NSG 4068 Week 5 Discussion

Community health nursing has a critical role in advancing individual and public health (Mason et al., 2016). Since the lack of exercise modalities has been identified as a public health issue, there are factors that need to facilitate the development of the walkways and promote public health.

One of the factors is ensuring that the population exercising along the roads is safe. This is because when they use the same roads used by motor vehicles along the busy streets, they can be hit easily. People need a safer environment to exercise, and besides ensuring their safety, the pedestrians’ trips will be more viable. In the US, around 4500 pedestrians are killed in traffic crashes with motor vehicles, and about 8% of those who are killed are found to be walking along the roadway ( Federal Highway Administration, 2020). The walkways should thus be separated from the travel lanes, which could help a safer exercising environment for those who fear roadway crashes and thus remain inactive. Another factor is to reduce the risk of diseases that arise when people remain inactive. Some of these include type 2 diabetes and heart disease. The construction of walkways will offer a broader area for people to conduct exercises, and thus, this can benefit pediatricians to actively promote exercise regimes.

However, the development of walkways can face some hindrances, such as the availability of finances to put this project into action. The present tax collected could be put into many other community projects, and to support the walkway projects, it could contribute to a rise in taxes ( Federal Highway Administration, 2020). To curb this hindrance, the government can assess other projects and minimize their funds to help cater to sidewalk expenses. Community health nurses can also advocate for financial support from the federal and local governments to support this project. Another hindrance is the availability of enough space to build safe sidewalks. Some areas can or cannot accommodate sidewalks, depending on their initial plan. Some areas lack enough space for safer sidewalks, and some community members may be forced to give up some portions of their land areas to allow the sidewalks to be constructed. This issue can also be resolved through the federal or local government providing spacious local parks that can serve the purpose of various exercises like walking or bike riding within an area.

References

Federal Highway Administration. (2020). Safety Benefits of Walkways, Sidewalks, and Paved Shoulders. Retrieved 03 19, 2020, from US Department of Transportation: Federal Highway Administration: https://safety.fhwa.dot.gov/ped_bike/tools_solve/walkways_trifold/

Mason, D. J., Gardner, D. B., Outlaw, F. H., & O’Grady, E. T. (2016). Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care. Elsevier Inc.

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