Reply 1 

Social determinants of health play a huge role in the health of people because they work in combination to either help us prevent disease or contribute to unhealthy conditions that may cause disease. According to HealthyPeople (2020), “Social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks,” (para. 4). Examples of social determinants of health include neighborhoods, homes, schools, etc. The conditions of the places where we spend our lives can contribute to the development of disease if they are unsafe or unclean (e.g., a home not having clean water). 

The communicable disease chain model is designed to show people the process of disease transmission. The chain of infection is described with six steps or “links” including a pathogen or causitive agent, a resorvior, a portal of exit from the resorvior, a mode of transmission, a portal of entry to a susceptible host, and a susceptible host. Breaking any of these links in the chain of infection can prevent the occurance of a new infection (Chain of infection, n.d.). An example of a way that a nurse can break the link of infection would handwashing. This is the first thing we learn in school and continues to be the simnplest and most important way that we can stop the transmission of pathogens. 

Healthy People. (2020). Social determinants of health. Retreived from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health?topicid=39 

Chain of infection. (n.d.) Retreived from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nsg403c/chain-of-infection/chain-of-infection-v1.1.html 

Reply 2 

Re: Topic 2 DQ 1

According to the article, Social Determinants of Health, “social determinants of health are conditions in the environments in which people are born, live, learn, work, play, worship, and age that affect a wide range of health, functioning, and quality-of-life outcomes and risks” (Healthypeople, 2020). For example, socioeconomic conditions such as concentrated poverty and exposure to crime such as violence and social disorder can be detrimental to a person’s health leading to morbidity and mortality. A family living in poverty is tight on money and is limited to access to healthcare, limited to access to fresh produce, and may not enroll their kids in afterschool programs such as club sports, etc, due to being tight on money. The community they live in is a poverty city where there are crimes and violence. With high rates of poverty, there is a correlation to higher rates of morbidity such as diabetes and obesity. According to the reading, Community & Public Health: The Future of Health Care, illness such as heart diseases, chronic lower respiratory diseases, pneumonia, and diabetes “are among those that are modifiable or preventable, increasing the burden of the disease. The burden of the disease reflects the morbidity, mortality, financial costs, and health disparities resulting from disease, affecting human longevity and the well-being of countries’ social and economic bottom lines” (Grand Canyon University, 2018). These diseases are correlated to low income communities where the risk factors such as “unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, excess weight and obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and cigarette smoking” (Grand Canyon University) are much higher. Nurses are involved in all levels of prevention, “the public benefits from guidance and education from nurses at each level (primary, secondary, and tertiary) preventions” (Grand Canyon University, 2018). For example a community with high rates of diabetes. At the primary level, a nurse can screen for early detection of diabetes and educate to promote health and prevent further complications. At the secondary level, a nurse can educate the community how to manage their diabetes by checking their blood sugars, educating how diet and exercise affects their blood sugar. At the tertiary level, the nurse can continue to educates and help avoid chronic disabilities and complications related to diabetes.

Grand Canyon University (Ed). (2018). Community & public health: The future of health care. Retrieved from https://lc.gcumedia.com/nrs427vn/community-and-public-health-the-future-of-health-care/v1.1/

Social Determinants of Health. 2020 Retrieved from https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/social-determinants-of-health?topicid=39