Proposal – Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy

Proposal – Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy

Policy Proposal and Guidelines to Adress Obesity in the non-Hispanic Black Population

Obesity is today a national health crisis across the United States. Regardless of current statewide efforts to combat obesity, Black communities still struggle with obesity and related health outcomes. This is due to multiple interacting social determinants of health, making them more vulnerable to developing high BMI and multiple comorbid chronic conditions as compared to other population groups. Due to such vulnerabilities, there is a need to develop and adopt targeted policies that help improve the health outcomes among non-Hispanic Blacks in relation to obesity.

In response to this, the following policy proposals must be considered within the overall service delivery framework at the local levels: the systems must establish free-to-access community-based obesity and diabetes education programs across all Black neighborhoods with a focus on low-income neighborhoods. The education program must be accessible both physically at the local community health centers and online via dedicated communication channels and monthly community outreach campaigns. The program must focus on improving awareness of obesity and the dangers of having a high BMI, good nutrition and risky eating and lifestyle behaviors, mental health, and necessary daily levels of exercise. The program must be delivered in partnership with the local community health workers, primary healthcare providers, dietitians, and behavioral health specialists. The local, federal, and state governments are expected to support, both in funding and professional guidance, the design and delivery of an innovative and technology-driven obesity health education program and care services targeted at non-Hispanic Blacks.

The Need for the Proposed Policy

There are multiple argument points that support the need for this policy proposal. Firstly, data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows significant racial and ethnic disparities in access to healthy foods, safe living conditions, walkable neighborhoods, and healthy feeding habits from early ages, with non-Hispanic Blacks most affected (Petersen et al., 2024). This has resulted in non-Hispanics having the highest prevalence of obesity and related chronic conditions. Compared to other racial groups in the U.S., non-Hispanic Black adults have the highest obesity prevalence rates at 49.9%, Hispanics at 45.6%, non-Hispanic Whites at 41.4%, and non-Hispanic Asians at 16.1% (Stierman et al., 2021).

There have been various policy and government efforts to address obesity in the U.S., especially among minority and underserved communities. For instance, CDC’s Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity (DNPAO), through a multistakeholder initiative, has since 2018 funded state health departments, colleges and universities, and community-focused organizations with the aim of prioritizing and implementing best practices to increase healthy eating and improve physical activity to prevent obesity and other chronic diseases (Petersen et al., 2024). Others, such as the NIH National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD), have advanced research to identify and recognize adverse societal factors and associated SDOH that contribute to health disparities within populations, including race/ethnicity, low SES, rural-urban differences, sexual and gender minorities (Kumanyika, 2022). Such research has contributed to policy formulation. Despite these, disparities exist, and non-Hispanic Blacks still have the highest obesity rates (Petersen et al., 2024).

It is important to improve the quality of care and improve obesity outcomes among non-Black communities, as overweight and obese conditions are associated with an increased risk of chronic conditions and increased burden of disease in terms of costs of care (Hecker et al., 2022). Obesity is also a causal factor for poor mental health, including self-esteem, and contributes to poor quality of life (Avalos et al., 2020). Therefore, implementing targeted policy provisions as proposed will ensure individuals from non-Hispanic Black communities have access to case- and culturally-sensitive health education, supportive and preventive healthcare, and improved awareness of obesity to improve health outcomes and address current disparities.

Potential for an Interprofessional Approach to Implementing the Proposed Policy

Achieving the goals of the proposed policy requires the integration of an interprofessional approach and interprofessional best practices during policy implementation. Some of the best interprofessional practices include cultural competence in care delivery and patient education. Cultural competency considers the diversity in the care team and the target population and is associated with effective communication and collaboration, leading to better health outcomes (Brooks et al., 2019). There is also a need for effective interprofessional teams to ensure the efficiency and effectiveness of the policy implementation. The implementation of the proposed policy will also require widespread community involvement and engagement. Community involvement in the policy implementation promotes buy-in and improved community engagement in the delivery of education programs.

References

Avalos, M. R. A., Ayers, S. L., Patrick, D. L., Jager, J., Castro, F. G., Konopken, Y. P., Olson, M. L., Keller, C. S., Soltero, E. G., Williams, A. N., & Shaibi, G. Q. (2020). Familism, self-esteem, and weight-specific quality of life among Latinx adolescents with obesity. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45(8), 848–857. https://doi.org/10.1093/JPEPSY/JSAA047

Brooks, L. A., Manias, E., & Bloomer, M. J. (2019). Culturally sensitive communication in healthcare: A concept analysis. Collegian, 26(3), 383–391. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.COLEGN.2018.09.007

Hecker, J., Freijer, K., Hiligsmann, M., & Evers, S. M. A. A. (2022). Burden of disease study of overweight and obesity; the societal impact in terms of cost-of-illness and health-related quality of life. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12449-2

Kumanyika, S. K. (2022). Advancing health equity efforts to reduce obesity: Changing the course. Annual Review of Nutrition, 42, 453. https://doi.org/10.1146/ANNUREV-NUTR-092021-050805

Petersen, R., Pan, L., & Blanck, H. M. (2024). Racial and ethnic disparities in adult obesity in the United States: CDC’s tracking to inform state and local action. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16(4). https://doi.org/10.5888/PCD16.180579

Stierman, B., Afful, J., Carroll, M. D., Chen, T. C., Davy, O., Fink, S., Fryar, C. D., Gu, Q., Hales, C. M., Hughes, J. P., Ostchega, Y., Storandt, R. J., & Akinbami, L. J. (2021). National health and nutrition examination survey 2017–march 2020 prepandemic data files-development of files and prevalence estimates for selected health outcomes. National Health Statistics Reports, 2021(158). https://doi.org/10.15620/cdc:106273

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Develop a 2-4 page policy proposal that seeks to improve the outcomes for your chosen health care issue and target population.

