DISCUSSION RESPONSE IN 10 HOURS or LESS

1

PLEASE RESPOND TO MY CLASSMATE’S DISCUSION BY

STATING YOU AGRESS AND WHY? A MINIMUM OF 250

WORDS)

DISCUSSION 1 (Donavan)

Community health programs are very important in promoting public health (Sadana &

Blas, 2013). The many challenges that communities face in terms of health range from more

common problems such as poor nutrition, obesity, and existence of chronic diseases such as

diabetes and arthritis to more serious problems such as drug addiction, human trafficking, and

communicable diseases. Having a health program in place to address any of these problems is

essential in promoting public health by fostering healthful behaviors and

lifestyles that lead to diseases prevention and prevention of other subhealth conditions.

One health program that I would like to see in my community is a meal and nutrition

program for the elderly. Many elderly people in my community and across the United States

suffer from lack of adequate nutrition due to their mobility problems and inability to effectively

and timely prepare their meals due to debilitating illnesses and other challenges. For example,

there was an elderly lady living in my neighborhood and she used a walker and lived alone. She

was not able to cook her own meals because of her illnesses. She was diabetic and had suffered

from a stroke and also had high blood pressure. Her former church sister would be the one to

provide her with meals. There was a “Meals on Wheels” program that delivered packaged frozen

foods, but she could not eat them due to their tastes and the contents of the meals. This led to her

having poor nutrition. Therefore, starting a community health nutrition program for the elderly

who live alone would certainly benefit my community and others.

2

This program could be community-based where retired volunteers who are healthy and

independent offer to work together to cook meals and package and distribute them to elderly

people. Planning models are very important in community health. According to Crosby and Noar

(2011), “Planning models exist at a macroscopic level; they serve as an organizing framework

for an entire health promotion effort aimed at fostering reduction in a given disease” (p. 7).

While planning models are important in community health, many programs can work without

applying a formal and published planning model. Community health is often very practical rather

than theoretical and academic when it comes to small communities and their needs. This simple

arrangement can be coordinated effectively without a planning model. However, a planning

model can lead to better results in terms of organization, resources, and reach of programs.

As you are responding to others, note any common goals you may have with your peers.

Do any of your peers desire a certain health program with which you have experience?

Based on exploring the community health programs and problems being addressed by my

classmates, I do not have any expertise in those areas. One common goal was found with Samuel

Akapo’s post where he is developing a program to address chronic diseases, which my program

also aims at addressing. However, the program I proposed is based on preventive health and also

focuses on a narrower population – the elderly. Samuel focuses on delivering “training on

disease management, access to healthcare specialists, and support groups” while my focus is on

delivering basic necessity in terms of food to the elderly. I have not worked in the health field

over the years but have some experience in delivering meals to the elderly, and this is very

important and a way to promote health in the elderly.

References

3

Crosby, R., & Noar, S.M. (2011). What is a planning model? An introduction to

PRECEDE-PROCEED. J Public Health Dent. 2011 Winter;71 Suppl 1:S7-15. doi:

10.1111/j.1752-7325.2011.00235.x. PMID: 21656942.

Sadana, R., & Blas, E. (2013). What can public health programs do to improve health

equity?. Public Health Reports, 128(6_suppl3), 12-20.