- NURS FPX 5003 Assessment 1 Identifying Community Health Needs.
Identifying Community Health Needs
When working to enhance general health results and tackle health inequalities, it is useful to know what health needs each state or region has. When healthcare professionals know a community’s special health needs, they can help develop treatments and programs so that people can more easily access care and raise awareness and knowledge of health issues and practices. It can help people become healthier, help make the cost of medicines cheaper, and help make people’s lives better.
This evaluation will emphasize the prevalence of high blood pressure in Arkansas. It will also consider the dynamics of the state’s population and other demographic characteristics. Besides, this study will consider some trends of population characteristics and groups vulnerable to high blood pressure in the demographics of Arkansas.
Demographic Characteristics
Demographic systems have many faces that can influence individuals’ treatment in society. These characteristics include the amount of schooling, racial or ethnic identity, and social class. Patients’ demographic data is required in medical circumstances to facilitate billings, enhance the quality of care, and promote diversity.
According to the latest US Census Bureau information, over three million people live in Arkansas. ‘The average age of the firm stands at about 36 years.’ The majority are white; 78.6 percent of the population is white. Black or African American people make up 15.7%, Asians make up 1.8%, and people of other races make up 3.9% (U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Arkansas, 2022).
NURS FPX 5003 Assessment 1 Identifying Community Health Needs
Arkansas ranks poorly on many health factors, including weight, smoking, and physical inactivity. The 2022 ranking by America’s Health Rankings (AHR) places Arkansas in a poor fifty-first position out of 50 regarding general health. This is because many of its population is either obese, a smoker, or a sedentary equivalent. Many of the residents in Arkansas also have chronic ailments such as diabetes and hypertension. Comparing the health of 2022 and 2018, the website America’s Health Rankings identifies that high blood pressure is an issue, as more than a third of Arkansans suffer from the same.
Population Related Patterns
When people read Arkansas’ data reports, they can identify several subjects and patterns.
As it is the case with so many other states in the United States, Arkansas has a growing population. The people’s overall age was raised from 35.9 years old in the 2010 census to 38.6 years old in the 2019 census (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021). They predict that this trend is also likely to continue going up in the meantime.
Since then, the population of non-whites in Arkansas has increased, but Arkansas remains predominantly white. According to the census data, there has been a 48% increase in Hispanic people since 2010, and a 37% increase in Asian people. West also states that the number of Black or African American people has remained almost constant (Charles Hunt et al., 2018). It must also be noted here that there is a decline in the number of people residing in the countryside of Arkansas. More people seek employment and other better-paying job opportunities in cities. According to Brooks (2020), of the 75 counties in the state, the population declined in 59 counties between 2010 and 2019. The largest declines were in rural locations.
Perhaps the most glaring void that might alter trends is the complete information concerning the state’s LGBTQ+ population. Their social and economic status, health outcomes, or demography are little known. This scarcity of data can complicate an effort to address health disparities and ensure that everyone in the LGBTQ+ community can obtain care. There is also a lack of data on poverty and wealth—specifically, how much members of different communities have to spare. The overall poverty rate in Arkansas has decreased over the years.
However, disparities are still evident, as the poverty rate of the black and Hispanic climbers is much higher than that of the white climbers (Creamer, 2020). However, few studies were done on poverty and income of other ethnic minorities, like Native Americans and Asian Americans. They have difficulties in searching and identifying issues or mistakes.
Impact of Hypertension on the Specific Groups
Here lie some of the inhabitants of Arkansas who are especially vulnerable to hypertension: The current population report indicated that high blood pressure is more prominent amongst African Americans in Arkansas than any other color or race. Smith et al. (2020) aspired and saw that 46 percent of the African Americans in Arkansas had higher blood pressure than whites at only 39 percent. Well, for this difference, one can point to genetics, living decisions, and social determinants of health.
NURS FPX 5003 Assessment 1 Identifying Community Health Needs
Hypertension is higher in the elderly since the Arkansas population is aging, as we said earlier. Tsao et al. (2022) established that the proportion of adults with high blood pressure increased with age, particularly among individuals aged 65 and above, compared to those aged 20 years and above. This goes to support the need to screen for and appropriately manage high blood pressure in the elderly in the state.
Communication of Demographic Data and Health Needs
Arkansas is a multipurpose state that is home to approximately 3 million inhabitants. Among them, the largest ethnic label is the white ethnic group, the second is the black ethnic group or Africans, and the third one is Asians. The state has numerous health challenges, and perhaps the worst is conducting and managing chronic diseases such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and obesity. The problems include physical health and mental problems; diseases such as cancer, depression, and suicides are rife.
To ensure different people can understand the content, one should avoid complicated wording; no scientific terms should be used, and there should be background and context information. It will be easier to understand some information when it is presented in such a way as maps, charts, or graphs. Sharing more useful examples and personal stories can also come in handy when it comes to capturing people’s interest and making them connect with you (Germaine et al., 2020).
Conclusion
During this evaluation, I discussed the population and health risks in Arkansas, especially hypertension, and how it impacts different individuals. I also researched means of making this knowledge comprehensible for people who do not have a background in this science, for example, utilizing graphic aids and creating relationships between neighboring values. Read more about our sample NURS FPX 5003 Assessment 4 Executive Summary for complete information about this class.
References
America’s Health Rankings | AHR. (2022). America’s Health Rankings.
https://www.americashealthrankings.org/learn/reports/2022-annual-report
Brooks, M. M. (2020). Countering depopulation in Kansas: An assessment of the rural opportunity zone program. Population Research and Policy Review, 40(2), 137–148.
https://doi.org/10.1007/s11113-020-09572-0
Charles Hunt, D., Lawrence, M., & Panas, J. (2018). A changing Kansas: Implications for health and communities. Kansa Health Foundation.
https://kansashealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/KHF-KHI-Demographic-Report-060518.pdf
Creamer, J. (2020, September 15). Poverty rates for Blacks and Hispanics reached historic lows in 2019—the United States Census Bureau.
Germaine, P., Catanzano, T., Patel, A., Mohan, A., Patel, K., Pryluck, D., & Cooke, E. (2020). Communication strategies and our learners. Current Problems in Diagnostic Radiology, 50(3).
https://doi.org/10.1067/j.cpradiol.2020.10.009
Smith, C., Porter, A., Biddle, J., Balamurugan, A., & Smith, M. R. (2020). The Arkansas minority barber and beauty shop health initiative: Meeting people where they are. Preventing Chronic Disease, 17.
https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd17.200277
Tsao, C. W., Aday, A. W., Almarzooq, Z. I., Alonso, A., Beaton, A. Z., Bittencourt, M. S., Boehme, A. K., Buxton, A. E., Carson, A. P., Commodore-Mensah, Y., Elkind, M. S. V., Evenson, K. R., Eze-Nliam, C., Ferguson, J. F., Generoso, G., Ho, J. E., Kalani, R., Khan, S. S., Kissela, B. M., & Knutson, K. L. (2022). Heart disease and stroke statistics—2022 update: A report from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 145(8).
https://doi.org/10.1161/cir.0000000000001052
U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Arkansas. (2022). www.census.gov.
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/AR/PST045222#PST045222