Introduction
The health of the population is a major concern today. The healthcare sector is aligned with existing individuals’ needs, and there are ongoing efforts to find new ways to meet them. Thus, the correct understanding of the state of a particular group, its demands, issues, and factors directly impacting its health status is critical for building practical intervention strategies to address a problematic issue. For instance, managing cancer is one of the most critical challenges clinicians face nowadays. That is why the proposed paper focuses on analyzing the population with cancer, its main characteristics, and its needs. Socioeconomic status, demographics, morbidity, and causes of mortality will be assessed to gain a deeper understanding of the barriers the cohort faces and to inform a practical health promotion activity.
Demographics
The existing statistics evidence the significance of the problem and its scope. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) (2023) admit that in 2020, 1,603,844 new cases of cancer were discovered, and 602,347 patients died from it. The National Cancer Institute (n.d.) reports that the rate of new cases is 477.8 per 100,000 per year for men and 412.8 per 100,000 for women.
Furthermore, there are disparities related to race, as non-Hispanic black men have the highest rates of cancer diagnoses reported during a year (National Cancer Institute, n.d.). Non-Hispanic Asian/Pacific Islander men have the lowest incidence of cancer (National Cancer Institute, n.d.). In such a way, the demographics of cancer are diverse, which proves the complexity of the question.
Socioeconomics
The population’s socioeconomic status may be one factor affecting health and outcomes. Speaking about cancer, there is a direct correlation between the socioeconomic status (SES) of an individual and the prevalence, morbidity, and mortality rates (Sandström et al., 2023). The investigation shows that the population with lung cancer has the lowest SES, while gastrointestinal, prostate, and other cancer types have the second, third, and fourth lowest SES (Sandström et al., 2023). In this way, there is a relationship among income level, the ability to afford a particular lifestyle, and the incidence of cancer. The poorer individuals have a higher risk of acquiring and developing different types of disease, which is another disparity when speaking about the discussed population.
Environmental Hazards
Cancer is one of the conditions associated with environmental conditions and their deterioration. It means that for the selected population group, the degradation of the areas where individuals live is a central factor affecting their health. One-third of people living in industrialized countries acquire cancer during their lifetime (Gatto, 2021). The growing use of chemicals, climate change, and the deterioration of air and water quality increase the risk of various cancers (Gatto, 2021). At the same time, the number of environmental hazards will continue to grow as other industries expand, including those with severe impacts on communities surrounding them.
Access to Healthcare
Access to healthcare is essential when speaking about cancer and the chosen population group. Due to recent advances in diagnosis and treatment, early detection of tumors increases the likelihood of complete recovery to up to 90% (Crosby et al., 2022). However, in around 50% of cases, patients present to clinicians at an advanced stage, when the chances of survival are much lower (Crosby et al., 2022). It is associated with several factors, including limited health literacy and problematic access to care (Holden et al., 2021). Thus, the inability to access the necessary treatment due to a lack of finances, the absence of a health institution in the area, or poor transportation is fundamental to the population’s and individuals’ status.
Morbidity and Mortality Risk Factors
The selected population has specific morbidity and mortality risk factors that are linked to the peculiarities of the disease. Tobacco use is one of the first factors from this group, as smoking is the leading cause of different types of cancer (Wang et al., 2022). Furthermore, it is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally, proving its critical role in the emergence and development of the illness (Wang et al., 2022).
Alcohol is the next aspect that influences the population group. According to the statistics, there is a high number of alcohol-induced cancers in various regions, which makes it a vital morbidity factor (Wang et al., 2022). Furthermore, heavy alcohol consumption might lead to critical deterioration in the patients’ health and reduce their chances for successful recovery (Wang et al., 2022). For this reason, it is essential to consider these statistics when planning interventions.
Diet is another essential morbidity and mortality factor that is associated with cancer. Healthy food consumption patterns are associated with lower risks of cancer development (Chan et al., 2022). Avoiding products that may contain carcinogens or negatively affect body systems reduces the risk of illness and severe conditions.
Furthermore, a healthy diet increases the likelihood of remission during treatment, including chemotherapy and radiotherapy (Chan et al., 2022). Additionally, low physical activity can be a severe threat to a person’s health and increase the risk of getting cancer. Statistics show that a significant number of new cases of the disease are linked to this aspect (American Cancer Society, 2020). At the same time, individuals can improve their health by engaging in specific exercises daily.
Health Promotion Activities
In this regard, given the problem’s scope and topicality, it is essential to offer health promotion activities to address it. Thus, the previous analysis indicates that the lack of health literacy, low income, limited access to care, poor dietary and physical activity patterns, and lifestyle factors may require additional attention. For this reason, the planned interventions should consider these elements and ensure they are addressed. Thus, community-oriented practice is a philosophy that involves providing health services by investigating environmental and health problems and creating conditions for beneficial living (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). In such situations, the nurse plays a central role in delivering care to populations and ensuring they can benefit from the proposed care.
For the selected group, cultivating health literacy is crucial. It would help to detect cancer at earlier stages and increase the recovery rates. Additionally, patient education would improve knowledge about smoking, healthy diets, and physical activity as the central morbidity and mortality factors. A health worker might play an important role by offering the necessary literature on sites where the information can be acquired (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020).
Access to care is another significant concern affecting the cohort. It is critical to ensure that the discussed population can access the funded community centers nationwide (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). It will lead to better disease management, earlier symptom detection, and more effective responses.
Finally, it is vital to build a culture of health by altering communities’ views on the problem and employing their resources to struggle against cancer. The community health promotion model states that health care and health-related behavior depend on individual, interpersonal, organizational, and community factors (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). For this reason, it is critical to ensure that individuals who have cancer can be supported by others and, at the same time, ask for professional support from local organizations. It might also require finding sponsors to build a network of units that offer information about different types of cancer to individuals and perform screening procedures. Thus, the identified issues require a systemic approach, with the nurse playing a critical role in the transformation.
Conclusion
Altogether, the paper shows that the population with cancer has specific characteristics that should be considered when designing interventions for them. These might include low income, limited access to care, or poor health literacy about the condition and its treatment. The significant morbidity and mortality factors include smoking, diet, lack of physical activity, and alcohol. Possible health promotion activities to enhance the situation include cultivating health literacy and cancer awareness, explaining the harms of smoking and the need for healthy diets, and strengthening community action. It is critical to ensure the cohort acquires better access to care to avoid undesired outcomes and more deaths in the future.
References
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