Western Mindanao State University
College of Nursing
Zamboanga City
An Individual Output
Submitted to
DR. SARAH S. TAUPAN, RN, DPA
Instructor,
NCM 112 A
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements in
NCM 112 A
by
NAFEESA A. CADIR
BSN III E
1. Give at least 10 most common health issues affecting the world today.
Overweight and Obesity
Substance Abuse
HIV/AIDS
Injury and Violence
Access to Health Care
Tobacco Use and Smoking
Immunization
Tidal Wave of Mental Health Needs
Environmental Quality
Physical Activity and Nutrition
(Source: University of Rochester Medical Center, 2020)
These are the most urgent health challenges to tackle in 2020, according to World Health
Organization (WHO):
Making health care accessible to everyone
Focusing on health when discussing climate change
Stopping infectious diseases (e.g. COVID-19, HIV, Tuberculosis)
Protecting people from dangerous products (making healthy food more
accessible)
Keeping adolescents safe (from preventable causes of death)
Providing health care to nations in crisis
Expanding access to medicines and vaccines
Preparing for epidemics
Investing in the people who defend our health – healthcare workers
Earning public trust (strengthening trust between health care systems and the
public
2. Give at least 5 prominent global issues.
Pandemics (global disease outbreaks including COVID-19, HIV, Ebola and etc.)
Economic Disparities and Lack of Access to Health Care
Noncommunicable Diseases (such as heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes)
Animal Health, Food Sourcing and Supply
Environmental (centers on climate change, air pollution) and Political Factors
(Source: Saint George’s University)
3. Name at least 5 issues affecting both nationally and locally based on the latest census
of the Philippines.
Five National Health Issues
HIV/AIDS (from January to March 2020, there were 2,818 newly confirmed
HIV-positive individuals)
Dengue (a total of 55,160 cases, from January to July 2020)
Measles (there were 3,334 cases from January to May 2020)
Diabetes (6.3% prevalence in adults)
Tuberculosis (a total of 88,662 new and relapse TB cases from January to March
2020)
(Source: Business Mirror)
Other National Health Issues
Ischemic Heart Diseases
Malignant Neoplasms or Cancer
Cerebrovascular Diseases
Pneumonia
Diabetes Mellitus
(Source: Philippine Statistics Authority, 2018)
Five Local Health Issues
Cardiovascular Diseases
Dengue
Pneumonia
Diabetes
All Forms of Cancer
(Source: City Health Office)
4. Differentiate between chronic illness as compared to cultural and health care
disparities.
Chronic diseases, with their prolonged span of pain and suffering, are a major
cause of disability and death. Sixty-eight percent (68%) of deaths among Filipinos were
attributed to these illnesses. Chronic diseases may refer to noncommunicable diseases,
chronic conditions, or chronic disorders. It is essential to take note that chronic diseases
are different from chronic illnesses because chronic diseases are defined as medical
conditions or health problems with associated symptoms or disabilities that require long-
term management. These are those that persist for months or years rather than days or
weeks. The U.S. National Center for Health Statistics defines chronic disease as a
condition lasting 3 or more months (Adams, Kirzinger, & Martinez, 2013) and the WHO
(2014) defines it as a long-lasting condition that can usually be controlled but not cured.
These illnesses are mostly characterized by complex causes, functional
impairment/disability, many risk factors, long latency period (time between onset of the
illness and feeling its effects). Some can be immediately life-threatening, such as heart
disease and stroke. Others linger over time and need intensive management, such as
diabetes. Most chronic illnesses persist throughout a person’s life, but are not always the
cause of death. Health care problems such as: smoking, obesity, sedentary lifestyles,
overweight, poor nutrition and genetics are some of the many factors associated with
chronic diseases. Some examples include cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic lung
diseases, arthritis and cancers. In contrast, chronic illness refers to the human experience
of living with a chronic disease or condition. It includes the individual’s perception of the
experience of having a chronic disease or condition and the individual’s and others’
responses to it, including health care professionals (Larsen, 2016). Individuals and their
families' beliefs and past experiences determine their perception and belief of the
disorder, which in turn influences their disease and well-being.
