Community Health Promotion Programs

Community Health Promotion Programs

The top five causes of mortality in New Jersey are heart disease, cancer, accidents, stroke, and chronic lower respiratory diseases such as COVID-19 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Accidents are the fourth leading cause of death in New Jersey. Accidents are described as unintentional injuries. Research shows accidents cause approximately 4,777 deaths per year. Accidents among New Jersey residents include motor vehicle crashes, fires, drownings, unintentional poisonings, and falls. In 2020, 3308 men and 1469 women died from accidents. Despite the high mortality rate caused by COVID-19 in 2020, accidents were the leading cause of death among individuals between 15 years and 44 years. Deaths resulting from accidents in New Jersey were 263 among individuals between 15 and 24 years old and 1659 among those between ages 25 and 44 years. One thousand five hundred ninety-eight individuals between 45 and 64 years died of accidents as the fourth leading cause of death in that age group. Accident mortality is lower in those above 65 years of age (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022).

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Health Promotion Programs in Relation to Accidents

New Jersey has health promotion programs to predict and prevent accidents. Accidents that occur in New Jersey are controllable and preventable. Every cause of accidents is targeted. Although resources and programs are intensified towards the current main cause of accidents, all events that lead to accidents have health promotion programs. Unintentional poisoning is the leading cause of accidents, followed by motor vehicle crashes. Unintentional poisoning is caused by legal and illegal drugs such as opioids, pesticides, vapors, gases such as carbon monoxide, and the intake of alcohol. New Jersey Mental Health and Addiction Department prevents substance abuse and provides emergency screening. New Jersey has a program that targets the LGBTQ community since the rate of substance abuse among LGBTQ youths is higher than among heterosexual youths by 190% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Substance abuse prevention programs are culturally sensitive and competent.

Special programs target families of military personnel who are stationed or are residents of New Jersey. Military family members are highly prone to stressful conditions; hence, they are at a higher risk of abusing drugs. New Jersey has recovery programs that offer inpatient and outpatient recovery and mental health services aimed at preventing relapse among recovering addicts. Medication-assisted treatment centers such as methadone clinics are stationed in different areas of the state for easy accessibility to rehabilitation patients (Bhambri, 2021). Hospitals are equipped with emergency drugs such as naloxone to reverse opioid overdose.

Deaths caused by motor vehicle crashes are prevented by enforcing rules on using safety belts. New Jersey National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has a campaign called “click it or ticket.” The campaign enforces the use of seat belts and has achieved a ninety percent rate of seat belt use. The campaign reminds drivers, passengers, and motor vehicle owners of the fines and legal consequences of not wearing a safety belt. The campaign mainly targets young adults since sixty percent of 18 to 34-year-olds have died in motor vehicle accidents. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration educates the public on the correct way to put on a seat belt (Katz et al., 2021). Laws also prevent and punish drunk, speeding, aggressive, and drug-impaired driving. The public is educated on rules and regulations surrounding teen driving, drunk driving, respect for cyclists, pedestrians, and other drivers, child passenger safety, seat belts, speed, and traffic lights.

Further, New Jersey decreases motor vehicle-related injuries by offering free safety checks for child and infant car seats. Mortality due to accidents occurs with firearms. The prevention programs aim to reduce unintentional firearm-related injury deaths, especially among male teens. New Jersey has stringent firearms laws that prevent ownership by minors or adults who are deemed unfit by the law. Hospitals are equipped to handle firearm injuries at their accident and emergency units and theaters. Healthcare workers are trained to manage firearm injuries to prevent deaths. Healthcare workers are taught how to report firearm incidents to authorities. Data on firearm-related deaths are used to determine the efficacy of the prevention programs. Moreover, the elderly prone to falls are assisted in carrying out their daily activities to prevent accidents. Nursing homes are built in a way that eases movement and prevents accidents.

Assessment of Health Promotion Programs

There is a need for more programs because the current mortality rates caused by accidents are still high. There has been an increase in deaths from 4657 deaths per year in 2019 to the current numbers (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). The mortality rates have decreased in the targeted populations and increased in the remaining population.

The Recommended Health Promotion Ideas

Despite health promotion programs, New Jersey records high mortality rates due to accidents (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2022). Additional strategies can be introduced to add to the current programs. Driving rules, regulations, and safety protocols should be included extensively in school programs. This is to ensure that children already know the regulations before going to driving school. Fines and punishments for drunk driving, speeding, and driving without a seat belt should be amended to include heavier fines and tighter measures. Further, prevention measures and health education on substance abuse should mainly target teens and adults. These programs should educate young children on the negative impacts of substance abuse as an early prevention measure.

References

Bhambri, S. (2021). Barriers to Alternative Narcotic Education and Treatment in Young Adults in New Jersey

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). New Jersey. National Center for Health Statistics. Retrieved 13 September 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/pressroom/states/newjersey/nj.htm

Katz, B., Graham, D., Davis, J., Kissner, E., Wright, W., Rigdon, H., & Jackson, S. (2021). Education on Proper Use of Seat Belts on School Buses (No. DOT HS 812 999). United States. Department of Transportation. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

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In this writing assignment, you will research the health promotion resources available in your community.

Step 1 Research the top 5 causes of mortality for adults or children in your state.

Select one of the top 5 causes that are partially or fully preventable (heart disease, car crashes, homicide, etc. )
Step 2 Write a paper that focuses on resources. Submit a 3-4 page paper that summarizes the health promotion resources available in your community (city, town, or county) to address your selected cause of death and recommendations for future programs. The focus of the programs should be on prevention and health promotion, not treatment.

In your paper, discuss the following prompts:

Describe the programs that promote health promotion on the selected topic in your community.
Include the level of community participation in the programs (number of participants, number of included schools etc.)
Identify the target population (age, sex, location etc.)
Explain the specific health-promotion activities offered, and the level of prevention that is addressed by the activities
Include any impact data or improved health outcomes that you can find on the programs
Discuss your assessment of available resources in your community: Is the amount of health promotion programs adequate to meet the needs? Are the activities offered effective?
Recommend a health-promotion idea or ideas that could be developed into a health-promotion program or programs in your community.
Identify the targeted populations with rationale to support the choice.
Cite any sources in APA format.