Essay Example on Submitting Community Health Assessment Report: Demonstrating Academic Honesty

DEFINITION & DESCRIPTION OF THE COMMUNITY

The Milwaukee County community is comprised of a population comprising mainly of a majority population of people aged between 18 to 44. the other section of the population is mainly comprised of children aged between 0 and 17 while the middle-aged people come in at position three and the smallest population is that of people aged 65 and above. Milwaukee County has a total population of 52833 people.

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The community is highly diverse with a majority of Whites and other minority communities such as African American, Native American, Hispanic and pacific islanders. Similar to any other community in the US it has some of its major strengths in the health sector where it has invested a lot of money and has gained a lot of success.

On the other hand, it also has other areas where there are challenges that the county is trying to solve and this will also be featured within this report. The social-economic environment for the county exists in such a manner that there has been a huge improvement for the past 8 years as seen in the EPI table which is based on the level of unemployment as well as education among its residents.

STRENGTHS

Clinical Care - Unemployment

The social class of an individual is a major determinant to their health and this is based on the fact that individuals with a good income or an income at all can manage to pay for some services for example insurance. This gives them greater access to healthcare and therefore it is hard for them to face severe cases of poor health and they can deal with it appropriately. In terms of unemployment, the county has experienced significant growth from a level of 9.3% in 2011 to 4% in 2017.

This signifies an overall improvement of more than 5% which implies that the county has been working towards achieving higher levels of employability for its residents. Despite having experienced such significant growth, the county is still lagging behind considering the state average level of unemployment stands at 3.3%.

In addition, top US performers stand at 2.9% and this is a major difference with the 4% that Milwaukee County has at the moment. It shows that there is a need for more work towards providing employment to the residents of the County since this will impact how well they can access medical care for themselves and their families (Major et al. 2012).

Health Behaviors - Adult Smoking

Smoking has direct effects on health as it is associated with some diseases such as cancer And it also has severe effects upon the breathing system (Major et al. 2012). The common diseases That may come up as a result of smoking are such as asthma and it induces are the effects for example coughing and may even be the cause of tuberculosis which is a major cause of death among Americans.

Currently, smoking causes 84% of deaths that occur from lung cancer and this just shows the Direct connection between smoking and health. Milwaukee county has made major strides in between 2011 and 2017 in terms of reducing the level of smoking in the County. as of 2011, 23% of the population in the county was constituted of smokers and it now stands at 18% based on data in 2017 and this signifies a 5% reduction in the number of smokers.

Similarly, there has been a significant reduction in the health effects of smoking especially on the breathing system and this is a good step forward. despite the county still lagging behind in comparison to the statewide level of smoking and the top US performers it has still made a major improvement over that time period.

Quality of Life - Infant Mortality

The Statewide Infant mortality rate currently stands at 0.4% in Wisconsin and the top US State in terms of infant mortality stands at 0.35%. This shows that the state is standing a bit behind the Nationwide level of performance in terms of infant mortality and reducing the rate.

As for Milwaukee County, there has been significant improvement with regards to this matter considering that the county has experienced a more than 0.4% improvement in the rate of infant mortality. As of 2011 the rate stood at 0.9% and has significantly reduced to 0.5%. this shows a significant improvement in the quality of life among the population in the County. It signifies easier access to healthcare and especially for expectant mothers.

The county has significantly improved and made efforts towards reducing the rate of infant mortality and increasing the survival rate for people in there County which is a good strength that the county processes. this will continue to improve the performance of the County towards the future and its establishment in the long run as a whole.

CHALLENGES IN THE COMMUNITY

Clinical Care - College Education

There exists a direct relationship between the level of education within a population and the social-economic status of that community (Brown et al. 2018). communities that have individuals with higher levels of education for example where a higher population is schooled in terms of college education tend to have a much better social class than those with only a high school degree.

In addition, looking at the population in general there is a close relationship between attaining a much better quality of life and a higher social class as one increases their level of education wherever they are. Milwaukee County has a major challenge in this area since only 65% of the population has some level of a college education.

