Sudden Infant Death Health Promotion Plan

Sudden Infant Death Health Promotion Plan

Health promotion is one of the significant responsibilities of nurses in public health nursing. Nurses participate actively in health issues assessment, health promotion across various health populations, and improving their quality of life.

The primary focus of health promotion is improving community well-being, enhancing lifestyles through education, and encouraging community members to support healthy behavior. Sudden Infant Death is a major health concern in the community. This essay presents a health promotion plan addressing sudden infant death to parents and caregivers in the community.

Sudden Infant Death, Underlying Assumptions, and Areas of Uncertainty

Sudden infant death is an apparently healthy baby’s unexpected, sudden, and unexplained death before they turn one. The causes of the sudden deaths are not usually obvious before investigation but mainly happen when the infant is sleeping or in the baby’s sleeping area (CDC.gov, n.d.). Sudden unexpected infant deaths include Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), accidental suffocating in the baby’s sleeping environment, and other infant deaths that are mainly from unknown sources.

Sudden infant death is a global health concern. In the United States alone, the estimated number of sudden infant deaths is about 3400 annually. According to a study by Pretorius and Rew (2018), sudden infant death is the leading cause of neonatal mortality even in developed countries, despite public health campaigns and efforts to prevent it.

The primary underlying assumption is that preventable causes such as suffocation and strangulation in the baby’s sleeping areas can be used to reduce SID occurrences. One of the significant uncertainties in sudden infant death is that investigations of the causes of the deaths may be complex since, most of the time, the parents and caregivers are not present when the deaths occur. Investigators may also not be able to get clear descriptions of the circumstances around the death.

Importance of Sudden Infant Death Health Promotion to Parents and Caregivers

Despite many causes of sudden infant death remaining unknown, risk factors that may cause sudden infant deaths, such as suffocation of the sleeping environment and strangulation in bed, can be avoided. The immediate and extended family significantly feels the overall impact of sudden infant death. Losing a child to an unexplained reason leaves the parent or caregiver wondering what occurred.

More so, studies show that parents experience guilt since most sudden infant deaths occur in the home setting, where there could be risk factors (Pretorius and Rew, 2018). Parents and caregivers may also experience posttraumatic distress, grief-related complications, and general health problems.

Therefore, health promotion on sudden infant death for parents and caregivers is necessary. It will focus on creating awareness of the risk factors of sudden infant death among parents and caregivers, thus helping prevent preventable occurrences of sudden infant deaths. The hypothetical population will include parents and caregivers of infants below one year. Expectant mothers will also be included. The group comes from the non-Hispanic/Alaska Native community, which recently reported a high number of sudden infant deaths.

Current Population Health Data

As mentioned earlier, there are about 3400 sudden Infant Deaths in the US each year. The CDC’s breakdown by cause is as follows: Sudden Infant Death Syndrome-41%, accidental suffocation and strangulation in bed at 27%, and unknown cause at 32%. The SID rates have significant racial and ethnic differences. Regarding race and ethnicity, non-Hispanic American Indians/Alaska natives record the highest number of SIDs, followed by non-Hispanic blacks and Pacific Islanders. The rates are lowest among Hispanic whites, Hispanics, and non-Hispanic Asians (CDC.gov, n.d.).

Factors Contribution to health, health disparities, and Access to Health Services

Various factors contribute to health, health disparities, and access to health services. The determinants of health include social, environmental, and physical influences, genetics, and medical care. These factors influence the health and well-being of people across health populations.

The health disparities among the parents and caregivers of infants may include race, ethnicity, and parents and caregivers from rural areas. The parents’ age can also be a health disparity since young parents may not seek health services like older parents (Lavista Ferres et al., 2020). These disparities may be a barrier to accessing health services and discourage parents from seeking health services.

Importance of Establishing Agreed Upon Goals in Collaboration with the Participants

Having mutually agreed upon goals is essential when addressing sudden infant deaths with the parents and caregivers is essential. A study by Tokhi et al. (2018) established that involving parents and caregivers in infant health promotion interventions is likely to lead to successful interventions. One way of involvement is by decision-making and setting goals. Comprehensive inclusion leads to better ownership of the program. The facilitator and the participants should collectively agree upon the learning outcomes and objectives of a health promotion program.

Conclusion

Sudden Infant Death is a serious health concern that requires attention. It adversely affects the parents, caregivers, and the entire family. One major cause of SID is suffocation and strangulation, which can be prevented. The health promotion program will teach parents and caregivers to create a safe sleeping environment for infants. Creating mutually agreed-upon goals helps enhance the success of the health promotion sessions.

