Population Health Concern

Population Health Concern Case Study/ Policy Paper
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Population Health Concern Case Study/ Policy Paper
Population health considers the health status of a large group of people rather than focusing on an individual’s health at a time. Public health practitioners are tasked with making a solid understanding and optimization of the health of a population to enhance the improvement of health for most individuals. Various health concerns exist in the state, making the health care system keep making reforms and strategies to address the issue. Population health concerns require the collective responsibility of individuals, the government, and society. The stability of the health system is vital in helping address the population health issues within the state (Panagiotoglou et al., 2018). Various population health problems exist within different states in the country. Addressing one health issue is a vital step in enhancing and solving other related health problems. Among the existing population health concerns in the country include the HIV/AIDS crisis, Cancer, Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and the inability to access primary and preventive care.
The Paterson, New Jersey health concern to be addressed requires excellent attention on health education and promoting prevention of chronic diseases. The population health issue to address in the case study is the HIV/AIDS disease. The condition is caused by a virus called Human Immunodeficiency Virus. The disease affects the immune system by progressively reducing the ability and effectiveness of the system to fight other infections. The health concern gives rise to many reports and policies from various organizations and departments, including The New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services (DHSS). Other community action teams are making efforts to enlighten society about the health issue while targeting improvements for the related health concern (Panagiotoglou et al., 2018). The discussion about the population health issue of HIV/AIDS targets a specific group of both males and females in Paterson city of New Jersey. The research focuses on the city's population of youth aged between thirteen to forty-four years, regardless of gender, education, race, or ethnicity. The discussion and policy actions specifically target individuals between the ages of 13 - 44 years because most of the individuals in the age bracket identified are more sexually active. Regular HIV testing, barriers to exposure to blood-borne pathogens, protected sex, and general health education on sexual and drug-related behaviors are some preventive measures that will be addressed (Panagiotoglou et al., 2018). The health concern bears vast consequences for the health sector as it will paralyze health system operations, increase health expenditures, and lead to resource diversification.
From the census reports and demographic data of Paterson city, the median population age for Paterson is 33.5 years, compared to the New Jersey median age of 39.9 years in 2019 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Paterson's population as of the year 2020 was 159,732 people. The 2021 population, according to the world population review, gives data of 144,511 people in Paterson, NJ. The females’ ratio in Paterson is estimated to be 51.40%, while the males’ population ratio is 48.60%. The poverty rate in Paterson currently stands at approximately 26.6%, with the males’ poverty rate being 24.28% and females taking up 28.78% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). The median household income for Paterson Population is stated to be $41,360, as compared to the New Jersey residents’ median household income of $85,239 (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). Advancements in medical and education technologies have led to a reduction in mortality and infection rates across the USA (Siuki et al., 2019). However, the Paterson community population is declining due to the high poverty, mortality, and HIV infection rates. The demographic data and reports will be our base for making analyses about the health concern. The paper focuses on addressing HIV/AIDS health concerns, epidemiology, strategies for solving the problem, and policy action addendum for the Paterson community of New Jersey.
Epidemiology
The data we have on the HIV/AIDS epidemic limits our ability to draw conclusions about the epidemic. The CDC's HIV/AIDS empirical analysis system remains the only source of complete, population-based data on the epidemic's progress at the national level. Only a tiny fraction of HIV's long-term effects can be seen in AIDS cases that have been reported to the health care system (Oster et al., 2018). However, HIV prevalence surveys can help describe the epidemic's magnitude, but the ability to characterize the current epidemic's current direction is limited in this case. The course of the epidemic can be better tracked using data on HIV incidence. Because not all states require testing for HIV, and because most studies have not used representative samples, these data are of limited use in extrapolating to other populations or the entire U.S. population in the country (Oster et al., 2018). HIV surveillance data also yield statistical information of limited use in forecasting the epidemic's future course (Bennington-Castro, 2021). Precursors of HIV/AIDS should be included in a broader epidemic monitoring system to address this limitation Knowledge of potential transmission sites could be gleaned from more comprehensive behavioral epidemiologic data on well-established risk behaviors such as drug use and sexual behavior.
Paterson Residents at Diagnosis: HIV/AIDS Cases reported during 2019 by age and sex

Males


Females


Totals


Age at Diagnosis (yrs.)

cases

%

Cases

%

Cases

%

<13

50

5.4

27

10.2

77

6.5

13 – 24

163

17.6

17

6.4

180

15.1

25 – 34

307

33.2

61

23.2

368

31

35 – 44

186

20.1

66

25

252

21.2

>= 45

219

23.7

93

35.2

312

26.2

Total

925

100

264

100

1189

100

HIV Prevalence
The data obtained from the health report based on sex and age gap reveals the most affected individuals are in the age bracket of 25-34 years. People in the age bracket of 13-45 years are the more significant percentage of individuals living with HIV/AIDS in the community. The cases reported in our specified age bracket of 13-44 years form 67.3 percent of the total cases reported (STAINTON, 2019). The data also highlights gender disparity in infection rates, with the males recording more cases than the females. The percentage of all-male individuals with HIV/AIDS is estimated to be 77.8 % of the total cases reported, as the female infection rate is at 22.2% (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). The prevalence rate in males and the specified age bracket tend to be high in the community in New Jersey. Comparing the rates of cases in Paterson to those of the whole New Jersey population, it is evident that Paterson reported instances are lower. In New Jersey State, there is a significant drop in new infections for HIV/AIDS disease (STAINTON, 2019). The state is making tremendous efforts to combat the disease and attain a sustainable healthy community. Paterson Community is in better condition than the other cities such as Newark, which has the leading number of HIV/AIDS infection cases. According to state estimates, over 38,000 New Jersey residents are living with HIV/AIDS (U.S. Census Bureau, 2019). For the most part, patients live longer than they did even four years ago—except for the users of intravenous drugs. Despite this, HIV/AIDS cases are racially disparate.
HIV/AIDS Risk Factors
The risk factors that contribute to the increase in infection rates are discussed. Most prevention efforts aimed at injecting drug users have paid scant attention to these risk factors (Lally et al., 2018). The bivariate analysis highlights that majority of individuals with other physical health problems were more likely HIV positive. The ability of individuals to have multiple sex partners, history of STD treatments, consumption of alcohol, smoking, condom usage during ...