Name
Capella University
NURS-FPX8014: Global Population Health
Prof Name
September 2024
Global Issue Problem Description
Global health problems are those occurring worldwide across national boundaries, affecting people, communities, and populations in general (Saragih et al., 2021). Most of these are caused by poverty, political instability, cultural practices, or geographical differences. These contribute to serious health inequity and most severely affect low- and middle-income countries. Effective solutions necessitate a comprehensive approach by governments, NGOs, and local communities. This means understanding how these global health problems affect the population and devising strategies that consider the social, economic, political, and cultural factors towards achieving sustainable health outcomes.
Analysis of an International Health Issue
Global disparities in the prevalence and mortality due to HIV/AIDS present a huge issue of importance to individuals, communities, and entire populations (Guilamo et al., 2020). It is particularly pressing in sub-Saharan Africa. Individually, it presents lifelong health complications characterized by a weakened immune system, reduced resistance to opportunistic infections, and reduced life expectancy unless treated with antiretroviral drugs. It also leads to stigmatization, discrimination, and isolation from society which adversely affects individuals’ physical and psychological well-being. High prevalence within communities can destabilize families by reducing their capability to provide for children and the elderly, thus imposing an enormous economic burden in terms of lost workforce productivity and increased healthcare costs. For populations in general, especially in developing countries, HIV/AIDS is a public health crisis overwhelming infrastructures of healthcare and limiting the capability of countries to address other pressing health problems.
If the effective control of HIV/AIDS is not treated with international cooperation and sustained funding for prevention and treatment, then the social and political backlash will be severe. Poverty will be further entrenched, and health disparities expanded, as individuals without access to adequate care continue to suffer disproportionately (Fornili, 2022). All this will amount to total social structures wearing out as key members of the workforce get lost to illness, which means more dependency, orphaned children, and weaker economies. Politically, poor countries face instability as governments realize a lack of resources to tackle the crisis, which causes tension among the affected populations and governments. This further migration difficulty would also arise from a failure to address this health issue since patients will seek enhanced access to care in other regions. This situation threatens to stretch international relations further and heighten inequalities in global health.
Socioeconomic, Political, and Cultural Influences of Health Issues
Socioeconomic, political, and cultural factors are deep influences in HIV/AIDS cases. These have resultant effects both on the prevalence and effectiveness of interventions. The socioeconomic status of an individual and a community, the political will of governments, and the many different cultural beliefs and perceptions associated with health and disease transmission are all important factors to explain the scope of this global health issue.
Socioeconomic Factors
Economic inequalities would significantly impact the outcome of HIV/AIDS, especially in developing areas, such as sub-Saharan Africa, where healthcare and drugs are still scarce (Papageorgiou et al., 2021). Poverty will increase the prevalence of the disease as it negatively affects one’s chance of accessing preventive measures by pushing the less privileged away from accessing education and contraceptives, as well as lifesaving antiretroviral therapy. A lower socioeconomic status can’t afford the right kind of nutrition, hence their chances of getting a disease are higher. These future socioeconomic changes-for instance, increased foreign aid or world economic depression-may either improve or worsen access to needed health services, thus affecting the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Political Factors
Political will is an important facilitator in solving HIV/AIDS. Nations that have active support in terms of public health policy by their government for HIV testing, prevention, and treatment plans have infection rates declined (Belay et al., 2022). But without the political will to place HIV/AIDS at the top of national agendas, the burden of the disease will continue to evolve, and the enormous challenges in high-burden areas will persist. Future political changes, such as better international cooperation or local policy reforms, may either strengthen or weaken the impact of HIV/AIDS interventions, with serious implications for populations at risk.
Cultural Impact
Cultural beliefs and practices play a role in the way HIV/AIDS is perceived and managed within communities (Larki & Latifnejad Roudsari, 2020). Many parts of the world are experiencing a kind of stigma with HIV that discourages people from pursuing care and thus spreads the disease further. Cultural norms prescribing certain behaviors or gender roles can be limiting to women’s access to care, seeing that they are most affected by the epidemic. Future changes in cultural attitudes, perhaps due to either international education campaigns or altered local social norms, might reduce the stigma and increase health-seeking behavior or preserve the current status, and nothing would change, with the problem unrestrained. However, these cultural factors are an essential determinant to explain the future evolution of HIV/AIDS as a global health phenomenon and how targeted interventions can be meaningful in addressing it.
