Running head UNIT 8 PROJECT1UNIT 8 PROJECT2Unit 8 Proj.docx

Running head: UNIT 8 PROJECT
1
UNIT 8 PROJECT
2
Unit 8 Project
Name
Community Health Assessment
Affiliated University
April 02, 2015
Abstract
This project is designed to give a bigger picture of the
information so far covered in this course unit. It will provide
information from project four which was about social behavior
theories and its roots and unit six that concerned about
Influenza vaccination in senior citizens 65 and over. It will also
give some information from project two which was about the
role of assessment in public health. Information about child
obesity as a health problem in my community will be provided,
and a detailed description of how data will be provided for this
health problem assessment. A completed health assessment
information using a U.S Census on my community and the
evaluation of this information, and the information about who
may be affected by this child obesity health evaluation and a
plan of action, conclusion and a reference page where
information was gathered.
Unit 8 Project
U.S Census data on my County in the State of Maryland
Montgomery County is where I live, located in the state of
Maryland. Its population as of 2013 was estimated to be
1,016,677 according to (United States Census Bureau), with a
racial breakdown of 62.6% white alone, 18.6% Black and
African American alone,0.7% American Indian and Alaskan

Natives alone, Asians 14.9%,Native Hawaiian and pacific
Islanders 0.1%,Two or more races 3.1%,Hispanic and Latino
18.3%.Those who are not Latinos or Hispanic comprise of
47.0% .Female persons comprise of 51.8% and no information
was provided about male. Senior citizens sixty five years and
over take up 13.3% .Information for people who are disabled
was not provided where as children under five years take up a
6.5% and those under 18 years comprised of 23.6%. (United
States Census Bureau)
Influenza Vaccination Health Assessment from Unit 6
Influenza is a deadly virus that attacks the nose, throat and
lungs and it can be spread from one person to another if a sick
person sneezes or coughs without covering their mouth and the
other person inhales it. In United States alone, Influenza is
estimated to be responsible for 36,000 deaths, and 110,000 to
200,000 hospitalizations ("Influenza vaccination," 2003). It is a
virus that is prevented mainly through immunization. The world
at large and the U.S government in particular, has tried their
level best to conduct public health campaigns that encourage
influenza vaccination but despite all the effort, a number of
people do not turn up due to varied reasons. In such helpless
situations an assessment can be carried out to help health care
advocates find out factors affecting vaccine commitment. A
good example of this is from county of Los Angeles where
immunization was carried out to people who are 65 and over
noted to be one of those at high risk but to their surprise a few
categories of people didn’t turn up for immunization. Results
from Los Angeles County Health Survey of 2002-2003 showed
that only 70% of adults 65 and older had received a flu vaccine
in the past year ("Influenza vaccination," 2003). Those
vaccinated in the last 12 months in the county were listed
according to race and ethnicity, characteristics, health
conditions, and barriers to accessing health care. The data
showed that by race, African American had the lowest turn up
with 42%, by characteristics females older adults was slightly
lower with 68% compared to male who were scored 72%, within

service planning areas South and Antelope Valley showed a
lower turn up with 48% for South and 59% for Antelope Valley
("Influenza vaccination," 2003). Among those with health
conditions, people with asthma turned out to be lower with 69%
which was surprising because that a group in the high risk
people who need to be immunized. Conclusions from this survey
showed that access to health care seems to be one of the major
barriers for people 65 and older to receive influenza vaccination
as only 57% oldies without a regular source of care showed up.
According to Center for Disease Control (CDC), “older people
with weaker immune systems often have a lower protective
immune response after flu vaccination compared to younger,
healthier people which can result in lower vaccine effectiveness
in these people” (Vaccine Effectiveness - How Well Does the
Flu Vaccine Work, 2015).Even though flu vaccine has a lower
effect for older people there are still good reasons why this
group should go for immunization. One, because their immune
system is weaker, they stand a higher chance of getting
seriously sick, be hospitalized and eventually die. In fact one of
the goals for Healthy People 2010, was to “increase annual
influenza vaccination to at least 90% of adults ages 65 years
and older” ("Influenza vaccination," 2003) because they are
among the group classified as high risk.
Another reason these people need to be immunized is for
protection purpose. This not only helps them but also people
who take care of them. It’s important to remember that this
group comprises of people who are still active and those who
are in their homes or nursing home because of varied illness.
The bottom line is that those who are still active can pass the
virus to many people they interact with and those who are being
cared for can pass it to their care givers and family members if
not immunized. Given that background, the following few
paragraphs describe how I will gather data for Influenza
vaccination among the older adults 65 and older.

