Population intervention and individually focused interventions only differ when it comes to the primary target of the intervention. For population intervention, the main target is an entire population situated within a community or entire group which is a part of a particular population. When dealing with population intervention, the main concern is the proportion of the population or group which underwent a particular change. Additionally, interventions for populations or groups aim to change or alter norms, attitudes, awareness, practices, and even behaviors of the population or community (LA County Department of Public Health, Public Health Nursing Section, 2007; Minnesota Department of Health, Public Health Nursing Section, 2000). These interventions mainly involves activities and actions on health promotion which can greatly affect and influence the environment whether physical, social, economic, or regulatory. One example is the construction of walkways for pedestrians and bikers can greatly affect the physical activity which can lower the health risks of a population or community (Pan American Health Organization, 2011).
On the other hand, individually focused interventions is only targeting particular individuals which can be considered as alone or a part of a family, group, or class. Unlike population interventions, individually focused interventions aim to alter the knowledge, beliefs, practices, awareness, attitudes, and behaviors of particular individuals who are considered as high-risk (LA County Department of Public Health, Public Health Nursing Section, 2007; Minnesota Department of Health, Public Health Nursing Section, 2000). Most of the time, individual interventions are planned to accommodate on-on-one consultations which involves the clinician and primary caregiver (American Psychological Association, n.d.). Individually focused interventions mainly involves direct interventions which can either be primary, secondary, and tertiary (Pan American Health Organization, 2011).
One example of an individually focused intervention involves sexually transmitted diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. First, to be able to determine that the intervention is individually focused, it is important to differentiate sick individuals from sick populations by using study designs focused on the epidemiology of the individuals affected by the disease. Epidemiologic study designs which only involves individuals include case-control and cohort designs (Aral, et al., 1996).
A specific example of preventing the transmission and spread of sexually transmitted diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection is a research trial on a particular sexually transmitted disease vaccine. The research trial will include strategies which utilizes randomized therapy trial when it comes to dissemination and application of the STD vaccine. This is an individually focused intervention because it only involves specific individuals which are included in the study or are considered as individuals at high-risk of acquiring the disease or infection. On the other hand, when dealing with community or population intervention, the main intervention should aim to alter the behavior and attitude of a population towards sexually transmitted diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. As a DNP- prepared nurse, it is important to consider a community-level intervention such as health promotion and health education which can increase the knowledge and awareness of the individuals in a community. However, if the individual intervention is to be converted to a community intervention, the trial will be costly and complex because the trial will no longer involve high-risk individuals but communities. There will be an intervention community which will be receiving the STD vaccine while another community will serve as a control community.
References
American Psychological Association. (n.d.). Individual Interventions. American Psychological Association. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/pi/about/publications/caregivers/practice-settings/intervention/individual.aspx [Accessed on 23 Feb 2016].
Aral, S.O., Holmes, K.K., Padian, N.S., and Cates, W. (1996). Overview: Individual and Population Approaches to the Epidemiology and Prevention of Sexually Transmitted Diseases and Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 174 (Suppl 2): S127-33.
LA County Department of Public Health, Public Health Nursing Section. (2007). Population-Based Public Health Nursing Practice. LAC DPH- Public Health Nursing. Retrieved from http://publichealth.lacounty.gov/phn/docs/Level%20of%20Care.pdf [Accessed on 23 Feb 2016].
Minnesota Department of Health, Public Health Nursing Section. (2000). Public Health Nursing Practice for the 21st Century: National Satellite Learning Conference; Competency Development in Population-based Practice October 5, November 2, December 7, 2000. St. Paul, MN: Minnesota Department of Health, Public Health Nursing Section. Retrieved from http://www.health.state.mn.us/divs/chs/phn/material.htm [Accessed on 23 Feb 2016].
Pan American Health Organization. (2011). Population and Individual Approaches to the Prevention and Management of Diabetes and Obesity. Washington, DC: PAHO.