Future Changes Which Can Increase or Decrease Effects on HIV/AIDS
Future interventions that may either enhance or reduce the effects of HIV/AIDS depend on various relevant factors, including advancements in health care, and social, and policy efforts (Threats et al., 2021). In this regard, better access to effective ART plus new prevention approaches like PrEP and probably vaccines will significantly reduce new infections and improve the health status of those infected with HIV. However, challenges in the form of dwindling funds for public health programs, continued stigma, and discrimination prevent advancement and further contribute to transmission rates and worsening health disparities. Moreover, shifting social determinants of health, such as fiscal insecurity and availability of healthcare services, will mark the HIV/AIDS situation. In general, future development of the epidemic will result from concerted efforts to increase access to treatment, increase awareness, and develop policy support.
Evaluation of Strategies Used Historically to Address HIV/AIDS
HIV/AIDS efforts have greatly transformed from simple steps such as education and improvements in the means of treatment to actual widespread prevention and treatment promotion in contemporary times.
Past Strategies
There have been several strategies in the past, which have included public health campaigns aimed at heightening awareness of the disease and its transmission (Madhumathi et al., 2021). High-risk populations such as intravenous drug abusers and men who have sex with men were educated to adopt safer behaviors through campaigns during the 1980s and 1990s. The programs that came to be very essential in reducing transmission rates included the provision of needle exchanges and the distribution of condoms. The advent of antiretroviral therapy in the mid-1990s transformed HIV/AIDS from a terminal illness to a manageable chronic disease, but early strategies were marred by the stigma surrounding the disease, the unavailability of many medications, and gross underfunding for global health initiatives.
Strategies in South Africa
South Africa has one of the highest rates of HIV infection in the world, and this has seen the country implement various strategies to manage the epidemic (Crowley et al., 2021). Public health campaigns are a major tool, with the aim of educating a healthy population to get tested, prevent occurrences, and prevent further spread through using condoms. It targets the main population groups as well as the specific highly risk-oriented groups including young adults, sex workers, and drug users.
South Africa has implemented an expansive ART program in their fight against the disease among people with HIV. ART is made free to the millions who require it, hoping to reduce viral loads and ensure quality lives among affected populations while preventing any new transmission of the virus (Pham et al., 2022). The government policies also complemented the efforts by investing in increased access to healthcare services and drugs, especially in rural areas. Moreover, efforts to remove stigma and discrimination have included an end to legal inequalities as well as equal treatment when providing services for HIV patients.
Still, there are many challenges. Poverty, unemployment, and minimal healthcare needs in some areas have hindered efforts to gain better control over the epidemic. Stigma continues to discourage many people from seeking treatment or testing for HIV/AIDS (Armstrong-Mensah et al., 2022). These problems need to be taken into deeper account if the victories gained so far are to last long.
Current Prospects in South Africa
South Africa has registered crucial positive prospects in its fight against HIV/AIDS due to the millions of persons who receive life-saving treatment (Gage, 2020). Public campaigns and, in particular, better access to testing and treatment have widely helped in new infections in the last few years.
Improvements on the part of the health sector also include many more healthcare workers trained for HIV-related care and even services integrated into general health programs (Okpua & Godwin C., 2022). As is typical, the chasm of accessibility in treatment and health care services remains the same; such accessibility continues to be a problem, especially in far-flung areas. The social stigma attached to HIV/AIDS continues to stand in the way of many people from seeking help.
Expectations for Future Success
Looking ahead approaches to South Africa and globally in dealing with HIV/AIDS must be all-inclusive approaches in the prevention, treatment, and support approach together (Zhang et al., 2024). That is, continued access expansion and growth about access to ART, public awareness, and reduction of stigma and developing and growing stronger partnerships among governments, NGOs, and international bodies scaling up successful programs for continued growth. There may also be reliance on the use of technology example, regarding information dissemination and treatment monitoring via mobile health platforms-plus implementation of future strategies in conformity with continued investment in infrastructure, as well as community-level prevention interventions, to ensure longer-term success.
Gaps
Other gaps present in the management strategies of HIV/AIDS include lack of healthcare access in some regions. This presents significant barriers to accessing testing services and treatment as required. Public education must involve very targeted activities, more so in high-risk groups, in cases where they are not aware of the risks posed by HIV or how to avoid them. Another area of gap lies in reducing stigma. While the situation has improved, those with the virus still suffer at a level of discrimination that prevents many of these sufferers from seeking the care they require.