Data collection for Influenza Vaccination for adults 65 and over
Method of Data collection for Influenza vaccination for 65+.
In an attempt to gather data on this health issue, I will first of
all review government, state, and county data reports about
influenza vaccination to see what has been done in the past so
that I get an insight of the existing trends. I will use focus
group discussion by randomly selecting a group of six to ten
adults 65 and over so that am able to get their feelings, opinions
and perceptions about influenza vaccination. I will try my level
best to involve many public health officials from the county
because they have more experience than I do. I will plan to have
this discussion limited to one and half hours and I will make
sure they are clear about the purpose of our meeting, encourage
them to be open in the discussion as this will help me to
understand their attitudes and beliefs that influence their
behavior, environmental factors and government policies.
I will observe, listen and record the data being presented and
then combine it with that from past county, state and
government reports and make an assessment.
Assessment
Older adults 65 years and are at high risk of getting influenza
which can eventually lead to pneumonia, compared to their
counter parts the young healthy adults. It is estimated that
“Influenza causes between 3,000 and 49,000 deaths a year,
depending on the severity of the flu season and that adults aged
65 and older make up ninety percent of those deaths” (Missed
Opportunities Influenza and Pneumonia Vaccination in Older
Adults) and that if an intervention is not sought, this problem
might continue to rise leading to more deaths and a huge burden
on the economy.
Research indicator from Montgomery County showed the
percentage of people 65 and older who had received influenza

vaccination in the past years as follows. In 2009, 77.6% of older
adults were immunized, 2010, 77.9%, 2011,71.5%, 2012 64.5%
and 2013 the total percentage was 69% (Adults 65+ with
Influenza Vaccination - Healthy Montgomery) a trend that
shows that there is a very unstable prediction of immunizations
each year probably a lean towards decline.
In my research findings, I compared many other data resources,
and found out that there were many factors that seemed to
hinder older adults to go for influenza vaccination. The first
was being patient’s knowledge and awareness. Many of these
old people didn’t know they were supposed to go for a flu shot.
Others believed that a flu shot will make them sick because they
have heard from other people that it made them sick and in fact
their families and friends discouraged them from receiving one.
Access to care was another barrier. Many old people who did
not have transportation to go get a shot did not get immunized
.Providers beliefs and behavior was also a contributing factor in
that if a doctor believed not in immunization they could not
encourage older people to get immunized. Another problem was
attitudes, ”One small study exploring African-American and
Hispanic attitudes toward vaccination found that among their
focus group participants, a lack of knowledge about the benefits
of the vaccines was directly tied to increased fears and concerns
of adverse events, as well as perceived barriers fitting
vaccination in their schedules” (Missed Opportunities Influenza
and Pneumonia Vaccination in Older Adults) a situation that has
led to vaccination disparities among African-American and
Hispanic people compared to other races.
Evaluation
Evaluation is the process of making sure you did what you were
supposed to do, determine whether your program had an impact
based on what you were trying to achieve and assessing whether
the program model and theory or theories you employed in

designing of the program were useful (Edberg, 2007.
Despite the fact that the government has provided flu shots for
decades and many public health leaders have done a good job in
organizing promotional annual vaccination campaigns of
influenza vaccination for older people who are categorized to be
in a group of people at high risk, there has been less progress.
People still have barriers to the vaccine and other factors like
those mentioned above needs to be taken care of. Therefore a
plan of action that should be given a thought by public health
officials should be education strategies that help dispel myths
about immunization existing among older people and especially
African-American and Hispanic people.
Health care providers can also help boost immunization
numbers by keeping a record of the last flu shot received by
these old ones and remind them and their care givers when to
receive the next one.
Stake holders
The engagement of stake holders is very crucial in the
evaluation program therefor the following tables shows stake
holders that can be identified to help in this health intervention
and those needed for credibility of the evaluation, implantation,
advocate for change, funding and finally what matters to them
most.
Worksheet 1A
Identifying Key Stakeholders
Category
Stakeholders
1
Who is affected by the program?
Older people 65+, Health care providers and Physicians.
2
Who is involved in program operations?