References

Lavista Ferres, J. M., Anderson, T. M., Johnston, R., Ramirez, J. M., & Mitchell, E. A. (2020). Distinct populations of sudden unexpected infant death based on age. Pediatrics, 145(1). https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-1637

Pretorius, K., & Rew, L. (2018). Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Global Public Health Issue and Nursing’s Response. Comprehensive Child and Adolescent Nursing, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/24694193.2018.1451569

The Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Sudden unexpected Infant Death and Sudden Infant Death Syndrome. https://www.cdc.gov/sids/index.htm

Tokhi, M., Comrie-Thomson, L., Davis, J., Portela, A., Chersich, M., & Luchters, S. (2018). Involving men to improve maternal and newborn health: a systematic review of the effectiveness of interventions. PloS One, 13(1), e0191620. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0191620

NURS 4060 Assessment 1 Instructions: Health Promotion Plan

Develop a hypothetical health promotion plan, 3-4 pages in length, addressing a specific health concern for an individual or a group living in the community that you identified from the topic list provided.

• Bullying.
• Teen Pregnancy.
• LGBTQIA + Health.
• Sudden Infant Death (SID).
• Immunization.
• Tobacco use (include all: vaping, e-cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, and smoking) cessation.

Introduction

Historically, nurses have made significant contributions to community and public health with regard to health promotion, disease prevention, and environmental and public safety. They have also been instrumental in shaping public health policy. Today, community and public health nurses have a key role in identifying and developing plans of care to address local, national, and international health issues. The goal of community and public health nursing is to optimize the health of individuals and families, taking into consideration cultural, racial, ethnic groups, communities, and populations. Caring for a population involves identifying the factors that place the population’s health at risk and developing specific interventions to address those factors. The community/public health nurse uses epidemiology as a tool to customize disease prevention and health promotion strategies disseminated to a specific population. Epidemiology is the branch of medicine that investigates causes of various diseases in a specific population (CDC, 2012; Healthy People 2030, n.d.).

As an advocate and educator, the community/public health nurse is instrumental in providing individuals, groups, and aggregates with the tools that are essential for health promotion and disease prevention. There is a connection between one’s quality of life and their health literacy. Health literacy is related to the knowledge, comprehension, and understanding of one’s condition along with the ability to find resources that will treat, prevent, maintain, or cure their condition. Health literacy is impacted by the individual’s learning style, reading level, and the ability understand and retain the information being provided. The individual’s technology aptitude and proficiency in navigating available resources is an essential component to making informed decisions and to the teaching learning process (CDC, 2012; Healthy People 2030, n.d.).

It is essential to develop trust and rapport with community members to accurately identify health needs and help them adopt health promotion, health maintenance, and disease prevention strategies. Cultural, socio-economical, and educational biases need to be taken into consideration when communicating and developing an individualized treatment and educational plan. Social, economic, cultural, and lifestyle behaviors can have an impact on an individual’s health and the health of a community. These behaviors may pose health risks, which may be mitigated through lifestyle/behaviorally-based education. The environment, housing conditions, employment factors, diet, cultural beliefs, and family/support system structure play a role in a person’s levels of risk and resulting health. Assessment, evaluation, and inclusion of these factors provide a basis for the development of an individualized plan. The health professional may use a genogram or sociogram in this process.

What is a genogram? A genogram, similar to a family tree, is used to gather detailed information about the quality of relationships and interactions between family members over generations as opposed to lineage. Gender, family relationships, emotional relationships, lifespan, and genetic predisposition to certain health conditions are components of a genogram. A genogram, for instance, may identify a pattern of martial issues perhaps rooted in anger or explain why a person has green eyes.

What is a sociogram? A sociogram helps the health professional to develop a greater understanding of these factors by seeing inter-relationships, social links between people or other entities, as well as patterns to identify vulnerable populations and the flow of information within the community.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Lesson 1: Introduction to epidemiology. In Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice (3rd ed.). https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section1.html

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople

Note: Assessment 1 must be completed first before you are able to submit Assessment 4.

Preparation

The first step in any effective project or clinical patient encounter is planning. This assessment provides an opportunity for you to plan a hypothetical clinical learning experience focused on health promotion associated with a specific community health concern or health need. Such a plan defines the critical elements of who, what, when, where, and why that establish the foundation for an effective clinical learning experience for the participants. Completing this assessment will strengthen your understanding of how to plan and negotiate individual or group participation. This assessment is the foundation for the implementation of your health promotion educational plan (Assessment 4).

You will need to satisfactorily pass Assessment 1 (Health Promotion Plan) before working on your last assessment (Assessment 4).

