NURS-FPX 5003 Health Assessment and Promotion for Disease Prevention in Population-Focused Health

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The assessment of the well-being of a state or community necessitates a comprehensive process, involving healthcare organizations, to identify and analyze healthcare needs related to a specific disease and its impact on a particular region. This process enables healthcare professionals to prioritize health needs and develop strategies to address unmet community needs. This study focuses on the prevalence of Diabetes in West Virginia, the identification of healthcare needs among patients, and the communities most affected by this disease. Data for this study is sourced from the State Department of Health, American Diabetes Association, County Health Data, and the American Journal of Diabetes.

Demographic Characteristics for a State

Demographic characteristics encompass elements such as population composition, race, ethnicity, disease prevalence, religious affiliation, educational attainment, and mental health diagnoses. These demographic factors often underpin behavioral patterns. Age plays a pivotal role in shaping an individual’s experiences within society. Additionally, demographic data includes community attributes like income levels, employment status, gender distribution, educational attainment, and commuting patterns. Racial categorization is frequently incorporated into demographic data (Minc et al., 2020). 

Within racial categories, such as Asian, White, Black, and African American, diverse ethnicities and cultural backgrounds exist. Patient-specific information, including birthdates and insurance details, is part of illness demographics, which streamline medical billing, enhance healthcare quality, and bolster cultural competence. According to estimates from the United States Census Bureau in 2018, West Virginia’s total population was 1,775,156, with 93.1% White, 3.7% Black, 0.3% Asian, and 1.9% Latino.

Approximately 14.1% of the population is under 65 and living with a disability. Between 2017 and 2021, approximately 88.1% of the population completed high school. A significant proportion of the population suffers from multiple chronic conditions, including diabetes, cancer, kidney and lung diseases, arthritis, and risk factors like obesity and high blood pressure.

Disease prevention and health promotion share many common goals and functions. The population-based approach to prevention suggests that interventions should be applied to entire populations to effectively alter the distribution of disease risk factors (Minc et al., 2020). Population health promotion and prevention initiatives primarily address environmental resilience and equity in human healthcare services.

Trends Regarding Population in Demographic Reports

Between 2010 and 2021, West Virginia’s population increased every two out of eleven years. The most significant population decline occurred between 2016 and 2017, with a 0.8% decrease. Approximately 16.2% of adults in West Virginia, roughly 232,336 individuals, have diabetes, with demographic reports indicating an increasing trend among American Indians and non-Hispanic Blacks (American Diabetes Association, 2022).

Similar to clinical medicine’s focus on disease development and expression in individuals, epidemiology can be regarded as the study of disease development and expression within communities. Public health officials are increasingly concerned about the persistent and, in some cases, growing significance of diseases. Epidemiology relies on key concepts, including population analysis and comparison. Public health epidemiologists are primarily responsible for disease research, assessment, and policy formulation (ADA, 2022). Essential epidemiological tools encompass data overview, program data analysis supervision, and prompt assessment. Different tools may offer distinct types of information, even if they frequently cover the same health outcomes or indicators.

The Diabetes in West Virginia report from 2021 collected information on participants’ age, gender, and ethnicity, with questions focusing on general knowledge of type 2 diabetes, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.

Impact of Diabetes on the Specific Group in West Virginia

Diabetes affects 16% of West Virginia’s population, with 17% among the Black community, 16% among the White population, and 10% among multiracial individuals (Division of Health Promotion and Chronic Diseases, 2021). American Indians, as one of the racial groups covered in the United States Census, have a significantly higher diabetes risk, more than twice that of White individuals, who have an 8% adult diabetes prevalence. Population health is influenced by economic well-being, healthcare quality, and overall quality of life. The multifaceted nature of this issue presents