For this week’s discussion, choose one of the groups listed below:
- Expectant mothers
- Infants
- Children
- Adolescents
- Young adults
- Adults
- Seniors
Highlight the following key attributes of the population you chose. In your post,
- Describe the population size.
- Explain where the majority of this population are located in the United States (city and state).
- Summarize the five key areas of health concern for this population.
- Interpret the role public health organizations play in addressing them.
reply 1
I have chosen to discuss Seniors.
Describe the population size.
Seniors are defined as those who are 65 years and older (Seabert et al., 2022). According to the 2020 U.S. census the senior population reached 55.8 million, equating just under 17% of the total population of the United States that same year (United States Census Bureau, 2023). That number means that at least 1 in 6 people in the United States were 65 or older in 2020 (Caplan, 2023). As our population continues to grow it seems so does our senior citizen population.
Explain where the majority of this population are located in the United States (city and state).
Most seniors live in California with just under 6 million, and following close behind is Florida with just under 5 million (Korhonen, 2023). However, the city in the United States with the most seniors is Scottsdale, Arizona with close to 25% of its population consisting of seniors aged 65 and older (Ahmed, 2023). Interesting to see that our larger populations of seniors seem to choose warmer climates to retire in.
Summarize the five key areas of health concern for this population.
Senior citizens are at risk of chronic diseases such as dementia, heart disease, type 2 diabetes, arthritis and cancer (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Other areas of concern are economic security, functional decline, social isolation and accessibility. Chronic diseases aside, senior citizens may experience declines in vision, hearing, and mobility. Senior citizens may also experience more isolation and loneliness as it gets more difficult to drive and attend social events. Another area of concern is economic security or lack thereof. More than 17 million senior Americans are living well below the poverty line, causing financial struggles with housing, and health bills (National Council on Aging, 2024). Over 2 million older adults receive on average just over $500 a month from Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (National Council on Aging, 2024). Even for those that are not under the poverty line, one chronic disease diagnosis could change their financial stability in an instance.
Interpret the role public health organizations play in addressing them.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has developed an interactive data portal called the Alzheimer’s Disease and Healthy Aging Program which works with states to acquire information on self-reported cognitive declines (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). There is also the Healthy Brain Initiative as well as the Building Our Largest Dementia Infrastructure (BOLD) Act which was implemented as law in December 2018 (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, n.d.). Public health organizations can continue monitoring and identifying any threats while applying research into strategies. Public health organizations can continue to put their efforts into reducing mortality by performing continued research on chronic diseases.
reply 2
Infants
Population Size: There were 3,664,292 births registered in the U.S. in 2021. This is an increase in births of 1% from 2020. (Births, Final Data 2023)
Infant population majority location in the United States: California had the most births in 2021 with the recorded number of 420,031. (Births, Provisional Data 2023) That is roughly 11% of all births belonging to the Golden State.
Key areas of concern for Infants: There were increases and decreases between 1990 and 2014 of Premature Birth. This is contributed to the lower number of teenage mothers reported between 2007 and 2014. Teenage mothers were often found not seeking out proper medical guidance through their terms until much later in the pregnancy if at all. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Low Birth Weight has fluctuated between 6.97% and 8.28% over the last twenty years. The main factors contributing to LBW are premature births, poor maternal nutrition, cigarette smoking and alcohol use. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Cigarette Smoking has been linked to upwards of around 8% of early deliveries and around 7% of preterm mortality. The United States has an objective to reduce the number of smoking and pregnant mothers down to 1.4% or less. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Alcohol consumption during pregnancy can produce an infant with Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD). This syndrom can effect many things for the infant from low birth weight to the process of brain development in the womb. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Other Drugs and how they are consumed make it hard to graph exactly what can happen to an infant in the womb. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Role of Public Health and Infants: Title V of the Social Security Act, was adopted into Federal Legislation 1935. Its objective is to improve the health of Mothers and Children in the U.S. The primary focus is on Infant and child health, setting guidelines for child health (infancy through childhood), and standards for nutritional care (pregnancy through childhood), just to name a few. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
Other government organizations that were formed included, in 1990, the Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) part of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) via the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
The main objective of MCHB is to make accessible prenatal and postnatal quality health care (especially to low-income and high-risk mothers), the reduction of infant mortality rates, increase health assessments for low-income children, coordinate care for children with special needs, assistance for those eligible for Medicaid and Preventative, childcare and rehabilitative care for children with special needs. (McKenzies An Introduction to Public Health 2022)
The WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) program has been around since 1972 making Healthy foods and formula available to families with children up to the age of five.