Federal and State governments.
3
Who will use evaluation results?
Researchers, State and Local health departments, Residents and
nonprofit organizations
Which of these are key stakeholders we need to engage to:
Increase credibility of our evaluation
Implement the interventions that are central to this evaluation
Advocate for changes to institutionalize the evaluation findings
Fund/authorize the continuation or expansion of the program
Physicians
State and Local health departments
Physicians, Hospitals and Residents.
Policy makers at federal and state governments,
1B
What Matters to Stakeholders
Stakeholders
What activities and/or outcomes of this program matter most to
them?
1
Federal Governments
Demography of those affected by influenza vaccination
2
State Government
Surveillance data to describe incidence and prevalence of
influenza vaccination.
3
Educators
Program effectiveness on how improved influenza vaccination
will help increase old people’s life span.
4
Industry
Ways to motivate old people have a positive turn up for
immunization.

5
Researchers
Information on the policies being used by governments to boost
immunization
6
Media
Old people’s idea about flu shot immunization to help
communicate the message in the way they will understand.
7
Physicians
Health related measures
8
Business
Cost effectiveness to influenza immunization strategies.
In conclusion, the above paragraphs give information on what is
so far covered in this course unit, an influenza health healthy
issue, methods of data collection, assessment, evaluation and
stake holders needed to be involved and a reference page.
References
Edberg, M. (2007). Essentials of Health Behaviour Social and
Behavioural Theory. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Barlett Learning,
LLC.
Influenza vaccination. (2003, October 21). Retrieved from
http://www.lapublichealth.org/ha/HA_ALPHA_REPORTS.htm
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). Retrieved from
quickfacts.census.gov: http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
Missed Opportunities Influenza and Pneumonia Vaccination in
Older Adults. (n.d.). Retrieved from www.lung.org:
http://www.lung.org/assets/documents/publications/lung-
disease-data/adult-vaccination-disparities.pdf
Adults 65+ with Influenza Vaccination - Healthy Montgomery.
(n.d.). Retrieved from www.healthymontgomery.org:
http://www.healthymontgomery.org/modules.php?op=modload&
name=NS-Indicator&file=indicator&iid=17385547

COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT
COMMUNITY HEALTH ASSESSMENT 2
Arthritis – The Leading Cause of
Disabilities
Name
Course Title
06/02/2015
Introduction
Arthritis is currently the major cause of disability in the
United States, affecting over 43 million of the U.S. adults. The
estimated total cost associated directly with Arthritis is said to
be $51 billion for medical cover and $35 billion incurred
indirectly such as lost productivity. According to a survey
conducted by the Los Angeles County Health Survey (LACHS),
over 1.3 million adults are diagnosed with arthritis every year.
The cases of arthritis were also very high in woman than men.
The prevalence was lowest among Asians at 12%, Latinos
(19%), whites (21%) and African Americans (29%). As the
population increases, the number of people with arthritis as well

as the expected costs are expected to increase (Trevor, 2015).
Arthritis Burden
Arthritis poses a great burden in the society not just
because of its large economic impact and high prevalence, but
also because of the limitations and the pain it causes in both
social and physical functioning. Nationally, over 16 million
people have reported being limited in their daily functioning
due to the illness. Almost a third of the working arthritis adults
have reported some limitations in their work. Although the
prevalence of the disease in Los Angeles (20%) is similar to the
national one (21%), the proportion of adults who reported
discomfort in LA County was at 50% high compared to the 38%
in the national level. The rate of activity limitation differed by
race where 64% African Americans reported arthritis related
limitations in their activities, compared to Asians at 43%,
Whites 46% and Latinos at 48% (Trevor, 2015).
Arthritic people have also been reported to have a worse
quality of life compared to people that do not have the illness.
Report from a survey conducted in 2005 showed that adults who
had arthritis had unhealthy days, and even worse where their
days were limited by mental or physical health compared to
adults who did not have arthritis. Arthritic adults were also
likely to see their health as getting worse compared to those
that did not have arthritis, where 40% reported that their health
was poor or fair compared to 16% of adults who never had
arthritis and just 16% without the disease. The self-perceived
health status varied by ethnicity and race where African
Americans were more likely to say their health was poor
compared to other races such as Whites (Trevor, 2015).
Risk Factors for Arthritis
Arthritis comes in many forms; most of the diseases affect
the tissues that surround joints or the joints themselves. The
most common forms of arthritis include, gout, osteoarthritis,
fibromyalgia and rheumatoid. The most dangerous forms of it
such as systemic lupus erythematosus can affect several organs.
Although arthritis prevalence increases with age, the disease