Definitions of chronic disease or chronic illness share the characteristics of being
irreversible, having a prolonged course, and unlikely to resolve spontaneously (Larsen,
2016). All major chronic illnesses have the potential to impose an adverse impact on
personal, family and community economic status and the cost of medical care, as these
conditions affect one’s well-being and function in an episodic, continuous, or progressive
way over many years of. Many people with chronic health conditions function
independently with only minor inconvenience to their everyday lives; others, however,
require frequent and close monitoring or placement in long-term care facilities. This is
because persons with chronic illnesses have variable levels of health, depending on their
disorders. Thus, the amount of health care that they need is also variable.
Racial, ethnic, and cultural differences exist in health services, treatments
provided, and access to healthcare providers. These disparities in health care may be risk
factors for chronic diseases and also exacerbate the impact of these conditions. Chronic
health problems, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, pose a particularly severe
burden on disadvantaged minority groups and disadvantaged socioeconomic groups. This
problem is referred as health disparities. Health disparities are differences in the
incidence, prevalence, mortality rate and burden of diseases that exist among specific
population groups. Higher rates of morbidity, mortality, and burden of disease are
experienced in a population or community than found in the overall population.
Moreover, health care disparities are a subset of health disparities and is defined as the
differences among populations in the availability, accessibility and quality of health care
services (e.g., screening, diagnostic, treatment, and management and rehabilitation)
aimed at prevention, treatment and management of diseases and their complications. In
other words, these are differences among groups in health coverage, access to care, use of
care, and quality of care. Evidence of racial, cultural and ethnic disparities in healthcare
is, with few exceptions, consistent across a range of diseases and healthcare services.
(Stith, & Nelson, 2003). Large disparities in access to healthcare services remain, with
differences observed among socio-economic groups, geographical regions, and
rural/urban residences in the Philippines. In a report on health and healthcare equity in
the Philippines, the poor have been shown to suffer from a higher burden of diseases with
high inequity in terms of health outcomes among socio-economic groups.
Factors that contribute to healthcare disparities worldwide include culture, race,
ethnicity, sex, gender identity, age, disability, socioeconomic status, and geographic
location. For instance, some individuals live in very rural areas that do not have quality
health care services. In other cases, the care is available, but the individual may not have
transportation to get to the provider or don’t value the need for regular preventive health
care due to cultural beliefs. Some individuals remain uninsured or underinsured and
cannot afford health care services. It is mentioned that culture is one of the many factors
that contribute to healthcare disparities. Accordingly, an individual’s culture not only
defines health but is also a crucial determinant of health that is distinct from race and
ethnicity. In healthcare, cultural disparities result from overlapping deficiencies in
cultural competency, social equality, the structure and function of communities of care,
and the social conditions that influence well-being (Napier et al. 2014). Cultural
disparities in healthcare can create a pattern of inequality in maintaining or restoring the
health of a sector of the population. To eliminate these disparities, we can incorporate
and employ cultural competence in health care. Researchers saw a clear link between
cultural competence and eliminating racial/ethnic disparities in health care. Cultural
competence is defined as the ability to understand, appreciate, and interact with persons
from cultures and/or with belief systems other than one’s own. It is the ability of
providers and organizations to effectively deliver health care services that meet the
social, cultural, and linguistic needs of patients. Cultural competency in healthcare
addresses perceptions of illness and well-being so that caregivers and patients are able to
negotiate attainable health goals.
References:
Hinkle, J. & Cheever, K. (2018). Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical Surgical
Nursing. 14th edition.
Betancourt, J [Link].(2005). Cultural Competence and Health Care Disparities: Key
Perspectives and Trends. Volume 24.
Chronic Illness. (2020, May). Retrieved from: [Link]
health/healthyliving/chronic-illness
Sarcone, J. (2016). Healthcare and Cultural Disparities. In: Farazmand A. (eds) Global
Encyclopedia of Public Administration, Public Policy, and Governance.
Springer, Cham. [Link]
Betancourt, J. R., Green, A. R., & Carrillo, J. E. (2002). Cultural Competence In Health
Care: Emerging Frameworks And Practical Approaches. New York: The
Commonwealth Fund.