Community Needs and Nutrition - Essay Example

Community nutrition assessment Executive summary Ask for Better Community health is a community Health Needs Assessment that was conducted in Adams County, Indiana to ascertain the quality of the nutrition programs to the pregnant women and the kids below the age of five. The assessment includes the feedback obtained from citizens, organizations as well as stakeholders in major health institutions in the county. It is believed that the mortality rate is still high in the county due to various reasons but poor nutritional values to the expectant obviously take the lead. This assessment tend to verify whether the allegations are true and provide the way forward to improve the health of the targeted groups (pregnant women and kids below five). Goals and objectives The aim is to attain a regional collaboration that will reduce the mortality rate and improve health of the pregnant women. The assessment will entail seeking data from both federal and state stakeholders among other sources. The interpretations of the data will advice relevant stakeholders on the best ways to ensure pregnant women can access quality nutrition to enable give birth to healthy kids. Research indicates that pregnant women with good diet produce healthy kids who remain tolerant to the numerous child related diseases. Assessment report will be produced to remind everyone in the country that is everyone’s initiative and responsibility to guarantee the vulnerable access to quality nutrition among other necessities. The objectives of the assessment are to improve to improve community health in the county by pointing out the gaps in the current related programs. The team will assess the current community projects meant to ease access of quality diet to the pregnant women and the kids below the age of five. The team will ascertain the budgets set a side for the initiatives and whether there is need to involve more stakeholders. The nutritionists among other professionals behind the programs will be assessed with regard to their experiences and qualifications among others. Reducing infant mortality as well as mortality amongst pregnant women is the second objective. This will be attained by collecting both secondary and primary data in homes, health care institutions on the relationship between quality nutrition values and deaths among the targeted groups. Various professionals and stakeholders will be engaged in face-to-face, telephone and email interviews among other methods to collect such information. The current situation in the county will be analyzed, in comparison with the standard nutritional measures and advice the community or the county on the best nutritional strategies to keep the expectant healthy. Relevant data will touch on the poverty levels, unemployment rates in Adams County. Furthermore, mortality rate will be compared to the economical status of the county and conclusions drawn. Methodology The assessment will entail both primary and secondary research. Primary research will entail visiting randomly selected homes, private and public health institutions to collect relevant data as far as poor nutritional values and deaths is concerned. The team will prepare questionnaires to collect data related to the economical status of the families, access to nutritional programs set by the state and federal governments, the qualification and experiences of the professionals behind the nutritional projects, any social or ethical values limiting the projects among others. The questionnaires will also consider socioeconomic indicators like housing statistics, the rate of homelessness, population characteristics as opposed to the targeted population by the current nutritional programs mortality and fertility rates in the county among others. Health related indicators in the questionnaires will include the prevalence of nutritional related diseases recorded in the health institutions, maternal health conditions related to poor nutritional values, health economics, and chronic diseases common in Adams County. The questionnaires will seek both qualitative and quantitative data. Qualitative data will include the opinions of various citizens, stakeholders and professionals to improve the current status of the existing nutritional programs meant to support the pregnant women and kids below the age of five. Quantitative data on the other hand will include the number of deaths due to poor nutritional values, the budget of such programs against the stipulated population and fertility rate among others. Secondary research will entail assessing already published information on relationship between quality nutritional programs and the overall health of pregnant women and kids below the age of five. Such data will include the national campaigns against poor health in the county, demographic data from the previous census, the economical status of the citizens, patient records from various health institutions in the county among others. However, the assessment team will collaborate with the relevant stakeholders or professionals in such a manner that the patients’ rights are not violated in any way. Secondary research could also entail seeking information form the national publications on the same matter among other sources. Collected data It was found that 1 out of 4 families in Adams County live in poverty and this means that they cannot access quality diets, housing, clothing and education among other necessities. It was also evident that such families are not observant to family planning and as a result, the families are large that they cannot access quality lifestyle. It was evident that majority of deaths of pregnant women and kids below the age of five were from such families. With regard to qualitative data, majority of respondents suggested that the state government should set a side a reasonable budget to support the pre- and post maternity in the county (Alter, Stukel, Chong and Henry, 2011). The current health institutions in the county lack adequate facilities to support pregnant women and children. However, the case was different with private health institutions that can only be accessed by the few rich in the county. The citizens wish that the state authority should hire more nutritionists in the maternity facilities to reduce the deaths of pregnant women due to poor nutritional programs. Besides, illiteracy is high in the county and as a result, pregnant women are not observant to the standard pre and post maternity and this has greatly contributed to high mortality rates. Recommendations The state government should increase the budget allocations to ensure adequate nutritional programs in both private and public health institutions. The budget will allow adequate procurement and hire of qualified and experienced nutritionists in the county. The county should initiate a program to engage everyone in ensuring the health of both pregnant women and kids below the age of five through cooperate visits and donations to encourage the pregnant women and kids, volunteering trainings or workshops to enlighten pregnant women how to carry out themselves and even take care of their kids. The workshops should touch on the best nutritional values and exercises to keep them fit among others. Relevant stakeholders should join hands to ensure reduced deaths of the pregnant women and kids below the age of five through regular consultations, financial and moral support among others. Reference Alter, Stukel, Chong and Henry. "Lesson From Canadas Universal Care: Socially Disadvantaged Patients Use more health services, still have poor health." Health Affairs (2011): 274-283. Read More