives have addressed youth fitness and obesity
Defined by using BMI which is a ratio of weight to height
Risks for childhood obesity were related to obesity in the parents
Obesity rates higher populations such as Native American, Hispanic, and
African Americans groups. Lower socioeconomic groups in urban settings
have been associated with higher rates
Injuries and Accidents- Number one cause of death in ages 1 – 24 yrs.
Motor vehicles accidents are the leading cause of death among children and teenagers.
Toddlers experience a large number of falls, poisonings, and motor vehicle accidents
School age children has the lowest injury death rate; however, this group has difficulty
judging speed and distance, placing them at risk for pedestrian and bicycle accidents.
Adolescents injury accounts for 75% of all deaths and risk-taking becomes more
conscious at this time especially among males.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youths between the ages of 15
and 24. Suicide s the third leading cause of death among youth between the ages of
10 and 24 years.
Acute Illness- also a significant cause of illness in children.
Chronic Health Problems- improved medical technology has increased the number of
children surviving with chronic health problems. Examples: Down Syndrome, spina
bifida, cerebral palsy, asthma, diabetes, congenital heart disease, cancer, hemophilia,
broncopulmonary dysplasia, and AIDS
Routine immunizations have been very successful in preventing selected diseases.
Good nutrition is essential for healthy growth and development and influences disease
prevention in later life.
Women
The women’s health movement was pivotal in bringing national recognition to women’s
health issues.
Women have a longer life expectancy than men
,Women are more likely to have acute and chronic conditions that require them to use
more services than men.
Women of color are more statistically more likely to have poor health outcomes because
of poor understanding of health, lack of access to health care, and lifestyle practices.
Heart disease leading cause of death in women
Lung Cancer leading cause of cancer in women and 2nd leading cause of death
Men
Men are physiologically the more vulnerable gender, shorter life span and higher infant
mortality rate
Life expectancy of men in the US is one of the lowest in the developed countries
Men engage in more risk-taking behaviors than women
Men tend to avoid diagnosis and treatment of illnesses that may result in serious health
problems
Elderly
Steadily growing population
Increase in chronic conditions, demand for services, and strained health care budgets
More older adults live in the community
Nurses address the chronic health concerns of elders with a focus on maintaining or
improving self-care and preventing complications to maintain the highest possible
quality of life.
Assessing the elderly incorporates physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains.
Individual and community focused interventions involve all three levels of prevention
through collaborative practice.
U.S. Healthcare problems
More than 43 million people in the United States are uninsured, and many more simply
lack access to adequate health care.
Health care reform measures seek to make changes in the cost, quality, and access of the
present system.
The integration of primary care and public health is necessary for the future health of the
nation
To achieve the specific health goals of programs such as healthy People 2010, primary
care and public health must work within the community for community-based care.
The most sustainable individual and system changes come when people who live n the
community have actively participated.
Nurses are more than able to fill the gap between personal care and public health because
they have skills in assessment, health promotion, and disease and injury prevention;
knowledge of community resources; and ability to develop relationships with community
members and leaders.
, Home Visits- give a more accurate assessment of the following than do clinical visits:
- the family structure
- the natural or home environment
- behavior in that environment
Home visits provide opportunities to identify both barriers and supports for reaching
family health promotion goals.
Home visits afford the opportunity to gain a more accurate assessment of the family
structure and behavior in the natural environment.
Home visits also provide opportunities to observe the home environment and to identify
both barriers and supports to reducing health risks and reaching family health goals.
Parish nurses: nurses who respond to health and wellness needs within the faith context
of population of faith communities and are partners with the church in fulfilling the
mission of health ministry.
Parish nursing: a community-based and population-focused professional nursing
practice with faith communities to promote whole person health to its parishioners
usually focused on primary prevention.
Parish nurse coordinator: a parish nurse who has completed a certificate program
designed to develop the nurse as a coordinator of a parish nursing service.
Parish nurse services respond to health, healing, and wholeness within the context of the
church. Although the emphasis is on health promotion and disease prevention throughout
the life span, the spiritual dimension of nursing is central to the practice.
The parish nurse partners with the wellness committee and volunteers to plan programs
and consider health-related concerns within faith communities
To promote a caring faith community, usual functions of the parish nurse include personal
health counseling, health teaching, facilitating linkages and referrals to congregation and
community resources, advocating and encouraging support resources, and providing
pastoral care.
Parish nurses collaborate to plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion activities
considering the faith community’s beliefs, rituals, and polity. Healthy People 2010
guidelines are basic to the partnering for the programs.
Nurses working in the parish nursing specialty must seek to attain adequate educational
and skill preparation for the accountability to those served and to those who have
entrusted the nurse to serve
Nurses are encouraged to consider innovative approaches to creating caring communities.
These may be in congregations as parish nurses, among several faith communities in a
Population Groups across the Lifespan
Health Risks
Infants
Number 1 cause of injury or death is suffocation followed by Motor Vehicle Accident
then Homicide.