affects people of all ages including children. In addition to non-
changeable risks factors like gender, age and genetics, an
individual’s risk of getting arthritis increases with being
overweight. The risk has also been said to increase in people
that have joint infection or injury and in some cases being
involved in tasks that involve repetitive motions that stress the
joints. Being overweight is also associated with both
progression and development of arthritis and particularly
osteoarthritis. A research conducted by LACHS indicated that
arthritis increased with the body mass index, from 12% among
the underweight to 25% among the obese people.
Arthritis Prevention and Management
Many people do not understand that arthritis is not part of
aging and that it can be eliminated. Avoiding joint injuries,
maintaining a healthy weight, early treatment or prevention of
infectious diseases can actually prevent the development of the
illness. Once arthritis has occurred, early treatment and
diagnosis for preventing the disabilities that are usually
associated with the illness and reducing the need to replace the
joints is important. Self management activities like involving
yourself in regular exercises and maintaining healthy weights
are important in the prevention of arthritis progression. This has
previously indicated positive results such as improved function,
delay disability and a decrease in pain. All these interventions
can help arthritic people to maintain a high quality and
independent life but are rarely utilized (Trevor, 2015).
The Arthritis Foundation offers a 6-week self help course
that educates people on how they can manage their arthritis.
People who managed to complete the course are found to be in
lesser pain, fewer visit to the doctors and improved function.
Another important thing that arthritic people can take is to
involve themselves in frequent activities. Both aerobic and
strength training have been found to be very significant to
people suffering from the illness, where by pain has been found
to improve physical functioning and delay disabilities. Elderly
adults with arthritis and have not been doing exercises were

found to experience more decline as opposed to those who did.
In addition to this, engaging in physical activities also helps to
prevent obesity and also lowers the chances of developing other
medical conditions that are associated with inactivity such as
diabetes and heart diseases (Henry, 2010).
There are several self management habits that can help the
patient to manage the disease successfully. First, there is a need
to be more organized in terms of keeping track of pain levels,
symptoms, possible side effects and medications. To manage the
pain as well as fatigue, medication can always be used together
with a non-medical pain management. The patient is also
advised to balance the amount of activity with some rest. As
much as being active is advised, rest is important especially
when the disease is active.
As we are all aware, the origin of most of these illnesses is
diet, a healthy diet is key towards achieving a healthy weight
and regulation of inflammation through consumption of foods
that have high antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties.
Lack of sleep is said to aggravate arthritis fatigue and pain,
there are various measures that can be put into place to ensure
that you get some sleep and stay asleep such as avoiding
caffeine and strenuous exercises in the evenings. To protect
your joints, it is advisable to use the strongest and larger joints
as levels whenever you are opening doors, using a number of
joints to spread the weight of an object (Henry, 2010).
To overcome some of the arthritis therapies, doctors have
suggested a number of physical therapies to help in overcoming
the symptoms. They include warm water therapy – doing
exercises in a pool of warm water. Basically, less weight is put
on the joints and muscles because the weight is supported by the
water. It is not easy to live with arthritis and carrying out a few
tasks can be difficult and painful. However, there are several
things that can be done with the doctor to ensure a better quality
life.
Whether your arthritis is inflammatory or non-
inflammatory or even the painful gout, there are various forms

