Healthy People 2020

The Healthy People 2020 initiative aims to achieve several goals relating to the improvement of health and the prevention of disease across the nation. Development of the program was based on scientific and medical knowledge and was designed to evaluate several health related aspects of Americans over time (Healthy People 2020, 2018). The topic areas comprise a summary of goals and data for evaluation.

Initiative to Positively Impact as a Nurse

            One of the goals in the program orients towards promotion of nutrition and weight management. This area is one that has a significant implication on the people in the US, a majority of whom have problems relating to nutrition and weight-related issues such as obesity (Healthy People 2020, 2018). According to the CDC, a third of adults in the US and 17.4 percent of children aged two to seventeen in the nation are obese. It is among the areas I wish to positively influence now and in the future, as it relates to an issue having a significant impact on the health of Americans nationwide.

            It is important for the nation’s population to understand and appreciate the importance of proper nutrition and efficient weight management on preventing or managing health problems. Lack of proper nutrition and weight problems are attributable to a significant number of health problems including cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, high blood pressure, breathing issues and gout or malnutrition, anemia, vitamin deficiency and limited immune function (Koh, 2010).

            People in the US and the world can prevent acquiring these health problems by maintaining healthy diets, consuming nutritious foods and maintaining a healthy weight. Nurses have a responsibility to inform the community on how they can transform their lifestyles and behaviors to avoid health risks associable with lack of proper nutrition. This requires the caregivers to act as change agents in order to instigate healthy living in the patients they provide care to as well as the community within which they live and work.

Implementation Steps to Make the Positive Change

            To positively impact the community as a nurse, a series of steps are usable to effect change in the community. The first step entails definition of the change in terms of identifying the need to improve the nutrition and weight management of the community. This provides a foundation for the plan as it defines the objective of the change initiative. The second stage entails identification of the characteristics of the target population in the community. Identification of the patterns, behaviors, preferences and lifestyles of population groups in the community can assist in developing a strategy that is effective for the entire community.

            The third step entails developing a communication strategy through which the community can learn the benefits of consuming nutritious foods and watching their weight. This is possible through provision of direct information regarding nutrition to patients and their families, in social gatherings that attract members of the community (Freeland-Graves & Nitzke, 2013). Social media platforms can also be effective in communicating the need for the community to observe nutritious eating habits and changing how people make their choices of food.

             The fourth step in the change process is evaluating the effectiveness of the change plan in the community. This is possible through determination of whether there have been nay improvements in the community in terms of better nutrition in households, which is likely to translate in a reduction of the cases of patients with nutrition and weight related health problems (Freeland-Graves & Nitzke, 2013). This assessment should not be the final stage. Instead, it should assist in identifying methods of improving community awareness on how to improve their nutrition and the benefits associable with the simple yet effective interventions required of community members.

References

Freeland-Graves, J. H., & Nitzke, S. (2013). Position of the academy of nutrition and dietetics: total diet approach to healthy eating. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 113(2), 307-317.

Healthy People 2020. (2018). 2020 Topics and Objectives. Retrieved from Healthy People 2020: https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives

Koh, H. K. (2010). A 2020 vision for healthy people. New England Journal of Medicine, 362(18), 1653-1656.