NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

“Population health is defined as the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group” (What is Population Health?, n.d). Individual health is dependent on many factors within the life of that person. These factors include such things as education, income, ethnic groups and quality of environments where the individual lives, learns, works and plays. (Knickman, J.R., Kovner, A.R., & Jonas, S., 2015). For this discussion, I chose to address prescription drug abuse/misuse and how it is currently affecting our community. nurs 6050 Essay Assignments “These determinants are conceptualized as the result of exposure to different patterns of these multiple determinants” (Knickman, J. R., Kovner, A. R., & Jonas, S., 2015. p 80). The following paragraphs will discuss how the five population health determinants affect prescription drug abuse/misuse among young adults and how we as a community need to be a social advocate for this increasingly prevalent issue.NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

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Access to health care
Prescription drug abuse is the misuse of a medication for nonmedical purposes whether it be in amounts not recommended by a physician or the use of another individuals medication (National Institute of Drug Abuse. February 2016). Prescription drug abuse/misuse among young adults is significant and is currently affecting many communities. Access to health care is an ongoing issue in the community with regard to prescription drug abuse/misuse. Many people live with this disease daily and do not understand that is an issue that at some point will lead them to the point of needing immediate medical attention. Statics show that in 2015, approximately 97 million people received prescription pain killers for use. Of the 97 million individuals, 12.5 million abused/misused the medication in the past year with approximately 3.8 million of those individuals abusing/misusing them in the past few months. (Health Reform and the Substance Use Disorder Treatment System: A Time of Change, 2017). In 2013, it was recorded that treatment for prescription drug abuse/misuse burdened the economy by costing us $78.5 billion. Of that total, $28.9 billion was due to treatment costs and the increase health care needed. (The Economic Burden of Prescription Opioid Overdose, Abuse and Dependence in the United States, 2017).nurs 6050 Essay Assignments NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

Individual behavior
As stated above, many individuals with prescription drug abuse/misuse do not even realize that they have a health issue to begin with and that it involves a serious psychological issue that requires treatment and counseling. There are many behaviors that are linked to prescription drug abuse/misuse some of which include: aggressive behavior in childhood, lack of parental supervision, poor social skills, experimentation, drugs available within schools and poverty within their community.NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

Social environment
One’s social environment is probably the most important determinant with regard to prescription drug abuse/misuse. Temptation is all around us. The push from peers or social groups to try drugs automatically engrains those thoughts of the need to fit in. Individuals who begin to abuse drugs early on in their life have an increased risk of developing an out of control addiction as they age. Movie stars and musicians are also the role models for this age group and therefore its seen as “if they are doing it, I should too.” Prescription drug abuse/misuse “has become a medical dilemma in the recent times. Many people including famous celebrities and well-known people have died due to the drug overdose.” (Siddiqui, A., Ali, R., & Tohid, H., 2017, February 17).nurs 6050 Essay Assignments NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

Physical environment
Family life plays a direct role in this issue. Having a family member or members of an individual’s household portraying the negative behavior increases the risk of children within that home developing the same addiction later in life. (Prescription Drug Abuse & Addiction Effect, Signs & Symptoms, 2017). On the other hand, having a support system around you are so pertinent. When someone is struggling with addiction, it is always important to remember that they should never accuse someone of being addicted. According to Dr. Michael Frost, “This almost always results in the person becoming defensive and can create a situation where they become resistant to help.” (How to Support Someone Addicted to Pain Pills, 2015). I may not have suffered from prescription drug abuse but I did suffer from illicit drug abuse for many years. Having went through that addiction myself at one point in my life, having my family support me and give me the power to change was what got me through the most difficult times.NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

Genetics
Scientists have been unsuccessful in the identification of just one single gene that causes addiction. The vulnerability to drug addiction is a very complex and it contains many determinate factors. Pinpointing one particular biologic gene is very tricky. Addicts do not carry the same genes and those carriers may not portray a particular trait but research has shown that addiction is influenced by genes. (Genes and Addictions, n.d.).NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay

Conclusion
There are many things that contribute to the development of prescription drug abuse. No matter where the factor originates from, it is a problem none the less. Identification of addiction is key with successful treatment outcomes that follow. If you know someone or yourself have an addiction, be that support for them or find someone positive to support you. Life is too precious to throw it away on addiction. NURS 6050 Week 4 Discussion, Population Health Essay