Work remains to be done in altering perceptions around the disease among the general public to usher in an open embrace of none on the grounds of the said illness. Finally, while ART has transformed the approach to HIV management, more research should be channeled into making the treatment even more advanced and eventually, a cure (Eric & Hazel Tumelo Mufhandu, 2023). So both treatment and prevention research should remain the major area of investment.
Educational Resource or Project Proposal
Background
So far, HIV/AIDS is one of the major concerns facing public health in South Africa because a significant part of its population is suffering from the virus. A project proposal will try to deal with deficiencies in prevention, treatment, and education focusing on reducing new infections and enhancing the quality of life affected by this disease.
Target Population
It will engage populations most at risk for HIV in South Africa, like young adults, sex workers, and people who inject drugs (Decker et al., 2022). High-risk interventions will be developed with populations based on the unique challenges they have with HIV.
Method
The project will engage education materials and community-based interventions tailored to the target group. These will be created together with local healthcare providers and community leaders to accommodate cultural sensitivity.
- Posters, brochures, and online content will enlighten on HIV prevention and treatment.
- These clinics will offer training to community health workers to increase their service delivery ability in HIV care and support.
- This clinic is mainly a health facility that has been made mobile because it offers testing and treatment services that are usually found in the hospital. This facility will help reach remote areas where most people are not reached for the purpose of fighting HIV. The project will be implemented in different South African communities with a highly prevalent rate of HIV in them (Buthelezi et al., 2020). The project will mainly operate at health centers, community-based organizations, and schools.
Assumptions
The project assumes that educational activities and access to healthcare services will lead to better prevention and treatment outcomes for HIV/AIDS. It assumes that by focusing on high-risk groups, including young adults, sex workers, and drug users, the program will have a greater impact in reducing new infections. It also assumes that decreasing the social stigma and discrimination around HIV and AIDS would result in a rise in the percentage seeking testing and subsequent treatment (Bohren et al., 2022). It further presumes that the involvement of the community and coordination with local providers would increase the effectiveness and sustainability of the program.
Summary of the Practicum Experience
During the practicum experience, I was able to get involved in various aspects of public health initiatives focusing on community mobilization and health promotion. Such hands-on exposure was great because I got to work with local health agencies through which I was able to engage in outreach programs that targeted raising awareness about critical health issues such as HIV/AIDS (Guilamo-Ramos et al., 2021). Through direct interaction with members of the community, I learned to appreciate and comprehend what their needs are and what issues or concerns they have and informed the development of tailored educational materials. At the same time, I improved my data collection and analysis skills as contributions toward efforts trying to assess the effectiveness of existing health interventions. The practicum helped to gain a greater understanding of strategies in public health, and it reinforced my commitment to enabling a better outcome for community health.
NURS FPX 8014 Assessment 2 Conclusion
Eradicative action against the epidemic in HIV/AIDS will require wholesale mobilization of education, community participation, and accessible care services that are tailored towards the needs and requirements of vulnerable populations. With a friendly setting that understands and supports, we can come to reduce stigma, thus enabling people to undergo the necessary testing and treatment. Indeed, it is not possible to do alone, and teamwork with public health organizations, community leaders, and healthcare providers should be focused on creating sustainable interventions against HIV/AIDS (Ma & Loke, 2020).
