The Role of the Nurse in Promoting and Preserving Health
It is common knowledge that a healthy lifestyle will lead to a longer life. Healthy individuals have strong immunity and are at limited risk for contracting some of the prominent diseases facing individuals in the United States, such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, orthopedic disorders, and cancer. The problems faced by Americans are not the same as those faced by individuals in other parts of the world. In fact, many people in the world struggle with problems on the opposite end of the spectrum, such as malnutrition, and iron, iodine, and folic acid deficiencies, which have a negative impact on reproductive, infant, and child health. The risk factors that increase in individuals who are not living healthy lives can challenge a nurse’s ability to build a healthier community and a healthier world.
In this, your final week of the course, you will identify health promotion strategies for addressing obesity and the chronic health issues that may result from obesity. You will explore how these issues affect health costs.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Create health promotion and prevention strategies for addressing obesity
- Analyze strategies nurses might implement to modify messages for obesity prevention that integrate cultural sensitivity
- Analyze challenges nurses might face when modifying messages for obesity prevention and health promotion
Learning Resources
Note: To access this week’s required library resources, please click on the link to the Course Readings List, found in the Course Materials section of your Syllabus.
Required Readings
Holtz, C. (2013). Global health care: Issues and policies (2nd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett.
- Chapter 10, “Global Perspectives on Selected Chronic Cardiovascular Diseases” (pp. 239–262)
- Chapter 11, “Global Perspectives on Diabetes and Respiratory and Orthopedic Chronic Diseases” (pp. 263–282)
- Review Chapter 14, “Global Perspectives on Nutrition” (pp. 364–366)
Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2016). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (9th ed.).St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
- Chapter 20, “Promoting Health Through Healthy Communities and Cities” (pp. 441–454)
Public Health Nursing: Population-Centered Health Care in the Community, 9th Ed. by Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. Copyright 2015 by Elsevier Health Science Books. Reprinted by permission of Elsevier Health Science Books via the Copyright Clearance Center.
Laws, R., Campbell, K. J., van der Pligt, P., Ball, K., Lynch, J., Russell, G., … Denny-Wilson, E. (2015). Obesity prevention in early life: An opportunity to better support the role of maternal and child health nurses in Australia. BioMedCentral Nursing, 14(26), 1–14.
Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.
Required Media
Laureate Education. (Producer). (2010e). Public and global health: The role of the nurse in promoting and preserving health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 7 minutes.