NR717 Week 5 Assignment Population Health Practice Problem
Purpose
This assignment will allow for the exploration of a selected population health practice problem, encompassing social determinant risk factors, epidemiological factors, an evidence-based population health intervention, and relevant measurable goals and objectives.
Instructions
Use the population (at the local, regional, or national level) you have engaged throughout the course thus far and develop a comprehensive analysis of the important population health concepts and propose an evidence-based intervention and evaluation plan.
The assignment should include the following components:
- Introduction
- Introduce topic of paper.
- Develop a focused one-sentence purpose statement.
- Present subtopics that will be discussed.
- Population
- Present the selected population in general terms.
- Identify three key social determinant risk factors associated with the population.
- Practice Problem
- Explain the National Practice Problem and how it affects the population.
- Explain the significance of the practice problem at the local, regional, or national level.
- Explain the prevalence of the practice problem at the local, regional, or national level.
- Epidemiology
- Explore the epidemiologic principles and measures used to address your selected practice problem.
- Examine the use of descriptive and/or analytic epidemiology to address the practice problem.
- Propose how you might use surveillance to influence the determinants of health and improve the health outcomes of your population.
- Anticipate any ethical concerns that you might have related to the use of surveillance data in your population.
- Goal and Objective
- Explore and detail one Healthy People 2030 goal that addresses the selected practice problem.
- Link (website): Healthy People 2030 Links to an external site.
- Develop one measurable objective using the SMART format (review Week 4 Lesson) to help achieve the Healthy People 2030 goal that addresses the selected practice problem.
- Explore and detail one Healthy People 2030 goal that addresses the selected practice problem.
- Evidence-Based Population Intervention
- Identify one evidence-based intervention from a research study to achieve the goal and objective. (This research study must be at the population level and should not be one that was used in a previous course.)
- Includes the completed Johns Hopkins Individual Summary Tool with the assignment.
- Identify where the selected intervention is located on the Minnesota Public Health Wheel.
- Provide objective rationale for the evidence-based intervention to address the practice problem.
- Evaluation
- Describe how you would evaluate if your intervention were efficient, effective, and efficacious.
- Conclusion
- Summarize the impact of the practice problem on the identified population.
- Summarize the role of the evidence-based intervention to address the practice problem idea.
- References
- Identify and list four scholarly sources on the reference pages.
- Identify and list other scholarly sources used in the paper on the reference pages.
- List sources in alphabetical order.
- Use correct hanging-indent format.
- Appendix: Summary Table of the Evidence
- Include the completed Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice Individual Evidence Summary Tool.
- Provide a minimum of one research study describing the selected intervention.
- Complete all sections completely for the source of evidence.
- Identify both the quality and level of evidence for each scholarly source on the table.
Writing Requirements (APA format)
- Length: 7-8 pages (not including title page or references page)
- 1-inch margins
- Double-spaced pages
- 12-point Times New Roman or 11-point Arial font
- Headings & subheadings
- In-text citations
- Title page
- Reference page
- Standard English usage and mechanics
Solution: NR717 Week 5 Assignment Population Health Practice Problem
Population Health Practice Problem
Despite the advancements in medicine, increasing lifestyle risk factors continue to challenge the efforts against cardiovascular diseases (CVD), a leading mortality cause in the United States (U.S.). Some populations are disproportionately affected due to social health determinants (SDOHs), warranting the need for population-based interventions. This paper focuses on CVDs in African Americans (AAs) in Jackson, Mississippi. It discusses the affected population, the practice problem, its epidemiology, related Healthy People 2030 goals and objectives, evidence-based intervention, and its outcome evaluation.
Population
The AA population in Jackson, Mississippi, representing about 81.8% of the city’s residents, continues to face significant health disparities, particularly related to CVD. This results in poor health outcomes, including reduces life expectancy by about ten years (Office of Minority Health, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services [OMH/HHS], n.d; U.S Census Bureau, 2024). The CVD burden is mainly exacerbated by significant socioeconomic challenges, including socioeconomic status, the built environment, and healthcare access.
Socioeconomic disparities, especially lower education and income levels are strongly associated with increased CVD risk. In Jackson, where 26.8% of residents live below the poverty line (U.S. Census Bureau, 2024), financial constraints often limit access to nutritious foods, preventive healthcare, and stress-reducing resources. Mendy et al. (2025) found that food insecurity (20.7%) and housing instability (14.1%) were significantly linked to higher CVD prevalence, with reliance on food stamps/Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which is about 12.9%, increasing CVD risk by 2.28 times, underscoring how economic hardship exacerbates health disparities.
The built environment further compounds these challenges, as many predominantly AA neighborhoods in Jackson lack adequate access to healthy food options, safe recreational spaces, and reliable transportation. Food deserts, areas with limited availability of fresh, affordable produce, are prevalent, forcing residents to rely on processed or fast food, which contributes to obesity, diabetes, and hypertension, key CVD risk factors (Mendy et al., 2025). Additionally, limited walkability and insufficient public transit options hinder physical activity, reinforcing sedentary lifestyles (Mendy et al., 2025; Mississippi State Department of Health [MSDH], 2025). These structural barriers create environments where healthy choices are difficult to sustain, perpetuating cycles of poor cardiovascular health.
Finally, disparities in healthcare access significantly impact CVD outcomes. Many AAs in Jackson face barriers such as lack of insurance, transportation difficulties, and geographic distance from medical facilities (MSDH, 2023). Mendy et al. (2025) reported that 10.1% of surveyed Mississippians experienced transportation barriers preventing medical appointments, correlating with a 20.2% CVD prevalence compared to 12.0% among those without such barriers. This is exacerbated by healthcare provider shortages in underserved areas of Jackson (MSDH, 2025). Furthermore, historical and ongoing mistrust in the healthcare system may delay preventive care and treatment adherence. Brewer et al. (2022) implicitly highlight access challenges by stressing the need for culturally relevant interventions, such as faith-based health programs (Brewer et al., 2022a), to bridge gaps in……Click the paypal icon to purchase full solution for $10
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