To prepare for the assessment, consider a various health concern or health need that you would like to be the focus of your plan from the topic list provided, the populations potentially affected by that concern or health need, and hypothetical individuals or groups living in the community. Then, investigate your chosen concern or need and best practices for health improvement, based on supporting evidence.

As you begin to prepare this assessment, you are encouraged to complete the Vila Health: Effective Interpersonal Communications activity. The information gained from completing this activity will help you succeed with the assessment. Completing activities is also a way to demonstrate engagement.

For this assessment, you will propose a hypothetical health promotion plan addressing a particular health concern or health need affecting a fictitious individual or group living in the community. The hypothetical individual or group of your choice must be living in the community; not in a hospital, assistant living, nursing home, or other facility. You may choose any health issues or need from the list provided in the instructions.

In the Assessment 4, you will simulate a face-to-face presentation of this plan to the individual or group that you have identified.

Please choose one of the topics below:

• Bullying.
• Teen Pregnancy.
• LGBTQIA + Health.
• Sudden Infant Death (SID).
• Immunizations.
• Tobacco use (include all: vaping e-cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, and smoking) cessation. (MUST address all tobacco products).

In addition, you are encouraged to:

• Complete the Vila Health: Effective Interpersonal Communications simulation.
• Review the health promotion plan assessment and scoring guide to ensure that you understand the work you will be asked to complete.
• Review the MacLeod article, “Making SMART Goals Smarter.”

Note: As you revise your writing, check out the resources listed on the Writing Center’s Writing Support page.

Instructions

Health Promotion Plan

• Choose a specific health concern or health need as the focus of your hypothetical health promotion plan. Then, investigate your chosen concern or need and best practices for health improvement, based on supporting evidence.
  • Bullying.
  • Teen Pregnancy.
  • LGBTQIA + Health.
  • Sudden Infant Death (SID).
  • Immunizations.
  • Tobacco use (include all: vaping e-cigarettes, hookah, chewing tobacco, and smoking) cessation. (MUST address all tobacco products).
• Create a scenario as if this project was being completed face-to-face.
• Identify the chosen population and include demographic data (location, lifestyle, age, race, ethnicity, gender, marital status, income, education, employment).
• Describe in detail the characteristics of your chosen hypothetical individual or group for this activity and how they are relevant to this targeted population.
• Discuss why your chosen population is predisposed to this health concern or health need and why they can benefit from a health promotion educational plan.
• Based on the health concern for your hypothetical individual or group, discuss what you would include in the development of a sociogram. Take into consideration possible social, economic, cultural, genetic, and/or lifestyle behaviors that may have an impact on health as you develop your educational plan in your first assessment. You will take this information into consideration when you develop your educational plan in your fourth assessment.
• Identify their potential learning needs. Collaborate with the individual or group on SMART goals that will be used to evaluate the educational session (Assessment 4).
• Identify the individual or group’s current behaviors and outline clear expectations for this educational session and offer suggestions for how the individual or group needs can be met.
• Health promotion goals need to be clear, measurable, and appropriate for this activity. Consider goals that will foster behavior changes and lead to the desired outcomes.

Document Format and Length

Your health promotion plan should be 3–4 pages in length.

Supporting Evidence

Support your health promotion plan with peer-reviewed articles, course study resources, and Healthy People 2030 resources. Cite at least three credible sources published within the past five years, using APA format.

Graded Requirements

The requirements outlined below correspond to the grading criteria in the scoring guide, so be sure to address each point. Read the performance-level descriptions for each criterion to see how your work will be assessed.

• Analyze the health concern that is the focus of your health promotion plan.
  • Consider underlying assumptions and points of uncertainty in your analysis.
• Explain why a health concern is important for health promotion within a specific population.
  • Examine current population health data.
  • Consider the factors that contribute to health, health disparities, and access to services.
• Explain the importance of establishing agreed-upon health goals in collaboration with hypothetical participants.
• Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
• Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.
  • Write with a specific purpose and audience in mind.
  • Adhere to scholarly and disciplinary writing standards and APA formatting requirements.

Before submitting your assessment for grading, proofread it to minimize errors that could distract readers and make it difficult for them to focus on the substance of your plan.

Competencies Measured

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Analyze health risks and health care needs among distinct populations.
  • Analyze a community health concern or need that is the focus of a health promotion plan.
• Competency 2: Propose health promotion strategies to improve the health of populations.
  • Explain why a health concern or need is important for health promotion within a specific population.
  • Establish agreed-upon health goals in collaboration with hypothetical participants.
• Competency 5: Apply professional, scholarly communication strategies to lead health promotion and improve population health.
  • Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions; contains few errors in grammar/punctuation, word choice, and spelling.
  • Apply APA formatting to in-text citations and references exhibiting nearly flawless adherence to APA format.