Monday, August 3, 2009
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Determinants of health
The health of an individual is affected by many factors.
Firstly, I think biology and behavior are the most important determinants of health. An individual is the product of his/her nature and environment. Sadly, the genetic traits that an individual inherited may have lifelong impacts on the individual health. A baby who was born with a defective gene (i.e. Down syndrome) is more likely developing certain diseases or having a shorter life expectancy. In addition, poor choices such as smoking, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, and unbalanced eating can negatively affect the quality of health of an individual.
Secondly, the physical and social environment that somebody lives in can directly or indirectly determine the health of that person. An individual living near a toxic power-plant or living in an area with poor sanitation is at high risk for developing certain health problems. The social environment is a broad term; in my opinion, it includes the socioeconomic status, the race or ethnic background, and the education level of an individual. Certainly, all the factors listed above can determine the health of an individual.
Finally, having access to quality health care is the hope of all individuals and is a powerful determinant of health. Lack of healthcare insurance causes the most common health inequality in U.S., especially among minority groups. Policies and interventions determine whether or not some individuals have access to quality healthcare. The healthcare system is regulated through a lot of different nonprofit and private agencies. There is a big difference between the healthcare system in France where there is universal health coverage or in U.S where the health care is only accessible to a portion of the population. Today, there is growing consensus to reform the U.S healthcare system. Whether or not the reform takes place, our health will be affected by the current policies.
References
Kearney-Nunnery, R. (2008). Advancing Your Career: Concepts of Professional Nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
World Health Organization. (n.d.) The determinants of health. Retrieved on August 3, 2009, from http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/index.html.
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Firstly, I think biology and behavior are the most important determinants of health. An individual is the product of his/her nature and environment. Sadly, the genetic traits that an individual inherited may have lifelong impacts on the individual health. A baby who was born with a defective gene (i.e. Down syndrome) is more likely developing certain diseases or having a shorter life expectancy. In addition, poor choices such as smoking, alcohol abuse, sedentary lifestyle, and unbalanced eating can negatively affect the quality of health of an individual.
Secondly, the physical and social environment that somebody lives in can directly or indirectly determine the health of that person. An individual living near a toxic power-plant or living in an area with poor sanitation is at high risk for developing certain health problems. The social environment is a broad term; in my opinion, it includes the socioeconomic status, the race or ethnic background, and the education level of an individual. Certainly, all the factors listed above can determine the health of an individual.
Finally, having access to quality health care is the hope of all individuals and is a powerful determinant of health. Lack of healthcare insurance causes the most common health inequality in U.S., especially among minority groups. Policies and interventions determine whether or not some individuals have access to quality healthcare. The healthcare system is regulated through a lot of different nonprofit and private agencies. There is a big difference between the healthcare system in France where there is universal health coverage or in U.S where the health care is only accessible to a portion of the population. Today, there is growing consensus to reform the U.S healthcare system. Whether or not the reform takes place, our health will be affected by the current policies.
References
Kearney-Nunnery, R. (2008). Advancing Your Career: Concepts of Professional Nursing (4th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: F.A. Davis.
World Health Organization. (n.d.) The determinants of health. Retrieved on August 3, 2009, from http://www.who.int/hia/evidence/doh/en/index.html.
Read more
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Forensic news
A murder case on America’s Most Wanted list was being investigated by a forensic scientist, Dr. John Bond, from the university of Leicester and Northamptonshire police. Dr. Bond developed a new technique that enables scientists to see fingerprints on metal even after the print has been removed. Dr. Bond worked with US Police before to find prints on bullets fired about decade ago. He worked with casings from the Marianne Wilkinson murder case –currently cited on the America’s Most Wanted website. Dr. Bond stated that “I am confident that if any fingerprint deposit has corroded the metal shell casing then our new technique will find it.”
Around 7:30 PM on December 9, 2007, somebody rang Marianne Wilkinson’s bell in North Richland Hill, Texas. Marianne was greeted by four gunshots. She died on her front porch after the police arrival. A neighbor who was going through a complicated divorce believed that she was the target. She lived one street away with the same number in the same housing community. According to Wilkinson’ family and friend, the 68 year old had no enemies and nobody would have wanted to kill her. Later, a handgun was discovered and confirmed to be the one used to kill Marianne.
References
University of Leicester (2008, November). America's Most Wanted' Murder case to be investigated by pioneering UK Forensic Scientist. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/11/081120073159.htm
Read more
Around 7:30 PM on December 9, 2007, somebody rang Marianne Wilkinson’s bell in North Richland Hill, Texas. Marianne was greeted by four gunshots. She died on her front porch after the police arrival. A neighbor who was going through a complicated divorce believed that she was the target. She lived one street away with the same number in the same housing community. According to Wilkinson’ family and friend, the 68 year old had no enemies and nobody would have wanted to kill her. Later, a handgun was discovered and confirmed to be the one used to kill Marianne.
References
University of Leicester (2008, November). America's Most Wanted' Murder case to be investigated by pioneering UK Forensic Scientist. ScienceDaily. Retrieved June 6, 2009, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2008/11/081120073159.htm
Read more
CSI insects
The Forensic Science Service (FSS) requests assistance from insect’s experts at the Natural History Museum to help solve murders cases. The insects present on the victims’ body can help determine the time of death. Forensic Science Services turn to several experts, including entomologists from Natural History Museum in London to review criminal evidence.
Forensic entomology played significant role in big cases, and insect evidence has been admitted in court in the past, but had little regulation. “Under some circumstances, such as when a body has been burnt, or if it is badly decomposed, it can be difficult to ascertain a time of death using traditional pathology techniques”, (Devlin, 2009). Entomologists can determine the age of the insects and the generation of insects found on the body. Therefore, this enable scientist to calculate the minimum amount of time that the body has been at the site. Insects can also help finding the cause of death. The body might be too decomposed to get a blood sample. However, traces of a drug might be detected from the blood of the insects living on the body (Devlin, 2009).
I believe that this technique has great potential in forensic science. I suspect that there would be more interest in it in the future. The number of missing children and women seems to be escalating every day. Victim’s bodies are found after months and sometimes years after the crimes. It would be interesting to see how forensic nursing might get involved in this field in the future.
Reference
Devlin, H. (June 17, 2009). CSI insects: forensic scientists call in Natural History Museum. Retrieved June 30, 2009, from http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/science/article6513856.ece
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