Vulnerable Populations
Kelly S. Matthews
NUR/440
April 6, 2015
Deanna Radford

Vulnerable Populations

Vulnerable populations have an increased risk for poor health and have a potential to be susceptible for potential illnesses. There are many different aspects and circumstances that make a person or populations vulnerable. Knowing what makes you vulnerable and accessing needed care can decrease your risk to susceptible diseases and illnesses. Self awareness is the key to understanding the affects of vulnerability and accessing necessary care to maintain optimal health. In the Neighborhood 2.0, I chose the Young Family. The Young family is a young, African American family that lives a comfortable life. The Young family is a family of four, with health insurance and great family support. Steve is a college educated man that provides a great life for his family. Although Steve is healthy he is a smoker. Race, ethnicity, social status and personal limitations can affect vulnerability. Steve Young is an African American man who works a very stressful job. He has been a smoker since he was 17 years old. In the Neighborhood, we learn that Steve’s daughter, Kelsey, has been treated several times for allergies and chronic coughing. I chose to take a closer look at Kelsey, for my vulnerable population. She is vulnerable because she is an African American child who has been diagnosed with Asthma. She has no control over the circumstances that could have contributed to her diagnosis of asthma. She is unable to control her exposure to second hand smoke from her father, who has tried multiple times to quit. Children who are exposed to secondhand smoke can have more ear infections, cough and colds, respiratory problems, pneumonia and tooth decay. According to National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute “Asthma is a complex chronic inflammatory lung disease characterized by variable and recurring symptoms, airflow obstruction, and underlying inflammation causing recurrent episodes of coughing, wheezing, shortness of breath and chest tightness in susceptible persons” (National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 2007). Asthma is a chronic condition that contributes to differences in genetics and socioeconomic status. According to Rance, O'Laughlen, and Ting (2010) “there is an estimated 6.8 million children in the United States with asthma (p. 235). Second hand smoke can trigger asthma in children. In the Neighborhood we learn that Kelsey’s father has a very stressful job, which has been a factor in his inability to successfully stop smoking. He has tried several times to stop smoking cold turkey, but when he is stressed he begins to rationalize and start smoking again. The Young’s are your typical African-American family, they live in a nice home and have adequate healthcare, but other factors contribute to their vulnerability. I have experience the effects of how someone is affected by secondhand smoke. I lost my cousin at the age of thirty nine from asthma complications. She had suffered from asthma since she was a child. Her husband was a smoker and she was constantly in and out of the hospital with asthma flare-ups and complications. She ultimately lost her battle with asthma and left 3 children to be raised by other family members. I find myself being very judgmental of smokers and often wonder what they get out of smoking. But I’ve had to take a look at myself when I begin to judge someone’s lifestyle or choices. Society can be so harsh and we never know what someone is facing or dealing with. Before reading and researching more information on asthma, I wasn’t aware that African-Americans were more at risk. I just assumed that it was a condition that could affect anyone regardless of your ethnicity or race. Asthma is becoming a chronic problem in America and I think bringing awareness and education to the disease will help understand it and give a better look into proper treatment and prevention. If we inform and educate about predisposing factors and symptoms, maybe we can decrease the number of children that are affected with this disease. Many times as we see in the Neighborhood, children aren’t diagnosed right off with asthma. Often times they treat the symptoms on multiple occasions before realizing and properly diagnosing them. Many African-Americans lack access to adequate healthcare, which places them more at risk for delayed diagnosing and treatment. The sooner we seek help, the sooner children or adults can be diagnosed and treated. Seeking care early will only come with increased education and access to proper healthcare. Kelsey, is being treated for asthma and is on the proper medications now, but in the beginning it was trial and error. She has adequate access to healthcare, which is beneficial to keeping her healthy and keeping her asthma under control. Her dad has now stopped smoking, which will be great for her breathing and decrease her exposure to secondhand smoke. Her father has made the hard decision to give up smoking and even though it wasn’t an easy task, he stuck to his guns and made the commitment to stop. I’m not a smoker and I have been guilty of not understanding why someone can’t just kick the habit. But I have done a lot of self reflections. After having children I just let myself go and I got up to 285 pounds. I tried every diet possible, but never really stuck with any to see any results. I finally made the decision that if I wanted to be a part of my family’s lives that I needed to make a change. Today I am down to 170 pounds and losing weight was the hardest job that I’ve ever done. So as I reflect on my struggles , I see that I am no better than someone who can’t stop smoking. Someone could have easily looked at me and wondered why I couldn’t just stop eating and lose weight. So as I reflect back, all addictions are hard to quit. My addiction is no easier that anyone’s. So many times we are so focused on what others aren’t doing, that we can’t see our own faults. In conclusion, we all face vulnerability in some way or another. Education and access to care are the keys to decreasing our risks from preventable diseases and conditions. We all play important roles as nurses in bring awareness and educating our communities about delaying healthcare. By increasing awareness we make valuable contributions to our communities and help improve awareness. As nurses we have a lifelong commitment to continuing our education and knowledge to keep abreast on trends in healthcare.

References

McRae, D. (2010). The Impact of Asthma on Vulnerable Populations. Retrieved from http://www.healtystates.csg.org Rance, K., O'Laughlen, m., & Ting, S. (2010, April). Improving Asthma Care for African American Children by Increasing National Asthma Guideline Adherence. Journal of Pediatric Health Care, 25(4), 235-249. National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, 2007 National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. (2007). Guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of asthma. Retrieved from http:www.nhlbi.nih.gob/guidelines/asthma. Asthma: visits to asthma specialists delayed for African-American children. (2011). Pediatrics Week, 28. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview