Definition of Health

Definition of Health

There are many different stages/definitions of healthcare needs throughout a human’s life span in the world of healthcare. Each of these stages/definitions necessitates health promotion, and healthcare professionals must meet the patient’s needs and goals as they apply to the patient. Within this paper, I will describe the six definitions of health for various individuals and explain why a community nurse must meet the patient at their definition of health.

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Six Illustrations

Health varies across the human lifespan, and many health conditions can affect an individual. I will discuss six representations: a newborn, well-adult Asian woman over 55 years old, a disabled 35-year-old African American male veteran, a pre-teen white young woman entering middle school, a sexually active 20-something Hispanic male, and an obese 75-year-old white male who has debilitating arthritis. As you can see, we can anticipate that the healthcare needs of these individuals will differ.

A newborn is a child born recently and under one month old. A healthy newborn weighs between five and ten pounds. The newborn will need to eat every 2-3 hours and have 6-8 wet diapers daily. Newborns require 14-17 hours of sleep per 24 hours. Their pediatrician/healthcare providers will regularly monitor the newborn’s health and development.

A well-adult Asian woman over the age of 55 is a woman over the age of 55 who is in good health. “According to the 2019 Census Bureau population estimate, 18.9 million Asian Americans live in the United States alone” (Asian American – The Office of Minority Health, n.d.). Cancer, heart disease, stroke, accidental injuries, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS, smoking, tuberculosis, and liver disease are all more common among Asian Americans. Concerns about mental health can also affect the Asian population.

A disabled 35-year-old African American male veteran has multiple definitions of health that a community nurse must be aware of. The first is that a 35-year-old African American can begin to notice a decline in their health. African Americans are more likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Because of social factors and health risks, the African American population is at a higher risk of illness occurring at a younger age. The following consideration is that this individual is also a disabled veteran. Disabilities can affect cognition (memory, learning, and understanding), mobility (moving around in the environment), vision, hearing, behavior, and so on. Veterans may suffer from health problems and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to their service in the armed forces.

A pre-teen white woman entering middle school has a different health focus than others. A pre-teen is a person aged nine to twelve. Mental health issues can emerge in the pre-teen population, and we must also acknowledge the need for sexual health issues to emerge. Pre-teen women’s sexual development characteristics can occur between the ages of eight and thirteen.

A sexually active 20-something Hispanic male is more likely to contract a sexually transmitted disease and become pregnant. One in every six people in the United States is Hispanic. Deardorff et al. (2010) state that “if a young man accepts the notion that he has low control over his need for sex and a high need for sexual satisfaction, the result may be a relatively high number of sexual partners and little condom use.”

An obese 75-year-old white male with debilitating arthritis has several factors affecting his health. Age, obesity, and arthritis are the factors that must be addressed to achieve the individual’s health goals. Obesity increases the risk of heart attack, stroke, hypertension, diabetes, gallstones, cancer, osteoarthritis, obstructive sleep apnea, fatty liver, and depression. Obesity kills about 1,000 people daily, affecting both men and women equally (HarvardHealth,2011). We must also consider the fact that the elderly population becomes less active as they age due to factors such as retirement and increased body aches and pains.

The significance of meeting the patient at their definition of health

As you can see, the health of these six representations of health has similarities and differences. A healthcare professional, such as a community nurse, must be aware that, in the end, we must individualize care and treatment for individuals and assist them in meeting their healthcare goals. It is critical to meet these individuals at their definition of health because practices and treatment must be individualized based on known and potential factors that individuals can see. Healthcare professionals would treat the health concern rather than the patient if they did not meet the patient at the definition of health they present with. They would also not work to achieve the patient’s health goals by utilizing patient-centered care techniques. We are also at different stages of development than other people.

Conclusion

Whatever challenges a community nurse faces, they must focus their actions on the individual patient while also educating the community to help improve the health of all. The nurse may recognize similarities and differences in people’s health definitions. Still, they deserve to be addressed as individuals to achieve their goals before being compared to others in the community. The nurse must eventually individualize the healthcare plans because not everyone has the same factors and is at different stages/definitions of the life span.

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References

African American Health. (2017, July 3). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns/aahealth/index.html

Asian American – The Office of Minority Health. (n.d.). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Minority Health. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.minorityhealth.hhs.gov/omh/browse.aspx?lvl=3&lvlid=63

Chaunie Brusie, R.N. (2021, September 10). Your newborn baby’s growth and development. Babycenter. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.babycenter.com/baby/month-by- month/newborn-baby-milestones-and-development_4730

Deardorff, J., Tschann, J. M., Flores, E., & Ozer, E. J. (2010). Sexual values and risky sexual behaviors among Latino youths. Perspectives on sexual and reproductive health, 42(1), 23–32. https://doi.org/10.1363/4202310

Growth and Your 13- to 18-Year-Old (for Parents) – Nemours KidsHealth. (n.d.). Nemours Children’s Health. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/growth-13-to-18.html

Harvard Health. (2011, March 1). Obesity: Unhealthy and unmanly. Retrieved June 18, 2022, from https://www.health.harvard.edu/mens-health/obesity-unhealthy-and-unmanly

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Part of health promotion is meeting a patient at their definition of health. One person’s health goals and possibilities may differ from another’s.

Assume you are an intern at a community health clinic. Your supervisor has asked you to prepare a summary of the various definitions of health for the staff at the clinic.

Definitions of Health

Search the Internet for representations of various definitions of health (e.g., a newborn, a well older adult, a person in a wheelchair, or someone with another disability).

Prepare a 500-word summary of your findings. Include the following in your summary:

• Description of 6 internet representations of definitions of health for the following types of individuals:
• Newborn
• Well, adult Asian women over 55 years of age
• Disabled 35-year-old African American male veteran
• Pre-teen white young woman entering middle school
• Sexually active 20-something Hispanic male
• Obese 75-year-old white male suffering from debilitating arthritis
• Explanation regarding the importance of meeting a patient at their definition of health.