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Health promotion and education is a very important role in nursing. I have always been
a firm believer that education is a vital component in healthcare. The aggregate group I chose to
work with for this community project is the adult population in Hampton City, Virginia. I chose
this aggregate because of my experience with the group working as a public health nurse. The
biggest problem I come across working in the community is the lack of knowledge on how to
adequately manage their health conditions. The community partner I chose to work with is the
Hampton Public Library because it is located in the community I am targeting. I am able to gain
access into this community through my job working as a public health nurse and scheduled
meetings at the library. This paper will discuss my experience working with this population to
identify and prioritize a community diagnosis and develop a plan to address it.
Aggregate Characteristics
The target aggregate consists of adults 18 years and older who reside in the Victoria
Boulevard Historic District and surrounding areas in Hampton, Virginia. Prior to researching, I
had perceived that the statistical data would have been much worse than what I actually
discovered. The total population in Hampton in 2016 was 135,410 according to the Virginia
Department of Health (VDH). Females made up 51.94% of that population and males made up
the other 48.06%. Whites accounted for 71.5% of the population, Black/African Americans
represented 20.7%, American Indian/Alaskan Native made up 0.6% and Asian/Pacific Islander
accounted for 7.2%. In 2015, 61.5% of Hampton residents had regular healthcare visits. In
2017, 19% of Hampton is considered to be in poor or fair health in and 9% of the population
were uninsured.
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT PAPER PART 1 3
Social determinants of health can also have an effect on the health of a community. In
Hampton, the two identified social determinants of health according to VDH are poverty and
unemployment. In 2016, there were 21,458 people identified to be in poverty with a rate of
16.4%. In the same year, 3,614 people were unemployed with a rate of 5.62% of the population.
The unemployment and poverty rates can inadvertently negatively affect the health of aggregate.
Both internal and external factors can influence the health of the aggregate. Internal
factors include motivation, enthusiasm, knowledge, self-esteem, financial status and religious
beliefs. External influences include family dynamics, access to transportation and healthcare.
These factors can either negatively or positively affect the health of the aggregate depending on
Compare/Contrast
Hampton and Virginia. The median household income of Hampton was much less than that of
Virginia. Obesity in Hampton accounted for 9% more than Virginia. The percentage of
residents’ uninsured, in poor or fair health, lacking physical activity and adult smokers did not
vary significantly between Hampton and Virginia. Overall, the statistical data between Hampton
and Virginia did not have significant differences. Refer to Table 1 below for more details.
Table 1
Uninsured 9% 10%
Median Household Income 52,900 71,500
Obesity 38% 29%
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT PAPER PART 1 4
After assessing and interacting with the community, I was able to identify the needs of the
population. The nursing diagnoses appropriate to this aggregate are Knowledge Deficit and
Ineffective Self-Health Management. Many people of the population admitted to not fully
understanding the different diseases and conditions they have been diagnosed with. This aggregate
lacks the necessary knowledge to adequately manage their health. The rate of preventable hospital
stays in Table 1 can support this need. Between the two diagnoses, I think knowledge deficit holds
Literature Review
Low Socioeconomic status can be associated with many different health outcomes and
medical conditions such as diabetes, hypertension, depression, angina, and respiratory illnesses
(Cene et al., 2016). “Socioeconomic status is a measure of social status, which profoundly
impacts health by structuring an individual’s access to both material and social resources
required to achieve and maintain good health” (Cene et al. 2016, p. 2624). Hampton
Hypertension has been diagnosed in 31.1% of the residents in Hampton. It is also the
most commonly diagnosed chronic disease in Hampton. “It is estimated that by 2025, more than
1.5 billion individuals worldwide will have hypertension, accounting for 50% of heart disease
COMMUNITY HEALTH PROJECT PAPER PART 1 5
risk and 75% of stroke risk” (Himmelfarb, Commodore-Mensan and Hill, 2016, p. 243).
According to VDH, the leading cause of death in Virginia in 2017 was major Cardiovascular
Diseases. In the United States, among those with hypertension, about 30% of them are not
engaged with hypertension care and 25% are unaware of the diagnosis (Himmelfarb et al., 2016).
The Centers for Disease Control (2016) suggests getting regular blood pressure checks, eating a
healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, limiting alcohol use,
preventing or managing diabetes and not smoking tobacco to maintain normal blood pressure
levels.
Health Planning/Needs
Knowledge deficit related to Hypertension is the final nursing diagnoses selected for this
blood pressure of 90mmHg or greater (Forette & Riguad, 2001). I chose to focus on
Hypertension because that is the most commonly diagnosed chronic disease in Hampton. Both
systolic and diastolic blood pressure increase with age and hypertension stands out as the major
risk for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality in the elderly population (Forette & Rigaud).
early as possible. Sentara CarePlex Hospital’s Community Health Needs Assessment (2016)
revealed that the rate of preventable hospitalizations related to Hypertension was 30.2 in 2013.
The study region of this assessment includes Hampton, Newport News, Poquoson and York.
Lifestyle changes and or medication can significantly reduce a person’s risk for
address these needs, my objectives are to educate clients on hypertension and its correlation to
stroke and to educate clients on lifestyle modifications to manage and or prevent hypertension.
By the end of the teaching sessions, the community members will demonstrate the ability to
operate an automatic blood pressure cuff, know the correlation between hypertension and stroke
and identify three lifestyle behaviors that will aid in adequate management of hypertension.
Alternative Interventions
In order to accomplish these objectives, it will take more than a few education sessions.
It requires constant education and monitoring by healthcare providers. I will share resources
Peninsula Agency on Aging and Southeastern Virginia Health System to encourage regular
healthcare visits. Regular appointments with a healthcare provider are essential in managing
health.
Conclusion
priority in this community. The statistical data prove that the health of the residents in Hampton
needs improvement. My ultimate goal is for the community to have the necessary skills and
References
Cené, C., Halladay, J., Gizlice, Z., Roedersheimer, K., Hinderliter, A., Cummings, D., . . .
Dewalt, D. (2016). Associations between subjective social status and physical and mental
21(11), 2624-2635.
Communicating Needs for Community Action. (2016). Needs Assessment in Public Health,61-
74. doi:10.1007/0-306-47610-x_4
High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet|Data & Statistics|DHDSP|CDC. (2016, June 16). Retrieved from
https://www.cdc.gov/dhdsp/data_statistics/fact_sheets/fs_bloodpressure.htm
Himmelfarb, C. R., Commodore-Mensah, Y., & Hill, M. N. (2016). Expanding the Role of
https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/virginia/2019/rankings/hampton-
city/county/outcomes/overall/snapshot
Rigaud, A., & Forette, B. (2001). Hypertension in older adults. The Journals of Gerontology.
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/data/demographics/