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Introduction
Note: Each assessment in this course builds on the work you completed in the previous assessment. Therefore, you must complete the assessments in this course in the order in which they are presented.

Cost and access to care continue to be main concerns for patients and providers. As technology improves our ability to care for and improve outcomes in patients with chronic and complex illnesses, questions of cost and access become increasingly important. As a master’s-prepared nurse, you must be able to develop policies that will ensure the delivery of care that is effective and can be provided in an ethical and equitable manner.

As a master’s-prepared nurse, you have a valuable viewpoint and voice with which to advocate for policy developments. As a nurse leader and health care practitioner, often on the front lines of helping individuals and populations, you are able to articulate and advocate for the patient more than any other professional group in health care. This is especially true of populations that may be underserved, underrepresented, or are otherwise lacking a voice. By advocating for and developing policies, you are able to help drive improvements in outcomes for specific populations. The policies you advocate for could be internal ones (just within a specific department or health care setting) that ensure quality care and compliance. Or they could be external policies (local, state, or federal) that may have more wide-ranging effects on best practices and regulations.

Professional Context
As a master’s-prepared nurse, you have a valuable viewpoint and voice with which to advocate for policy developments. As a nurse leader and health ­care practitioner, often on the front lines of helping individuals and populations, you are able to articulate and advocate for the patient more than any other professional group in health ­care. This is especially true of populations that may be underserved, underrepresented, or are otherwise lacking a voice. By advocating for and developing policies, you are able to help drive improvements in outcomes for specific populations. The policies you advocate for could be internal ones (just within a specific department or health care setting) that ensure quality care and compliance. Or they could be external policies (local, state, or federal) that may have more wide-ranging effects on best practices and regulations.

Scenario
The analysis of position papers that your interprofessional team presented to the committee has convinced them that it would be worth the time and effort to develop a new policy to address your specific issue in the target population. To that end, your interprofessional team has been asked to submit a policy proposal that outlines a specific approach to improving the outcomes for your target population. This proposal should be supported by evidence and best practices that illustrate why the specific approaches are likely to be successful. Additionally, you have been asked to address the ways in which applying your policy to interprofessional teams could lead to efficiency or effectiveness gains.

This assessment will build upon your previous Analysis of Position Papers for Vulnerable Populations assessment. If, for some reason, you wish to change your specific issue or target population, contact your faculty for approval.

Instructions
For this assessment, you will develop a policy proposal that seeks to improve the outcomes for your chosen health care issue and target population. The bullet points below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide. Be sure that your assessment submission addresses all of them. You may also want to read the Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal Scoring Guide and Guiding Questions: Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal [DOC] Download Guiding Questions: Biopsychosocial Population Health Policy Proposal [DOC]to better understand how each grading criterion will be assessed.

Propose a policy and guidelines that will lead to improved outcomes and quality of care for a specific issue in a target population.
Advocate the need for a proposed policy in the context of current outcomes and quality of care for a specific issue in a target population.
Analyze the potential for an interprofessional approach to implementing a proposed policy to increase the efficiency or effectiveness of the care setting to achieve high-quality outcomes.
Communicate proposal in a professional and persuasive manner, writing content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using APA style.
Example assessment: You may use the Assessment 2 Example [PDF] Download Assessment 2 Example [PDF]to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like.

Submission Requirements
Length of proposal: 2–4 double-spaced, typed pages, not including title page or reference list. Your proposal should be succinct yet substantive. No abstract is required.
Number of references: Cite a minimum of 3–5 sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support the relevance of or need for your policy, as well as interprofessional considerations. Resources should be no more than five years old.
APA formatting: Use the APA Style Paper Template [DOCX]. An APA Style Paper Tutorial [DOCX] is also provided to help you in writing and formatting your proposal.
Competencies Measured
By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Design evidence-based advanced nursing care for achieving high-quality population outcomes.
Propose a policy and guidelines that will lead to improved outcomes and quality of care for a specific issue in a target population.
Competency 2: Evaluate the efficiency and effectiveness of interprofessional interventions in achieving desired population health outcomes.
Analyze the potential for an interprofessional approach to implementing a proposed policy to increase the efficiency or effectiveness of the care setting to achieve high-quality outcomes.
Competency 3: Analyze population health outcomes in terms of their implications for health policy advocacy.
Advocate the need for a proposed policy in the context of current outcomes and quality of care for a specific issue in a target population.
Competency 4: Communicate effectively with diverse audiences, in an appropriate form and style, consistent with organizational, professional, and scholarly standards.
Communicate in a professional and persuasive manner, writing content clearly and logically with correct use of grammar, punctuation, and spelling.
Integrate relevant sources to support assertions, correctly formatting citations and references using current APA style.