of recommendations and medications to ensure that your joints
never become much damaged (Elias, 2011). When it comes to
treating arthritis, the focus is always on the reduction of the
pain, maintaining of quality life and improvement of
functioning. According to the American College of
Rheumatology, the treatment for arthritis includes medications,
splits or joint assistive aids; non-pharmacological therapies;
weight loss; physical or occupational therapy; patient education
and support and surgery.
When it comes to medication, non-inflammatory types of
arthritis like osteoarthritis are normally treated with physical
activities, pain medications, self-management education and
weight loss in cases where the individual is overweight. The
inflammatory types of arthritis such as RA can also be treated
with these methods together with anti-inflammatory
medications, anti-rheumatic drugs and a new class of drugs
known as biologics. The medications used in treating arthritis
depend on the type of arthritis (Elias, 2011).
Arthritis has many negative impacts on human life and
sexuality is one of them. Sexuality is associated with our self-
identity and quality of life (Henry, 2010). And yet living in
stiffness, pain, limited movement, fatigue and other issues
associated with arthritis can reduce our sexual enjoyment and
expression. With such an effect and others like financial
constraints, it is evident that arthritis is a major setback in the
society. The methods used in the treatment of the illness can be
very helpful planning for community health interventions. On
the other hand, data such as the number of people suffering
from arthritis and amount of money used in medication can be
used in public policy planning.

Reference List
Trevor, T., 2015, Arthritis: Causes, Symptoms and Treatments,
Bust Business Books, New York
Henry, C.A., 2010, (Ed.). Maintaining a good Health for a good
life, Business Expert Press, LLC, New York
Elias, K., 2011, Healthcare: Ways of Curbing Arthritis, John
Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ
Running head: HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 1
HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT 3
Name
Course title
05/18/2015

I reside in Baltimore County; Maryland whose
population as per the 2013 population estimates stands at
823,883. The populace is a mix of people from all ages, sexes,
and races. In terms of age, the number of senior citizens at
15.5percent is estimated to be 127702 while that of children is
49433. The county at 52.6% (433362) has more female
population relative to the males who are 490520 (quick facts).
In relation to race, majority of the populations are purely white
such that as per the estimates of 2013, at 494,329 persons they
accounted for over 64.1 percent of the total population. Other
significant people in the community include black or African
American who are 226,567 persons, American Indians and those
of Alaska Native alone were estimated at around 3,295, natives
of Hawaii and other Pacific islands alone are estimated at
around 823 persons. Other ethnic groups represented in the
county are pure Asians accounting for 46961 persons. Typically,
persons of two or more recesses constitute 2.3% of the
population in the county indicating the high mix in the county
(quickfacts).
Arthritis
Arthritis is a secular disease that strike most of the older
generation due to the wear and tear that result from old age.
Various community intervention programs exist to aid the senior
people with their condition. For instance, the Arthritis
Foundation commits itself in leading the fight from the arthritis
community using life-changing information and resources
across the nation (arthritis foundation). In line with its
commitment, the Foundation has branches in all the states in the
union to help in the coordination of its activities. The
foundation further struggles for access to optimal care,
advancements in healthcare coupled with community
connections to the aged suffering from the condition. The
premise of the organization is to champion a winning course
while hoping to make every day another stride towards curing
the disease.
Cancer

Another condition that affects the senior population in the
county is cancer. With over 9% of the seniors living with the
condition, it is apparent the condition is a serious health
condition among the populace in Baltimore County (BCCP).
Nevertheless, with the support of various community and state
level organizations, the plight of cancer patients is now
bearable. For instance, the breast and cervical cancer program
in the county exist to extend services aimed at barring and
treating breast and cervical cancer among women aged above 40
years. Other relevant cancer support groups in include the
Baltimore County cancer coalition, relay for cancer group,
Baltimore cancer support and the Sinai cancer support group
(Baltimore County). All the organizations offer education and
training programs related to healthy living patterns among the
persons in the county.
Health assessment: Diabetes
The assessment begins by asking questions pertaining
demographics in relation to age, gender, race and body mass
index. Studies agree that such demographics is very crucial
when classifying trends in relation to persons with diabetes
The assessment also analyzes the eating habits in relation to the
consumption of healthy foods and unhealthy substances.
Campbell, and Rains, (2015) agree that the consumption of
foods such as fruits and vegetables has a tendency to reduce
chances of contracting the condition while some substances
such as refined foods and alcohol have a negative impact on
health. The situation further worsens for individuals that smoke
either cigars or cigarettes. Several research studies finds out
that the higher the volume and duration an individual has
smoked, the more the chances of developing conditions such as
hypertension that makes individuals more vulnerable to
diabetes. Associated with diabetes include blood pressure,
frequency of exercising, blood sugar levels, levels of
cholesterol and levels of serum. Nolan, et al, (2014) also
documented that higher levels of cholesterol, blood pressure,
and serum triglyceride increases the chances of individual