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
Infection is the most significant cause of illness in infants and children.
Children
Obesity – Healthy people objectives have addressed youth fitness and obesity
Defined by using BMI which is a ratio of weight to height
Risks for childhood obesity were related to obesity in the parents
Obesity rates higher populations such as Native American, Hispanic, and
African Americans groups. Lower socioeconomic groups in urban settings
have been associated with higher rates
Injuries and Accidents- Number one cause of death in ages 1 – 24 yrs.
Motor vehicles accidents are the leading cause of death among children and teenagers.
Toddlers experience a large number of falls, poisonings, and motor vehicle accidents
School age children has the lowest injury death rate; however, this group has difficulty
judging speed and distance, placing them at risk for pedestrian and bicycle accidents.
Adolescents injury accounts for 75% of all deaths and risk-taking becomes more
conscious at this time especially among males.
Suicide is the second leading cause of death among youths between the ages of 15
and 24. Suicide s the third leading cause of death among youth between the ages of
10 and 24 years.
Acute Illness- also a significant cause of illness in children.
Chronic Health Problems- improved medical technology has increased the number of
children surviving with chronic health problems. Examples: Down Syndrome, spina
bifida, cerebral palsy, asthma, diabetes, congenital heart disease, cancer, hemophilia,
broncopulmonary dysplasia, and AIDS
Routine immunizations have been very successful in preventing selected diseases.
Good nutrition is essential for healthy growth and development and influences disease
prevention in later life.
Women
The women’s health movement was pivotal in bringing national recognition to women’s
health issues.
Women have a longer life expectancy than men
,Women are more likely to have acute and chronic conditions that require them to use
more services than men.
Women of color are more statistically more likely to have poor health outcomes because
of poor understanding of health, lack of access to health care, and lifestyle practices.
Heart disease leading cause of death in women
Lung Cancer leading cause of cancer in women and 2nd leading cause of death
Men
Men are physiologically the more vulnerable gender, shorter life span and higher infant
mortality rate
Life expectancy of men in the US is one of the lowest in the developed countries
Men engage in more risk-taking behaviors than women
Men tend to avoid diagnosis and treatment of illnesses that may result in serious health
problems
Elderly
Steadily growing population
Increase in chronic conditions, demand for services, and strained health care budgets
More older adults live in the community
Nurses address the chronic health concerns of elders with a focus on maintaining or
improving self-care and preventing complications to maintain the highest possible
quality of life.
Assessing the elderly incorporates physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains.
Individual and community focused interventions involve all three levels of prevention
through collaborative practice.
U.S. Healthcare problems
More than 43 million people in the United States are uninsured, and many more simply
lack access to adequate health care.
Health care reform measures seek to make changes in the cost, quality, and access of the
present system.
The integration of primary care and public health is necessary for the future health of the
nation
To achieve the specific health goals of programs such as healthy People 2010, primary
care and public health must work within the community for community-based care.
The most sustainable individual and system changes come when people who live n the
community have actively participated.
Nurses are more than able to fill the gap between personal care and public health because
they have skills in assessment, health promotion, and disease and injury prevention;
knowledge of community resources; and ability to develop relationships with community
members and leaders.
, Home Visits- give a more accurate assessment of the following than do clinical visits:
- the family structure
- the natural or home environment
- behavior in that environment
Home visits provide opportunities to identify both barriers and supports for reaching
family health promotion goals.
Home visits afford the opportunity to gain a more accurate assessment of the family
structure and behavior in the natural environment.
Home visits also provide opportunities to observe the home environment and to identify
both barriers and supports to reducing health risks and reaching family health goals.
Parish nurses: nurses who respond to health and wellness needs within the faith context
of population of faith communities and are partners with the church in fulfilling the
mission of health ministry.
Parish nursing: a community-based and population-focused professional nursing
practice with faith communities to promote whole person health to its parishioners
usually focused on primary prevention.
Parish nurse coordinator: a parish nurse who has completed a certificate program
designed to develop the nurse as a coordinator of a parish nursing service.
Parish nurse services respond to health, healing, and wholeness within the context of the
church. Although the emphasis is on health promotion and disease prevention throughout
the life span, the spiritual dimension of nursing is central to the practice.
The parish nurse partners with the wellness committee and volunteers to plan programs
and consider health-related concerns within faith communities
To promote a caring faith community, usual functions of the parish nurse include personal
health counseling, health teaching, facilitating linkages and referrals to congregation and
community resources, advocating and encouraging support resources, and providing
pastoral care.
Parish nurses collaborate to plan, implement, and evaluate health promotion activities
considering the faith community’s beliefs, rituals, and polity. Healthy People 2010
guidelines are basic to the partnering for the programs.
Nurses working in the parish nursing specialty must seek to attain adequate educational
and skill preparation for the accountability to those served and to those who have
entrusted the nurse to serve
Nurses are encouraged to consider innovative approaches to creating caring communities.
These may be in congregations as parish nurses, among several faith communities in a