NURS FPX 8014 Assessment 2 References
Armstrong-Mensah, E. A., Tetteh, A. K., Ofori, E., & Ekhosuehi, O. (2022). Voluntary counseling and testing, antiretroviral therapy access, and HIV-related stigma: global progress and challenges. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(11), 6597. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19116597
Belay, Y. A., Yitayal, M., Atnafu, A., & Taye, F. A. (2022). Barriers and facilitators to the implementation and scale-up of differentiated service delivery models for HIV treatment in Africa: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08825-2
Buthelezi, S. F., Marie Modeste, R. R., & Phetlhu, D. R. (2020). Impediments and reasons for poor management of children under five exposed to HIV in South Africa. International Journal of Africa Nursing Sciences, 12, 100188. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijans.2019.100188
Bohren, M. A., Vazquez Corona, M., Odiase, O. J., Wilson, A. N., Sudhinaraset, M., Diamond-Smith, N., Berryman, J., Tunçalp, Ö., & Afulani, P. A. (2022). Strategies to reduce stigma and discrimination in sexual and reproductive healthcare settings: A mixed-methods systematic review. PLOS Global Public Health, 2(6), e0000582. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0000582
Crowley, T., Mokoka, E., & Geyer, N. (2021). Ten years of nurse-initiated antiretroviral treatment in South Africa: A narrative review of enablers and barriers. Southern African Journal of HIV Medicine, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhivmed.v22i1.1196
Decker, M. R., Lyons, C., Guan, K., Mosenge, V., Fouda, G., Levitt, D., Abelson, A., Nunez, G. T., Njindam, I. M., Kurani, S., & Baral, S. (2022). A systematic review of gender-based violence prevention and response interventions for HIV key populations: female sex workers, men who have sex with men, and people who inject drugs. Trauma, Violence, & Abuse, 23(2), 676–694. https://doi.org/10.1177/15248380211029405
Eric, F., & Hazel Tumelo Mufhandu. (2023). Current arts, virologic failure, and implications for aids management: a systematic review. Viruses, 15(8), 1732–1732. https://doi.org/10.3390/v15081732
Fornili, K. S. (2022). Expanded conceptual framework for ethical action by nurses on the “further upstream and further downstream” determinants of health equity. Journal of Addictions Nursing, 33(3), 203–214. https://doi.org/10.1097/jan.0000000000000484
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Flores, D. D., Randolph, S. D., & Andjembe Etogho, E. B. (2020). Nursing Contributions to Ending the Global Adolescent and Young Adult HIV Pandemic. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 32(3), 264–282. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnc.0000000000000227
Gage, C. H. (2020). The thoughts and opinions of advanced life support providers in the South African private emergency medical services sector concerning pre-hospital palliative care. Uct.ac.za. https://open.uct.ac.za/handle/11427/32216
Guilamo-Ramos, V., Thimm-Kaiser, M., Benzekri, A., Hidalgo, A., Lanier, Y., Tlou, S., de Lourdes Rosas López, M., Soletti, A. B., & Hagan, H. (2021). Nurses at the frontline of public health emergency preparedness and response: lessons learned from the HIV/AIDS pandemic and emerging infectious disease outbreaks. The Lancet Infectious Diseases, 21(10). https://doi.org/10.1016/s1473-3099(20)30983-x
Larki, M., & Latifnejad Roudsari, R. (2020). Home-based care, the missing link in caring of patients living with hiv/aids and their family members: a narrative review. International Journal of Community Based Nursing and Midwifery, 8(3), 190–208. https://doi.org/10.30476/ijcbnm.2020.82771.1085
Ma, H., & Loke, A. Y. (2020). A scoping review of an hiv/AIDS-related stigma-reduction intervention for professionals and students from health-related disciplines. International Journal of Sexual Health, 32(2), 94–129. https://doi.org/10.1080/19317611.2020.1754317
Madhumathi, J., Sinha, R., Veeraraghavan, B., & Walia, K. (2021). Use of “Social Media”—an Option for Spreading Awareness in Infection Prevention. Current Treatment Options in Infectious Diseases, 13(1), 14–31. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40506-020-00244-3
Okpua, N. C., & Godwin C., A. (2022). Healthcare providers in Nigerian hospitals and HIV-related stigma: a systematic review. Journal of Communication in Healthcare, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1080/17538068.2022.2121596
Papageorgiou, V., Davies, B., Cooper, E., Singer, A., & Ward, H. (2021). Influence of material deprivation on clinical outcomes among people living with hiv in high-income countries: a systematic review and meta-analysis. AIDS and Behavior, 26(6), 2026–2054. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-021-03551-y
Pham, M. D., Nguyen, H. V., Anderson, D., Crowe, S., & Luchters, S. (2022). Viral load monitoring for people living with HIV in the era of test and treat: progress made and challenges ahead – a systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13504-2
Saragih, I. D., Tonapa, S. I., Saragih, I. S., Advani, S., Batubara, S. O., Suarilah, I., & Lin, C. J. (2021). Global prevalence of mental health problems among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review and meta-analysis. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 121, 104002. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2021.104002
Threats, M., Brawner, B. M., Montgomery, T. M., Abrams, J., Jemmott, L. S., Crouch, P.-C., Freeborn, K., Kamitani, E., & Enah, C. (2021). A review of recent HIV prevention interventions and future considerations for nursing science. Journal of the Association of Nurses in AIDS Care, 32(3), 373–391. https://doi.org/10.1097/jnc.0000000000000246
Zhang, Z., Zhang, S., Zhang, J., & Wang, L. (2024). Evaluation of therapeutic response to algorithm-assisted improvement of oral mucosa damage in male AIDS patients. Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, 21, 137–137. https://doi.org/10.62617/mcb.v21.137
