Health Determinants Summary
Cardiovascular disease is one of the most widespread diseases in the United States; it can cause atherosclerosis, heart attack, ischemic stroke, and other conditions, leading to disability or death. To design correct policies for the population at risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, it is also important to understand the determinants of the population health outcomes. Kinding (2007) and Kindig, Asada, and Booske (2008) present five key health determinants: access to medical care, individual behavior, social environment, physical environment, and genetics as those that affect health outcomes of the group.
Access to medical care has a direct influence on the health issue; while individuals with moderate to high income have access to screenings and can prevent severe complications and get an education, people from low-income families and who live at or beyond the poverty level often remain without resources and can die from this type of disease (VanBeuge & Walker, 2014). Individual behavior also has a direct impact, as such habits as smoking, drinking, and an unhealthy diet can have a negative influence on the person’s health, resulting in elevated risks and/or morbid conditions.
The social environment can considerably contribute to the health issue too either by aggravating or improving it. For example, work stress (or stress related to living conditions, family, or other problems) is related to the risk of cardiovascular disease in adults (Kivimäki & Kawachi, 2015). Physical environment, such as the availability of footpaths, parks, recreational areas, places for exercise or nearby fast food stores, and the lack of safe environments for sports activities can also either decrease or increase the risk of this disease. Genetic mutations such as polymorphisms can be major causes of cardiovascular disease (WHO, n.d.). Genetic predisposition to smoking or other diseases related to cardiovascular disease also can be indirect causes of this health issue.
In my opinion, both direct and indirect predispositions and access to medical care are the most impactful because they are impossible or difficult to change. While an individual can control their condition (e.g., diabetes or obesity), restricted access to medical care implies that an individual does not have enough resources to do it, and, in turn, cannot afford a healthy diet and also lives in stressful conditions, which have even more negative impact on their health. If the society can provide access to medical care, better self-management, medications, and education can help mitigate the risk of an undesired health outcome.
Epidemiologic Data
Heart disease affects approximately 610,000 people in the United States, leading to fatal outcomes, and more than half of these deaths are related to males (CDC, 2017). Approximately 735,000 Americans have a heart attack each year. The majority of people only recognize one of the symptoms (chest pain) as a symptom of a heart attack, but remain unaware of such signs as nausea, shortness of breath, and upper body pain. 23.8% of deaths are related to non-Hispanic whites or non-Hispanic Blacks, while 22.2% of these deaths are related to Asians or Pacific Islanders (CDC, 2017).
As can be seen, it is a major disease present in all races that are highly dangerous and requires the education of patients to improve disease prevention. It should be noted that “admissions for congestive heart failure, at 3.8 per 1 000 population” are common for the United States and relatively high (OECD, 2015). This data has been used to design policies that target undiagnosed populations with diabetes, promote the education of patients about the importance of a healthy diet and ensure that access to acute CVD care is more widespread (so far, it is difficult to estimate what populations have more or less access to it) (OECD, 2015).
The promotion of healthy lifestyles among the youth and young adults is also based on the data, and the main attempt here is to raise awareness of lifestyle interventions before the development of the disease.
References
CDC. (2017). Heart disease facts. Web.
Kindig, D. (2007). Understanding population health terminology. The Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), 139–161.
Kindig, D., Asada, Y., & Booske, B. (2008). A population health framework for setting national and state health goals. JAMA, 299(17), 2081–2083.
Kivimäki, M., & Kawachi, I. (2015). Work stress as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Current Cardiology Reports, 17(9), 74-83.
OECD. (2015). Cardiovascular disease and diabetes: Policies for better health and quality of care. Web.
VanBeuge, S. S., & Walker, T. (2014). Full practice authority— effecting change and improving access to care: The Nevada journey. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 26(6), 309-313.
WHO. (n.d.). Cardiovascular disease and heredity. Web.