Healthy People: Vulnerable Populations

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Healthy People 2010: A vulnerable population is defined as “a population that is more likely to develop health problems as a result of exposure to risk or to have worse outcomes than the rest of the population” (Sebastian, 2005, p.746). Vulnerable populations are a global concern, affecting rural and metropolis communities alike, in countries around the world. Vulnerable population groups of particular interest to nurses are “poor and homeless persons, pregnant adolescents, immigrants, substance abusers, persons with communicable diseases and mentally ill individuals” (Sebastian, 2005, p.748). Located on the southern tip of the Virginia peninsula, Hampton is a fast growing community. With a population of approximately 146, 000…show more content…
As one of the “Bible Belt” states, Virginia is known for its “southern dishes,” which includes various fried foods. Cooking is very family oriented in the south. Children learn to cook from their parents, and use recipes that have been passed on from one generation to another. These recipes are usually high in calories, fat and cholesterol. All of which contribute to the client’s overall health. A discrepancy in the health status of vulnerable populations and the majority of the population has led the United States government to create Healthy People 2010 goals focusing specifically on decreasing these health disparities. “Healthy People 2010 is an implementation guide for all federal and most state health initiatives, with a special emphasis on promoting systematic approaches to eliminating health disparities experienced by underserved and disadvantaged populations” (Sebastian, 2005, p.748). Healthy People 2010 consists of a list of twenty-eight focus areas, within each focus area are goals. Decreasing diabetes, improving educational and community based programming and decreasing sexually transmitted diseases are three of the goals listed in the twenty-eight objectives that are affected by the aggregate…show more content…
Today’s public education teaches preventative measures with a positive message, “take care of yourself, you are worth it” (Healthy People 2000 Midcourse Review & 1995 Revisions, 2000). “The elimination of disparities will require implementation of new models of care that comprehensively address the needs of low income minority populations” (Fiscella, 2002, p.365). To achieve the goals set by Healthy Virginia 2010, Hampton needs to be willing to spend more time on patient education. One of the Healthy Virginia 2010 objectives is to “increase school health education to prevent health problems in the following areas: unintentional injury; violence; suicide; tobacco use and addiction; alcohol or other drug use; unintended pregnancy, HIV/AIDS, and STD infection; unhealthy dietary patterns; inadequate physical activity; and environmental

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