Course materials

1. Population Health: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Population Health: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. ON Population
Health: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.The purpose of health policy is to
improve the health of individuals and populations. As discussed in Week 2, health care
reform efforts seek to improve access to quality health care for all individuals. Yet, as noted
in Week 3, continued rising health care costs are not resulting in improved health outcomes.
How can the United States improve its health status in a cost-efficient manner, and what is
the role of the nurse in moving this agenda forward? Many believe the answer lies in
focusing on preventive care and population health. Population Health: An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.While nursing care has traditionally been centered on
individuals , the emerging focus of population health allows nurses to take a broader view
for improving health outcomes. This wider perspective means that nurses may now
examine a range of factors that influence populations as a whole, rather than focus solely on
individual patients.This week, you will evaluate factors that impact population health, and
thus, the health care system. These factors include access to health care, individual
behavior, the social and physical environment, and genetics. You will also consider the role
of epidemiologic data in the process of evaluating the health of a population. Reference:U.S.
History.org. (2010). The electric Ben Franklin. Retrieved from
http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/info/Learning ObjectivesStudents will:Analyze factors
that influence a population health issueApply the use of epidemiologic data to the design of
population health measures and policy initiatives.Learning ResourcesNote: 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 ReadingsKnickman, J. R., &
Kovner, A. R. (Eds.). (2015). Health care delivery in the united states (11th ed.). New York,
NY: Springer Publishing.Chapter 5, “Population Health” (pp. 79–97)This chapter introduces
the concept of population health, which views health issues at the population level rather
than at an individual level.Kindig, D. (2007). Understanding population health
terminology. The Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), 139–161.Retrieved from the Walden Library
databases.This article provides a valuable foundation in understanding the terminology of
population health. Although written in 2007, the information in this article is very pertinent
to the topics discussed this week.Kindig, D., Asada, Y., & Booske, B. (2008). A population
health framework for setting national and state health goals. JAMA, 299(17), 2081–
2083.Retrieved from the Walden Library databases. Population Health: An ounce of
prevention is worth a pound of cure.Using a framework to craft policy and programs can

2. help ensure that outcomes are measurable. The authors of this article note how some of the
overarching goals of Healthy People 2010 were not measurable. They suggest a framework
for developing more measurable goals for Healthy People 2020. Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. (2010). Morbidity and mortality weekly report (MMWR). State health
statistics. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/StateHealth/index.html The CDC
website provides health statistics gathered using epidemiologic methods. Explore the health
statistics for your state or for a health problem of interest to you. HealthyPeople.gov.
(2010). Foundation health measures. Retrieved from
http://healthypeople.gov/2020/about/tracking.aspx Healthy People 2020 uses the four
foundational measures presented at this website to monitor the health of the American
population. State of New South Wales, Department of Education and Communities and
Charles Sturt University. (2012). Core 1: Health priorities in Australia: How are priority
issues for Australia’s health identified? Retrieved from
http://www.slideshare.net/MsRatusau/hsc-pdhpe-core-1-health-priorities-in-
australia Australia uses epidemiologic data to establish its health priorities. Review the
information presented at this website, and consider how the United States sets its health
priorities. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2010). Healthy People 2020.
Retrieved from
https://www.healthypeople.gov/sites/default/files/HP2020_brochure_with_LHI_508_FNL.
pdf This overview of Healthy People 2020 provides a description of goals of this program,
along with indicators used to assess the health of the United States. U.S. Department of
Health and Human Services. (2012). Healthy People 2020 – Improving the health of
Americans. Retrieved from http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/default.aspx This site
contains a wide variety of information and resources dealing with the Healthy People 2020
goals, as well as information on how to implement the objectives. University of Wisconsin
Department of Population Health Sciences. (n.d.). What is population health? Retrieved from
http://www.improvingpopulationhealth.org/blog/what-is-population-health.html This
website provides a definition of population health and health determinants. It also examines
how health policy can influence determinants of health.Required MediaLaureate Education
(Producer). (2012h). Population health. Baltimore, MD: Author.Note: The approximate
length of this media piece is 13 minutes.Accessible player –Downloads– Download Video
w/CC Download Audio Download Transcript Key Health DeterminantsDid you know that
the United States has a higher rate of infant mortality than Japan (CIA, n.d.)? Or, as Dr.
Beilenson states in this week’s media presentation, that “your zip code that you live in
makes more difference in your health and well-being than the genetic code that you’re born
with?” What causes these differences in health outcomes?To effectively develop policies and
programs to improve population health, it is useful to use a framework to guide the process.
Different organizations and governmental agencies (for example, Healthy People 2020)
have created a variety of such frameworks, which establish measures for assessing
population health. These measures frequently are derived from the examination of
epidemiologic data, which include key measures of population health such as mortality,
morbidity, life expectancy, etc. Within each measure are a variety of progress indicators that
use epidemiologic data to assess improvement or change.For this paper, you will apply a

3. framework developed by Kindig, Asada, and Booske (2008) to a population health issue of
interest to you. This framework includes five key health determinants that should be
considered when developing policies and programs to improve population health: access to
health care, individual behavior, social environment, physical environment, and genetics.To
prepare:Review the article “A Population Health Framework for Setting National and State
Health Goals,” focusing on population health determinants.Review the information in the
blog post “What Is Population Health?”With this information in mind, elect a population
health issue that is of interest to you.Using this week’s Learning Resources, the Walden
Library, and other relevant resources, conduct a search to locate current data on your
population health issue.Consider how epidemiologic data has been used to design
population health measures and policy initiatives in addressing this issue.Write a summary
of how the five population health determinants (access to health care, individual behavior,
social environment, physical environment, and genetics) affect your selected health issue,
and which determinants you think are most impactful for that particular issue and why.
Explain how epidemiologic data s the significance of your issue, and explain how this data
has been used in designing population health measures and policy
initiatives. Reference:Central Intelligence Agency. (n.d.) The world factbook. Retrieved from
https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-
factbook/rankorder/2091rank.htmlPopulation Health: An ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure.