Health Assessment (Master's)

Running head: Health Risk Assessment

Health Risk Assessment

Kaplan

H560

4/16/2017

Health Risk Assessment

Horry County is located in the state of South Carolina. Horry County is located in the central county in Myrtle Beach. Horry County, South Carolina population in 2016 and 2017 is 269,291. The number of male population stand at 131,691 while female population is 137,600. According to racial breakdown, whites stands at 215,071; African American 36,202; Latino 16,683; Asian, 2,816; American Indian 1,279; others 5,918. Children population is 52,962 while disabled people population is 32,315. The number of senior citizens in Horry County is 20.4 percent which translates to 174,760 (Lim, et al., 2013).

Two health concerns facing children in Horry County in South Carolina.

Obesity

According to a report documented by Lim et al., (2013) about 32 percent of children in the Horry County are overweight. And this figure is steadily increasing overweight. Children are at a higher risk of becoming obese than adults and young adolescents because they are engaging in less physical activities while eating a lot of processed and junk food products. This health risk concern predisposes them at risks of developing chronic diseases such as heart conditions and diabetes later in their life. They are also in a position to develop stress, sadness, depression and low esteem.

One of the leading cause of obesity in children in this particular county is genetic factors transmitted from their parents, physical activities, and unhealthy eating pattern. Although in some instances not all childhood obesity are linked to family history of obesity. Although children with family members who have a history of overweight diseases have higher chances of becoming obese. This is as a result of associated family behaviors such as eating habits and everyday activities.

In Horry County, child’s diet plays a significant purpose in determining the teen’s weight. Today’s society, children are living a sedentary life with which a child spends an average of four hours in a day watching television, playing computer games which increase the child’s health issues deteriorating.

Overweight teenagers are at a higher danger for a couple of health disorders comprising diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and skin conditions. The detection of obesity at an early stage by the doctor can only expose these secondary infections in a better image. The doctor takes the child’s weight, and height the compute the results to get the BMI. Healthy normal BMI’s level ranges from 16.5- 24.5 (Davis, et al., 2016). Other comparing factors include the child’s age and growth patterns.

Drawing from Benjamin et al., (2014), healthful habits that can be practiced in the family to improve the health conditions for overweight children should be a routine in the household. For instance, the parent must lead by example, planning family activities that involve every family member, and as well making an effort to reduce the number of time used by the family in sedentary activities at home.

Chronic diseases from tobacco smoke exposure.

Horry County is tackling tobacco use throughout the community. Myrtle Beach is a tourist attraction site that attracts more than 14 million tourists yearly. According to a report by (Davis, et al., 2016), the adult smoking rate stands at 23 percent which is greater than the state average of 20 percent. In addition to this report, 18 percent of women in Horry County uses tobacco during pregnancy. Children who are exposed to tobacco smoke at the prenatal stage are connected with heightened odds with a variation of illnesses such as low-birth weight, premature delivery, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) as well as attention shortage hyperactivity disorder in childhood. Low-birth-weight has been associated with a child delays in growth and advancement in school. Additionally, exposure to environmental tobacco smoke is connected to several respiratory diseases such as asthma, allergies, and acute lung disorder and ear infections.

Over the last years, smoking in Horry County prevention and cessation programs have turned out to be more sophisticated. A wide variability of established interventions is currently accessible, which are particularly operative when used together. As a result, decreasing parental smoking can produce considerable economic rewards in the community. Some of the programs implemented in Horry County includes a multidimensional public education program that educates citizens, school going children concerning the health risks linked to tobacco consumption. Also, these programs encourage leaders from different religious denominations who pledge into reducing tobacco use in their congregations and across Horry County.

Health Risk Assessment

Heart Disease Risk

The term heart disease specifically refers to the most frequent condition affecting the heart termed as coronary artery disease (Benjamin et al., 2014). This disorder is over time with a substance that forms around the heart known as plaque. This material comprises of large quantities of cholesterol, builds up inside the heart which is termed as heart attack, which destroys some parts of the heart. Unexpected cardiac death happens if the heart, as a result of a reduction in blood flow, starts beating in an abnormal way that cannot effectively pump blood into the body.

