Identify 3 Social Determinants of Health in Community
Unemployment, lack of access to affordable healthcare, and lack of proper nutrition and fitness among children and young adults are 3 major social health determinants in the city of Hialeah. The rate of unemployment is 7% which is significantly higher compared to the state average of 5.6% (City of Hialeah 2017). Unemployment leads to various health disparities and social insecurity such as poor nutrition, lack of education, and access to basic healthcare services (Hialeah Healthy Families 2011). Most of the adults in Hialeah have poor education which prevents them from understanding the need to access or use preventative healthcare services. Poverty is a key factor that contributes to the lack of education, awareness, and access to healthcare services. Most people in Hialeah lack education, awareness, and proper nutrition/fitness that leads to chronic and lifestyle health diseases (City of Hialeah 2017).
Identify 3 health care disparities and the vulnerable populations affected
The 3 most common and serious healthcare disparities observed in Hialeah include low income (poverty), immigration of low income families, and low education/awareness. All the 3 healthcare disparities are common and interlinked with each other. For example, a family has that an average low income would not be able to afford and access healthcare services. Low income would drive them to live in poverty like situations such as homelessness, lack of personal hygiene, and poor sanitation conditions. Low income relates to poor or no education to the family’s children which relates to poor understanding of health and disease. Poverty and unemployment are a viscous cycle that leads to social insecurity and poor health status which is a common health issue/disparity among the people in the city of Hialeah. The Nearly 19.7% of the families in Hialeah live below poverty line. Majority of the population comprises of Hispanics who are the most vulnerable. In the community, children and elderly people are most vulnerable to social insecurity and healthcare disparities (City of Hialeah 2017).
Community Diagnosis to identify 1 to 2 community health problems.
Childhood obesity and cardiovascular heart disease are a common and serious health issues in the community. The lack of education and awareness among parents and children has led to the exponential increase in childhood obesity. Nearly 46% of children are overweight while nearly 27% of children are obese. The incidence and prevalence of obesity is high among children in the US, wherein as per the CDC, 17% of children (2 to 19 years) were obese between 2011 and 2012 and the rate is expected to increase in the next decade. The main cause of mortality in the city of Hialeah include health failure, heart attack, and pneumonia. The rate of childhood obesity has reached epidemic proportions ad the CDC recommends robust and comprehensive plans to prevent and control the burden of obesity. In a recent survey, researchers have stated that the rate of obesity has increased 3 times in the past 30 years due to lack of physical activity and awareness among children, adolescents, and young adults. Obesity is associated with major chronic and lifestyle diseases of which cardiovascular diseases is the most common cause of mortality and morbidity in the city of Hialeah (Pulgarón 2013).
Summary and analysis data findings to include leading health indicators, social determinants, and health care disparities.
Poverty is the root cause of social insecurity and healthcare disparities. Nearly 19% of the families in Hialeah live below the poverty line which relates to the lack of awareness, education, and nutrition. Most people in the community lack knowledge of basic nutrition and fitness. Children have the lowest rate of physical activity which relates to the high rate of obesity among children. Low income Latin families are most vulnerable, wherein there is a clear correlation of low income, poverty, lack of access to healthcare, and poor education on nutrition, health, and diseases. Most people who live below poverty line lack the resourced to educate their children or receive healthcare services (Hialeah Healthy Families 2011).
Discuss the relationship between health behaviours and health status in community
The attitude and behaviour of children towards nutrition and physical activity is poor in the community. Most school children have very low physical activity levels while most of them are glued to their television, mobile devices, and computers. Low income families have limited resources and money to access nutritional programs and facilities that promote physical activity, fitness, and nutrition. Poverty and unemployment have a direct influence on a family’s behaviour towards social access healthcare services and nutritional programs. There is a key relationship between parental behaviour on child’s health (City of Hialeah 2017).
Describe the leading health issues in the community
Obesity and cardiovascular health issue is the most common problem in the city of Hialeah, wherein childhood obesity affects more than 46% of the children. Obesity has been associated with serious and life-threatening health disorders such as heart failure and stroke. There is an exponential increase in the rate of cancer and diabetes in Hialeah due to obesity.
Identify what community is doing to address these.
The city has 3 shelters for homeless people while some underprivileged people receive free social services to access healthcare, receive groceries, and subsidized wages for community welfare. The social services department has developed certain programs for the homeless and has raised grants to reconstruct homes for such people. Low income families receive food stamps, Wic, and other resources for social well-being. The city also has many small stores and religious stores that offer groceries and other essential components for the homeless and needy people (Pulgarón 2013 and Hialeah Healthy Families 2011).
Shelters and Rapid re-housing
Low income and unemployment has led to a rapid increase in homelessness in the city of Hialeah. The community social service has developed robust and comprehensive plans to help the homeless and needy (Hialeah 2015-2019 Con Plan). The community has 2 shelter homes for unemployed and homeless people which acts as a home and resource for the underprivileged. The social services have received grants to implement low-cost homes for the unemployed and homeless (Miami-Dade County 2013). There are specific eligibility criteria for an individual or family to receive free or subsidized homes. Preference is given to homeless children, unemployed elderly, and disabled. Many shelters provide basic housing facilities along with drug rehabilitation, clinics, and pharmacies. Many shelters are reserved for women, children, and senior citizens. The city of Hialeah receives awards and grants from the US Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for rapid re-housing and other housing development plans. The city of Hialeah has received $2,122,209 for Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), $938,880 for HOME, and $189,935 for Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) Program (Hialeah 2015-2019 Con Plan). The Housing Assistance Network of Dade (HAND) Prevention and Rapid Re-housing program operated by Citrus Health Network has helped in the rapid progression of re-housing in the city of Hialeah (Miami-Dade County 2013). The re-housing plan is focused on proving homeless needs to target groups such as chronically homeless, families with children, veterans, unaccompanied youth, and non-homeless special needs (Hialeah 2015-2019 Con Plan).
The city of Hialeah has a major problem of unemployment, health disparity, social insecurity, and homelessness for which multiple programs and grants have been raised to eradicate poverty and reduce the prevalence of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer.
References
Hialeah, Florida. Available at: http://www.hialeahfl.gov/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=426&Itemid=641&lang=en [Accessed 28 January 2016].
Hialeah Healthy Families (2011). Call to Action. A Community’s Plan to Combat Childhood
Obesity. Pdf file. Available at: http://district4.dadeschools.net/safety/pdfs/healthy_families_brochure.pdf [Accessed 28 January 2016].
Hialeah 2015-2019 Con Plan - Florida Housing Coalition (2014). Executive Summary. The
FLhosuing.org website. Pdf file. Available at: http://www.flhousing.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/08/Hialeah-2015-2019-Con-Plan-2015.pdf [Accessed 28 January 2016].
Miami-Dade County (2013). Community Health Improvement Plan. The official website of
the Miami-dade florida. Pdf. Available at: http://miamidade.floridahealth.gov/about-us/_documents/chip-010715-new.pdf [Accessed 29 January 2018].
Pulgarón, E. R. (2013). Childhood Obesity: A Review of Increased Risk for Physical and
Psychological Co-morbidities. Clinical Therapeutics, 35(1), A18–A32.