contracting diabetes. Other factors linked to the condition
include family history in relation to the condition and the use of
medication related to the condition.
The results provide an estimate of the chances of an individual
developing type II in relation to other persons of a similar age
bracket. Using seven risk categories, the assessment shows that
relative to a typical being of my age, my risks of contracting the
diabetes are very much below average. The classification
implies that I have none of the known risks that could
predispose me to the condition. Among other things, I watch my
weight, I neither smoke nor drink, and I occasionally practice
and consume a considerable amount of vegetables and whole
grains. Among others, the assessment recommends that I
increase my intake of fruits, adopt additional healthy behavior
and, above all, drink a moderate amount of alcohol. The results
of the evaluation concur with Yu et al., (2014) in which they
showed that high fruit intakes and more exercise were the right
paths to avoiding diabetes.
The information presented is vital in the enhancement of an
individual’s health in a number of ways. Knowing that there are
various organizations dedicated to helping those with conditions
such as arthritis and cancer promotes the essence of positive
living. With the support and training programs provided by such
programs in place, cases of persons succumbing early to these
conditions are significantly reduced. Further, the health
assessment website is very informative and proved to be very
interactive. The fact that the website provides support
information in the form of recommendations in relation to the
results of the assessment is splendid of the website. For
instance, the recommendations I got from my assessment on
diabetes would be very crucial in helping me adopt responsible
behavior in relation to health.
References
Campbell, A. P., & Rains, T. M. (2015). Dietary protein is

necessary in the practical management of pre-diabetes and type
2 diabetes. The Journal of Nutrition, 145(1), 164S-169S.
doi:10.3945/jn.114.194878
Nolan, C. J., Ruderman, N. B., Kahn, S. E., Pedersen, O., &
Prentki, M. (2014). Insulin resistance as a physiological defense
against metabolic stress: implications for the management of
subsets of type 2 diabetes. Diabetes, 64(3), 673-686.
doi:10.2337/db14-0694
Yu, C. H., Parsons, J. A., Mamdani, M., Lebovic, G., Hall, S.,
Newton, D., & Straus, S. E. (2014). A web-based intervention to
support self-management of patients with type 2 diabetes
mellitus: effect on self-efficacy, self-care and diabetes distress.
BMC Medical Informatics & Decision Making, 14(1), 1-26.
doi:10.1186/s12911-014-0117-3
Retrieved on May 15th 2015 from
<http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/
Retrieved on May 17th, 2015 from
http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLCY15SA?p
g=entry&fr_id=64447
Retrieved on May 15th, 2015 from
http://www.baltimorecountymd.gov/Agencies/health/healthservi
ces/coalition.html
Retrieved on May 15th, from
http://www.icarol.info/ResultDetails.aspx?org=2046&agencynu
m=171365
Running Head: ROLE OF ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HEATH
ROLE OF ASSESSMENT OF PUBLIC HEATH

Role of Assessment of Public Heath
Name
Course Title
05/03/2015
Public health is the science of protection and upgrading families
and communities’ health by creating awareness for healthy
lifestyles through education and policy making, prevention of
injuries, doing research for diseases and detecting and
controlling spread of infectious diseases. Generally public
health is concerned with ensuring a safe and healthy
environment for entire populations. It revolves around all
disciplines in life and its professionals are tasked with the
prevention of recurrence of problems and limit of health
problems. Public health promotes healthcare equitability, ease
of access and high quality standards.
Public health refers to the protection and improvement of a
community, population or family health. Some of the activities
involved are protection of food and water supplies, participation
in voluntary health work and hospices and maintaining of birth
and death records. Personal health refers to that individual
decision making and actions that affect the health of an
individual or an immediate family member or relative. Some of
the activities involved are regular medical check-ups, eating
balanced food and wearing safety belts.

