Population health is the clinical outcomes in a group of individuals including the distribution of results within the groups (Colditz, Philpott & Hankinson, 2016). According to Colditz, Philpott, and Hankinson (2016), clinical outcomes are dependent on the interventions applied and are affected by several factors. Population health determinants are factors in the population that influence the health outcomes of the population.
Literature Review
According to Hardcastle et al. (2011). public health care is denoted as improving the clinical outcomes of a population as a whole through disease prevention and health promotion. The researchers explain that to reduce morbidity and mortality cases; attention must be shifted to public health, which should also be well integrated with health care delivery services. To maximize the health improvements, the government must consider health policies aimed at improving the public health and individual’s health (Hardcastle, et al., 2011). The researchers state that disease prevention and health promotion has a great importance on the general health status than only improving the health care delivery system.
Hardcastle et al.’s (2011) article elaborates that diseases result from a combination of environmental factors, behavioral factors, and social factors. Individual’s behavioral factors contributing to diseases are sexual behavior, diet, physical activities, and smoking. Furthermore, it is indicated that over 80% of morbidity and mortality cases are prevented by these interventions as compared to health care alone, which is responsible for less than 20% of the reduction in mortality and morbidity (Hardcastle, et al., 2011). The researchers emphasize that an efficient health care system should aim at reducing the medical cost of treatments by preventing the development of conditions which can be prevented from the occurrence (Hardcastle, et al., 2011).
Colditz, Philpott, and Hankinson (2016) define population health interventions as programs and policies that impact positively on the health outcome of society. Social programs considered as population health policy include public education, standards of consumer protection, and public transit systems (Colditz, Philpott & Hankinson, 2016). Development of control measures for population health requires epidemiological findings. Cultural and social practices are greatly related to disease predisposition and protection. Cultural practices may hinder the population from adopting health resulting in an increase in mortality and morbidity cases of diseases (Colditz, Philpott & Hankinson, 2016). These findings provide the scientific basis for health promotion measures among the population at risk.
According to Colditz, Philpott and Hankinson (2016), there is a significant attribution of the environmental factors to health outcomes of patients. Their study made these findings while focusing on type 2 Diabetes and obesity. The findings of research showed that 90% of cases of type 2 Diabetes Mellitus were controlled by lifestyle and diet (Colditz, Philpott & Hankinson, 2016). Chronic Heart Disease and Cancer were also reported to have been controlled by primary interventions. Built environmental, body mass index, and physical activity were also shown to have a strong relationship with both type 2 diabetes and obesity (Colditz, Philpott & Hankinson, 2016). The research concluded that an individual’s behaviors, body components levels, and accurate exposure could be used in establishing the etiology of diseases.
Moreover, population attributable risk aims at measuring the health outcome after removing a given exposure from the community. Ahern, et al. (2016) elaborated that although it might not be possible to eliminate an exposure, reducing it to lower limits is possible. The research uses an example that the community gender norms are significantly related to HIV prevalence within that community. The research also indicates elements of lifestyle and nutrition of the community with the incidence of obesity (Ahern, et al., 2016). It is explained that there is a need for community education to enhance healthier food habits. The strategy of preventive medicine is imperative in shifting health distribution in the community rather than only identifying high-risk individuals (Ahern, et al., 2016).
In a different study, Rat, et al. (2016) showed that on screening intervention shows that melanoma detection is a challenge to researchers and clinicians. Survival of patients with melanoma is significantly dependent on the stage of the tumor. The researchers explain that one of the interventions to reducing melanoma in the population is involvement of the primary health care providers in screening for the disease (Rat, et al., 2016). It was established that melanoma has the greatest inequalities at the point of diagnosis as compared to the rest of the cancers which is due to the expensive care of cancer.
The research also showed that the most disadvantaged by the disease are older population, men, and members of the population with low income (Rat, et al., 2016. Thus, according to the researchers, the best remedy to this is to develop effective screening of the tumor at an early stage so that the inequalities attributed to late diagnosis are avoided (Rat et al., 2016). They also suggested that screening be made affordable or free to allow more people to access healthcare, which indicated that poverty remains a major factor that limits the access to affordable care.
Further, according to Kyung, et al. (2016), the vulnerable population is those who are susceptible to disease or injury. The researchers state that the health conditions are influenced by various factors including housing, education, presence of care, and poverty. These findings are tandem to the suggestions made by Rat, et al. (2016) Vulnerable populations require extensive medical cover to eliminate diseases though most of the current health care services do not focus on the community the individuals.
Moreover, according to a report by Aging and Health in America 2013, 53% of female and 51% above 65 years were still following on preventive measures on colorectal cancer and influenza virus (Kyounghae, et al., 2016). The population with disabilities had a reduced chance of access to proper health care as compared to others. Thus, there is need to address the problems of the vulnerable population. The researchers propose that the use of community based health care providers would improve the health outcomes of this population.
Additionally, the researchers elaborate that use of community-based health care workers was the best strategy in solving community health problems (Kyounghae, et al., 2016). Community health workers take the primary role in public health care system since they directly serve the community. Community-based health care workers are part of the community since they share the same language, geographical area of residence, and ethnicity; thus, they understand the community much better (Kyounghae et al., 2016). It is explained that they can improve health outcome by enhancing culturally appropriate health education, advocacy, community and individual capacity building, social support to community organizations, and offering healthy counseling to the members of the community (Kyounghae, et al., 2016).
In essence, from the reviewed studies, population health determinants are factors present in the population that influence the health outcomes. Key health determinants discussed by the articles are physical, environmental, social, and cultural factors. Managing these factors to improve population health require appropriate interventions by the health care systems that modify practices and behavior in the community. These interventions involve primary, secondary, and tertiary preventive measures of various diseases. Further, disease preventive measures in relation to exposures in the population results in decreased prevalence, morbidity and mortality cases.
References
Ahern, J., Colson, K. E., Margerson-Zilko, C., Hubbard, A., & Galea, S. (2016). Predicting the Population Health Impacts of Community Interventions: The Case of Alcohol Outlets and Binge Drinking. American Journal of Public Health, 106(11), 1938-1943. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303425
Colditz, G. A., Philpott, S. E., & Hankinson, S. E. (2016). The Impact of the Nurses’ Health Study on Population Health: Prevention, Translation, and Control. American Journal of Public Health, 106(9), 1540-1545. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2016.303343)
Hardcastle, L. E., Record, K. L., Jacobson, P. D., & Gostin, L. O. (2011). Improving the Population’s Health: The Affordable Care Act and the Importance of Integration. Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 39(3), 317-327. doi:10.1111/j.1748-720X.2011.00602.x
Kyounghae, K., Choi, J. S., Eunsuk, C., Nieman, C. L., Jin Hui, J., Lin, F. R., & … Hae-Ra, H. (2016). Effects of Community-Based Health Worker Interventions to Improve Chronic Disease Management and Care Among Vulnerable Populations: A Systematic Review. American Journal of Public Health, 106(4), e3-e28. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2015.302987
Rat, C., Quereux, G., Grimault, C., Fernandez, J., Poiraud, M., Gaultier, A., & … Nguyen, J. (2016). Inclusion of populations at risk of advanced melanoma in an opportunistic targeted screening project involving general practitioners. Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care, 34(3), 286-294. doi:10.1080/02813432.2016.1207149
