As we look at America today, we must look to the health of our nation. Not only do we not prioritize many of the needed life skills in school, but many students also graduate high school with a minimal understanding of society and the world. Not once was I taught how to manage money, how to properly invest, what good nutrition or diet should be, the importance of kindness, how to exercise properly, ways to manage stress, organization, how to cook healthy meals, etc. I have been extremely lucky to find a husband who has pushed me to learn. We have been together since we were 18 and together have prioritized healthy living in all aspects of our lives. If we did not push to be better from a young age, would I have ended up as many others from my hometown? Addicted to drugs, overweight, struggling with mental health, or even as an alcoholic.
The social determinants of health involve where we are born, grow, live, work, and age (Chelak & Chakole, 2023). As we look towards becoming Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) we must look towards how best to improve all aspects of these areas for our patients. I believe it is critical to focus on our education system as providers. Our educational system now is not moving forward but is stagnating and broken. Think of all the children who could benefit from education on how to be a successful and healthy adult. We could reach children who live in underserved areas and provide them with tools that they may not attain at home. If just 1 child has a better outcome in life from early intervention, that is a win in my eyes. If we raise a generation who prioritizes health promotion, I see a generation who will eliminate disparities.
As APRN’s we should be educating our communities and anyone who will listen, that we need to do something now about the social determinants of health within America and globally. Imagine how different our practice would be if we treated less patients with preventable disease. With a decreased strain on the healthcare system, access would likely improve for all populations via reduced need for services. It is proven that early interventions to improve socio-emotional and physical wellbeing are effective (Tollan et al., 2023). It is downstream effect: teach children how to live better, they will grow up learning the skills they need to become healthy adults, an entire generation will be raised with significantly better overall health. This is similar to the old adage on teaching a man how to fish versus providing him a fish. If he learns to fish for himself, he will have an endless supply of fish. If we teach our children how to be healthy, they will become healthy adults with the skills to be successful.
References:
Chelak, K., & Chakole, S. (2023). The role of social determinants of health in promoting health equality: A narrative review. Cureus, 15(1), 1-19. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.33425
Tollan, K., Jezrawi, R., Underwood, K., & Janus, M. (2023). A review on early intervention systems. Current Developmental Disorders Reports, 10(2), 147-153. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40474-023- 00274-8
