Vulnerable Population Essay

1445 Words6 Pages
Vulnerable Population Sara Williams Nur/440 09-12-11 University of Phoenix Vulnerable Population A vulnerable population is a group of persons whose range of options is severely limited, who are frequently subjected to coercion in their decision making, or who may be comprised in their ability to give informed consent (SensAgent, 2011). Vulnerability is a general concept meaning “susceptibility,” and its specific connotation in terms of health care is “at risk for health problems” (De Chenay & Anderson, 2008). A vulnerable population is not just about the physically ill patients, it can also affect the mentally ill, and low social economic population. According to Aday (2001), vulnerable populations are those at risk for poor physical, psychological, or social health. Young single mothers fit into this category as well. Describe the population’s demographics based on research of professional literature and websites including local, state, or national levels Within the last decade, births to unmarried women in the United States have risen dramatically, presenting challenges for young women to complete high school and attend college (Romo & Segura, 2010). According to the Center for Disease Control (2009), in 2007 nearly four in 10 births were to unmarried women, compared to about three in ten in 2002. This increase has been attributed too high out of wed lock birth rated among women in the 20s with six out of 10 births occurring for women between the ages of 20 and 24. Although teen births account for a smaller proportion of birth rates overall, the overwhelming majority of births are among unmarried women: More than 84% for adolescents girls aged 15 to 19 years (Hamilton, Martin, & Ventura, 2009). Compared to White women, out-of-wedlock birth rates are highest for Latina women, followed by African American women (Hamilton et al., 2009),
Open Document