Continuing Social Determinants of Health
Given the current multidisciplinary approaches to address the role of the social determinants of health, what new research or trends might impact how health professionals approach health disparities?
As the health field continues to advance, the underlying causes and solutions for health issues will be revealed. Yet, as you have explored throughout this course, there are many causes that may contribute to health disparities observed in different populations. Consider for example how the prevalence of smoking may be influenced by several factors. Are increased prevalence rates in smoking influenced by the availability of cigarettes in vulnerable populations? Is smoking a cultural practice or do environmental influences impact behavior?
As a health professional, you may contribute to the design of interventions to address population health issues. Considerations such as access to transportation and health insurance represent important societal and political factors that contribute to health outcomes. Emerging research will continue to challenge health professionals and will establish opportunities to recognize the greater societal implications of health.
For this Discussion, select a health issue from Chapters 17-21 in your text and consider how health disparities influence this health issue. Research an article/news story from credible, professional, and scholarly sources, and select a current event that demonstrates a lack of access to adequate resources for health insurance or transportation.
You are required to submit your initial post by Day 3. You are encouraged to post early. Once you have submitted your initial post, start engaging in a discussion with your colleagues. You must respond to at least one of your colleagues by no later than Day 5 and should continue to interact frequently with your colleagues through Day 7. Part of what makes a Discussion a discussion and not a lecture is the back and forth, in-depth, animated interaction of at least two people. If you start a topic and none of your colleagues are responding, consider what you can do to get the conversation going. Include something that would elicit further thoughts and different opinions from colleagues. Validate your opinions with references and links to the sources you used so that your colleagues can read them for themselves. See your Discussion rubric in the Course Information tab for specific grading requirements.
Post a brief description of the health issue you selected and a summary of the resource you selected. Explain how a lack of access to health insurance or transportation may have an effect on health disparities for this health issue and why.
Remember to begin interaction with your colleagues in the Discussion and continue engaging. Continue the Discussion and share an insight gained from having read your colleague's post.
Note: Please limit the length of your responses to 2 paragraphs.
Support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct.