Influences on the Health Status of the Community
The health status of any community is influenced by a complex of individual, interpersonal, community, and environmental issues that comprise many factors. For the Miami-Dade community, which is the focus of this analysis, the following determinants influence the health status. The key individual factors that are decisive for the community health status are diet and physical activity.
These aspects have an impact on one of the biggest health problems in the USA on the whole and in Miami-Dade in particular, which is the problem of obesity among the adult population and children. In case of the lack of physical activity together with an unhealthy diet, the community is at an increased risk of the growth of obesity rates. Interpersonal factors that are worth mentioning include social support and health promotion. These factors are meaningful for interpersonal relationships and can have a positive effect on community health as a whole.
The major community factors that are significant for the health status are the availability of health care and the financial supply of healthcare services. Finally, the environmental determinants that should be considered include the natural environment and exposure to toxic substances (Determinants of Health,” n.d.). For the Miami-Dade community, the most important factor is access to care, which is reflected in its Community Health Improvement Plan (Florida Health Department, 2013). The natural environment is probably the least important factor because Miami-Dade is actively involved in the protection, maintenance, and enhancement of natural resources and thus manages to avoid significant environmental hazards.
Healthy People 2020 Health Indicators that Influence the Community
Among the Healthy People 2020 health indicators that have the greatest impact on the health and wellness of the community, the most meaningful ones are physical activity and obesity, mental health, and access to health care. Some of them are included in the Community Health Improvement plan according to the results of the community health assessment (Florida Health Department, 2013). Still, access to care is a primary concern because it is related to other factors. For example, healthcare disparities in disease prevention can negatively influence community health and wellness in case there are problems with access to high-quality professional health care.
Media that Promote Health and Prevent Illness or Disease
Diverse media can be used in communities to promote health and prevent illness or disease in addition to the activity of healthcare providers. It is good to use diverse media to reach different target audiences. Social media can be applied to attract the attention of the young generation. Interactive social media are expected to be effective with adolescents and young adults. This type of media has the potential to remove access barriers. Television as the health-promoting media can have a meaningful effect on the older generation because elderly people are often not familiar with social networks and prefer watching TV to surfing the Internet.
Finally, radio can be utilized as a medium to reach out to rural communities that lack access to other means of receiving information. Therefore, the choice of media as a tool for spreading information and implementing preventive strategies depends on the target audience and should consider its peculiarities of information perception. Still, the complex application of different media can lead to a better result than the use of a single medium due to broader coverage of the population and addressing their needs.
References
Florida Health Department. (2013). Miami-Dade County: Community health improvement plan.
Determinants of health. (n.d.).