Heart disease is the principal common cause of death in both men and women. According to a new report by (Benjamin et al., 2014), it generally accounts for more than 30 percent of all deaths. Also, a number of individuals with heart conditions live with other risk health conditions for many years such as chest pain, shortness of breath and fatigue that can severely limit their quality of life. So particularly it makes sense to control the risk of developing heart disease.

The causes of heart disease are used to mean damage to the heart or blood vessels by atherosclerosis which is a buildup of fatty plaques in the arteries. The major risks factors for cardiovascular disease include elevated cholesterol, high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, diabetes, and overweight. Other common causes of abnormal heart rhythms include lack of exercise, eating a diet rich in saturated fats and low in fiber, family history plus other laboratory and dietary factors. (Lim, et al., 2013), postulates that over 90 percent of the causes of cardiovascular disease are manageable.

A risk factor is any attribute or exposure of a person that raises the chances of developing a disease (Benjamin et al., 2014). You can regulate some but not all of them. Those that are hard to control is linked to family history and environmental exposures or behavioral from the past. On the hand, those that can be managed include the current habits, most specifically diets and exercise, existing environmental exposures for instance exposure to tobacco smoke. One thing to note about risk factors is that they are not absolute: this means having one or more of them does not mean you will certainly get heart disease, and avoiding risk factors does not necessarily guarantee someone will be healthy. Therefore, they substantially affect individual’s odds.

A screening test should be done regularly, or early detection, are designed to find heart disease before the heart has suffered any damage. A positive screening test is typically by more testing to confirm that the person has heart disease. Our heart disease Risk Profile tells you when you are most likely to benefit from screening; be sure to talk with your doctor for more information.

Heart Disease Management

The most recommended health improvement method to control heart disease is through eating a heart-healthy diet. Eating a healthy diet reduces the risk of getting heart disease. There are two primary plans of controlling heart disease using heart-healthy food program. They are Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet. It is understood that diet rich in vegetables, fruits, and whole grains can help protect the heart. A strategy of eating beans, lean meats, fat-free dairy products and fish as part of a healthy diet would help control heart conditions.

A program of avoiding too much sugar and fat in the diet is a healthy goal program to control heart disease. Bad fats include saturated fats and Trans fat. A recommended daily target of saturated fat is between 5-6 percent of consumed calories (Lim, et al., 2013). With the aim of trying to keep trans-fat out of the diet completely. Major sources of saturated fats include red meat, coconut and palm oils, and full-fat dairy products. On the other hand, sources of Trans-fat include margarine, bakery products, deep-fried fast food, packaged snacked foods as well as crackers, chips, and cookies.

When buying these products, buyers should check the nutrition labels. If the term is “partially-hydrogenated” or “hydrogenated,” it means that some particular product contains trans-fat. However, it is not recommended to cut all fats from the diet. Healthy fats from plant-based sources such as nuts, avocado, olive and olive oils should be incorporated in the diet since they help in lowering the bad type of cholesterol.

Following a heart-healthy diet also means keeping track on how much alcohol one consumes. Moderation should be the factor if one opts to take alcohol. At that moderate level, alcohol may have a protective effect on one’s heart. Although too much alcohol can become a health hazard.

Conclusion

Knowledge is power and applying this extensive knowledge from different scholars who have identified various factors that increase a person’s risk of coronary heart disease in general and heart attack, in particular, is vital. It is evidenced that the more risk factors one is exposed to, and the bigger the level of each risk factor, the greater the chances of developing coronary heart disease referred by a common term for the “buildup of plaque” in the heart arteries that could lead to heart attack. These resourceful information has enabled me to have a clear insight of my health and how I can improve it.

References

Davis, C. L., Tingen, M. S., Jia, J., Sherman, F., Williams, C. F., Bhavsar, K. ... & Waller, J. L. (2016). Passive Smoke Exposure and Its Effects on Cognition, Sleep, and Health Outcomes in Overweight and Obese Children. Childhood Obesity, 12(2), 119-125.

Go, A. S., Mozaffarian, D., Roger, V. L., Benjamin, E. J., Berry, J. D., Blaha, M. J. ... & Fullerton, H. J. (2014). Heart disease and stroke statistics-2014 update. Circulation, 129(3).

Lim, S. S., Vos, T., Flaxman, A. D., Danaei, G., Shibuya, K., Adair-Rohani, H. ... & Aryee, M. (2013). A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributable to 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990–2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet, 380(9859), 2224-2260.