Public health assessments are the processes through which
information is obtained and interpreted so as to determine the
health status of a specific population. These assessments mostly
revolve around the following topics; environmental data,
community concerns and health data. Benefits of these
assessments are as follows. One is the regular monitoring of a
communities’ health status. Development of database that is
recording population health registries helps professional keep
track of the trends and progresses. Secondly, offers a chance to
diagnose and investigate health problems or hazards. In cases of
outbreak of diseases that necessities emergency responses, these
assessments offer a chance to offer effectively solve those
issues through offering a platform to conduct researches.
Moreover it creates sensitisation of the community on health
related issues. This is possible through informing, education
and empowering of people about health issues. It offers a
chance to also evaluate instituted education policy and
programs and their effectiveness occasionally. This also creates
public openness and involvement on decisions that affect them.
Generally there is a greater understanding of health issues in the
community.
Public health features an emphasis on promotion of health of
the population rather than individual health. This requires a lot
of collection and use of sensitive data, surveillance of the
community and other empirical assessments. In most cases
ethical issues arise causing conflicts. Potential conflict that may
arise is infringement of one’s private life. Collection of data on
a person may involve access to very confidential health
conditions that requires being under lock and key.
Confidentiality and security of people’s personal health records
is crucial. Privacy is attributed to ones right of individual not to
be coerced into giving on information of them. Epidemiologists
should be ethically equipped people following that professional
code of conduct. Appropriate measures and strict guidelines
should be taken to protect privacy of individuals and keeping
information confidential involving research participants during

and after a study. The same also applies to personal
information of staff in the public health activities. In case when
there will be infringement on one’s personal life parties
involved should be informed of the reasons. And that decision
should always be made following consultation with the
administration superiors.
Public policy enormously impact public health. Public health
assessments are used in most development projects. Before any
project is developed extensive study has to be done. In most
cases HIA involves the effects of a proposed project on
environment, such as infrastructure and urban development.
Using these assessments it helps involved parties understand the
health determinants on policy making as well as encouraging
them to evaluate the health effects of a proposed projects on the
population. Public health assessments provide a strong political
and research tool that involves global policy issues, like the
running of industries like oil, tobacco and fertilizers. They do
play an important role in that it creates connections by having
concrete evidences, between policies and environmental impacts
that facilitate the making of good public policies and offer a
platform for bad policies to be actively challenged.
Smoking is one of the most concerning health concerns. When
one is smoking it not only affects him but also the people in the
nearby zone. Most states and territories have banned smoking in
enclosed public places. In addition most outdoor areas have
managed for smoking and different jurisdictions have different
variability in terms of exception on smoking.
Queensland legislation stated that smoking in enclosed
workplaces and public areas of liquor selling was restricted
since 2002. Smoking was banned from any entrance with less
than four metres of a non-residential house, ten metres of any
children playground, artificial and patrolled beaches and in all
stadia and rooms managed by Queensland Sports Facilities
Authority. Liquor selling businesses could have designated
smoking zones. However food selling businesses were not
supposed to offer any smoking zones at all. This legislation is

very important as it would warrant against unnecessary
smoking. Toxicity of second-hand tobacco is very poisonous
according to studies. Its exposure would lead to heart diseases,
cardiovascular anomalies, and severe respiratory and ear
infection as well as asthma attacks in children.
Bibliography
Alex Scott Samuel, E. O. (2007). Health impact assessment,
human rights and global public policy: a critical appraisal.
Bullet World Health Organization Journal, 212-217.
Coughlin, S. S. (2006). Ethical Issues in Epidemiologic
Research and Public Health Research. Emerging Themes of
Epidemiology, 50-72.
National Center for Environmental Health. (2015, May 03).
Health Impact Assessment. Retrieved from Center for Disease
Control and Prevention:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyplaces/hia.htm
Prineas RJ, G. K. (1998). Findings from the American College
of Epidemiology Ethics Survey on the need for ethics guidelines
for epidemiologists. Journal on Epidemiology, 482-489.

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