This is a low number compared to that of top US states where 73% of the population has the desired level of a college education. An 8% difference shows that it is hard for individuals to earn a good income that will support them healthwise and therefore they cannot maintain a good healthy lifestyle for their families as well. this is a major challenge that the community must work towards solving moving forward and towards the future to ensure better livelihoods for the children and families in this community as a whole.

Health Behaviors - Adult Obesity

Over the past few years, the number of individuals affected by obesity and especially among adults has continued to rise in the US and world over. this can be related to the changing lifestyles of unhealthy eating and poor physical activity which has resulted in these rising numbers (Chan, Lee & Low 2018).

The county of Milwaukee and the state, in general, have not been spared in this significant change that is occurring in the world. In Milwaukee County considering that in 2011 the county recorded only 27% of its population having the condition. 6 years later in 2017, 32% of the population is obese and this speaks of a deeper problem in this population that needs to be taken care of. Obesity is a major challenge in the US since it is one of the main causative factors of many lifestyle diseases like diabetes and hypertension.

Countries that have high levels of obesity also record high numbers of lifestyle diseases and it is a problem that needs to be taken care of soon enough. despite having almost similar numbers to those of the state, it is a deep problem in the said county that needs swift action since it is affecting many livelihoods.

Clinical Care - Violent Crimes

There exists a significant difference between the level of violent crimes in Milwaukee County and other Counties around the US. violent crimes are more prevalent in the Wisconsin state generally compared to other states in the United States. Currently, the number of violent crimes in the county stands at 1020 whereas 7 years ago in 2011 it stood at 891.

This shows a significant rise in similar crimes which certainly states a reduction in the health capacity of the area over the years. The statewide average number of violent crimes stands at 298 and this is a significant difference from that of the entire county. As a matter of fact, the US's best-performing state only has a total of 63 cases per year based on data from the EPI.

The county needs to take measures to reduce this number because it shows there are serious cases of injury and deaths arising from this crime. The fact that the number has increased over the years shows that the county has made no significant improvement in that area and it is something that needs to be worked on soon enough.

HEALTH PRIORITY IN THE COMMUNITY

Obesity is a major concern for Milwaukee county and one must offer utmost attention to try and solve. According to the WHO, obesity has risen to a point where it is endemic and therefore needs urgent concern. Based on this fact, the county must move with speed to try and solve this problem to ensure healthy living for its population. There are many factors that result in obesity and that limits individuals from bettering their lives when they have the condition (Hong, Baumann & Boudreaux 2007).

One such challenge is the lack of resources to enroll in programs that could enable them to solve the challenge. For instance, Gym memberships cost a lot for a population where only 65% is college-educated and are at least assured of a disposable income that could allow them to seek for a gym membership. Obesity is connected to emotional torture which results in people easing themselves with food (Hong, Baumann & Boudreaux 2007).

Milwaukee county is home to many challenges such as children living in poverty and all of these factors may result in an ever-increasing obese population. This will lead to a significant increase in the number of people with the condition. As a result, the community is in a condition or situation where it is highly exposed to possible cases of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes and hypertension as aforementioned.

This will have a toll on the future of the county economically because, in the case of rising numbers of dependents, there will be fewer people to drive the economy forward and hence lead to its failure.

GAPS IN DATA

As discovered through an analysis of the data, it is evident that there is a close connection between social class, obesity, and health challenges. It would be important for the data to assess the population of the county in terms of racial differences based on the issue. This would make it easier to know how to implement the possible interventions into the issue and therefore establish a solution that will work. The existing data does not contain this bit of information and is, therefore, limiting in away.

POTENTIAL BIAS

The data in the EPI table is quantitative in nature and therefore not much affected by bias. However, the interpretation is based on my own perception of matters and this informed how I arrived at the solution. My analysis of the health situation in Milwaukee county is informed by my experience working as a nurse in communities that are of a low income. Working in such an environment has informed me how I perceive health issues and this is the only perceived bias I can see within my analysis of the data.