HCA 302: Health Care Organization: Social & Economic Aspects

Poor quality dietary habits are one of the most pressing public health concerns of our time. As a society, we are faced with the paradox of malnutrition and overconsumption existing side-by-side. Many people in our communities deal with the stark reality of food insecurity coupled with a reliance on inexpensive, nutrient-poor calories that contribute to the nationwide prevalence of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic conditions. As a resource for both students and practitioners, Public Health and Community Nutrition provides an overview of how social determinants of health3/4socioeconomic factors that influence a population's or an individual's well-being3/4contribute to the existence of health disparities in the United States. Now more than ever, diet and health experts are needed to address these 21st-century public health challenges that require specific professional competencies related to nutritional assessment, knowledge of food assistance and support options, and nutrition education skills that are appropriate for targeted audiences.

Instructor Resources: Test bank; presentation PowerPoint slides, answer guides to discussion questions, exercises, and assignments, and resource lists. The field of population health examines a diverse range of environmental, physical, and cultural conditions that occur within populations; considers the health outcomes influenced by these conditions; and seeks the development of policies and interventions to improve health and minimize health inequities in an efficient and affordable manner. Population Health: Principles and Applications for Management provides the building blocks for taking a population health approach, which represents a new way of promoting health, preventing disease, and navigating public health and healthcare challenges in an ever-changing environment. The book explains the key principles, skills, and applications of public health; describes how a healthcare administrator can use epidemiology, the basic science of public health, to understand and address the needs of communities; and then synthesizes this information to provide an introduction to population health management. Key topics include the following: The core functions of public health Public health system organization Descriptive and analytic epidemiology Health determinants and their impacts Methods for assessing the health of a community Applications of managerial epidemiology Elements of a data-driven approach to population health Bolstered by a variety of case studies and exercises, this book provides students with a conceptual framework that can be further developed and expanded through subsequent experiences in the workplace. Although the specific public health and healthcare issues facing communities will inevitably change over time, this framework will remain essential to efforts to improve the health of populations.