Question  Neighborhood and Built Environment Discussion Purpose The purpose of the graded collaborative discussions is to engage faculty and students in an interactive dialogue to assist the student in organizing, integrating, applying, and critically appraising knowledge regarding advanced health assessment. Meaningful dialogue among faculty and students fosters the development of a learning community as ideas, perspectives, and knowledge are shared. Course Outcomes This discussion enables the student to meet the following course outcomes: • CO 1: Apply advanced practice nursing knowledge to collecting health history information and physical examination findings for various patient populations. (POs 1, 2) • CO 4: Adapt health history and physical examination skills to the developmental, gender-related, age-specific, and special population needs of the individual patient. (POs 1, 2) • CO 5: Conduct focused and comprehensive health histories and examinations for various patient popu

Social Determinants of Health – Neighborhood and Built Environment

The assigned social determinant is neighborhood and built environment. The neighborhood and built environment is the environment in which people live that impacts their physical and mental health (health.gov, 2023). The neighborhood and built environment social determinant covers the physical environment, including housing and the quality of housing, safety of the environment as well as crime rates, availability and accessibility of parks and other green spaces, available means of transport, and the design of houses and neighborhoods. This social determinant significantly influences the overall health of the community as it defines exposure to factors causing ill health, such as the drainage systems within the neighborhood. Due to raw sewage, poor drainage is a risk for diseases such as cholera. It also determines how clean water is accessed and how the residents engage in physical activity and socialize (Gebauer et al., 2020). Physical activity can help manage or prevent the development of chronic diseases such as diabetes, kidney disease, heart disease, and arthritis (Anderson & Durstine, 2019).

Healthy People Objective Related to the Assigned Social Determinant

A major goal in the neighborhood and built environment is physical activity. The goal has two objectives: to “increase the proportion of adults who walk or bike to get places” and to “increase the proportion of adolescents who walk or bike to get places.”  The selected objective is to “increase the proportion of adults who walk or bike to get places.” The objective aims to improve the physical activity of the population above 18 years. It aims to improve physical activity by increasing the desire to walk or ride bikes to get from one place to another. The desired direction of this objective was to increase the people’s desire to engage in physical activity by targeting 26.8% of the population. However, the status of the objective remains at little or no detectable change.

Appropriate Questions

1. How did you get here, and how do you usually get around when you leave your home?
2. Do you engage in any physical activities? If yes, which one is your favorite, and for how long and how often do you engage in physical activity?

• Do you face any challenges when trying to engage in physical activity? If yes, can you be a bit specific?

1. In your neighborhood, do you have community spaces open to the public that people can utilize for physical activities, such as gyms, walkways, sports grounds, or a park?

Resources to Help Meet the Chosen Objective

1. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is a national resource that provides various guidelines on improving and promoting physical activities for adults and adolescents. The CDC’s website has multiple resources and guidelines for improving physical activities, including resources for individual and group activities. The CDC website as a resource can also help meet the physical activity objective of Healthy People 2030 as it educates at-risk clients and families on ways to engage in physical activities, access parks, and design neighborhoods that support physical activities. An example of the resources that are used to improve and promote physical activity can be found at this CDC’s website: Strategies to Increase Physical Activity | Active People, Healthy Nation | Physical Activity | CDC (link opens to an external source).
2. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) website

The NHLBI is a part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The NHLBI website provides guidelines and downloadable resources that educate individuals, families, and communities on physical activity and its relationship to healthy weight and health. The resource is accessible from https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/educational/wecan/tools-resources/physical-activity.htm (Link opens to an external source).

References

Anderson, E., & Durstine, J. L. (2019). Physical activity, exercise, and chronic diseases: A brief review. Sports Medicine and Health Science, 1(1), 3–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.SMHS.2019.08.006

Gebauer, S., Schootman, M., Xian, H., & Xaverius, P. (2020). Neighborhood built and social environment and meeting physical activity recommendations among mid