Community health nursing diagnosis
The United States is home to many ethnic groups such as Asians, Latinos, Native Indians, African Americans, and the dominant white population. Such a diversity inadvertently leads to disparities in healthcare, education, and employment. Boyle Heights, a hamlet in Los Angeles, is one of the country’s residential areas that is most affected by inequalities and disparities. This paper provides ideas for a social media campaign that would reduce healthcare disparities in Boyle Heights, hence prevent the spread of Covid-19.
Community health nursing diagnosis statement
“Increased risk for infection of Covid-19 due to inadequate access to health services, among all Boyle Heights residents in Los Angeles, related to socioeconomic factors, as demonstrated by the rapid infection rate, hospitalization and deaths.”
Health Concern
The Latino ethnic group makes up 16% of the U.S. population, making it the largest minority group (Alcala et al. 2016). Approximately 4.5 of the Latino population lives in Los Angeles. Disparities in resources are evident in Boyle Height since more than 94% of its population is Latino (Illum, 2014). The Boyle Height population earns an average of $33,000 in annual household income, which is almost $20,000 less than other Los Angeles residents. Due to their low-income levels, Boyle Height residents have little capital for housing, food, transportation, education, and other resources. Unstable incomes also make it difficult for residents to purchase healthy foods. Illum (2014) states that the neighborhood has limited nutrition options as most residents survive on cheap fast foods. The population also has limited access to healthcare resources as compared to non-Hispanic whites and Asians.
Additionally, since most of the town’s residents are undocumented immigrants, they lack insurance packages. Boyle Heights Health Profile (2013) states that over 32% of the area’s residents require insurance policies. Therefore, limited access to healthcare services for Boyle Heights’ residents leads to lifestyle diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. The alarming rates of obesity in Boyle Heights are also evident in children as over 26% of their population is either obese or overweight (Boyle Heights Health Profile, 2013). Alcala et al. (2016) contends that these lifestyle conditions are prevalent in Latino and African American minority groups due to their limited resources. Resource barriers in these minority communities lead to a lack of support in physical activities and exercise, a feat that further exacerbates poor health conditions. Lifestyle diseases make Boyle Heights’ residents susceptible to Covid-19 since most of the disease’s fatalities have underlying health conditions.
Covid-19 or Coronavirus is a group of viruses that leads to respiratory illnesses. The disease is a global pandemic as it occurs in acute to adverse stages, does not have a vaccine, and may lead to death. Moreover, Covid-19 is an airborne disease that leads to measures such as quarantine and lockdowns. Although Boyle Heights has resources precisely placed to address the pandemic, it lacks sufficient capital and support to protect its citizens. Some of these resources include Grab and Go food centers that provide nutritious foods for low-income students. The neighborhood also creates awareness about its citizen’s rights. For instance, the tenants in Boyle Heights neighborhoods are exempt from evictions or foreclosure during the pandemic. Similarly, workers exposed to Covid-19 or unemployed residents have a right to benefits, especially during the epidemic. Additionally, Boyle Heights ensures free screening for the virus for both American citizens and immigrants.
Coronavirus spreads can manifest itself in different forms in the human body. It may lead to the common cold, Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARs). Since the disease is contagious through touch and bodily fluids such as saliva and respiratory secretions, people are advised to live in seclusion or stay one meter apart. Infected surfaces also predispose one to the disease; thus, people should sanitize throughout the pandemic. In Los Angeles, health outcomes due to the Covid-19 pandemic show disparities due to structural racism and poverty.
Moreover, the disproportional prevalence of underlying conditions such as cardiovascular disease or diabetes is more common in Latinos and African Americans due to their limited lifestyle options. According to the California department of public health (2020), the state has approximately 668,615 confirmed cases of Covid-19 and 12, 152 fatalities. Racial demographics show that minority groups such as Latinos, African Americans, Native Hawaiians, and Pacific Islanders succumb to Covid-19 at higher rates than non-Hispanic whites and Asians. Additionally, more Californian men die of the disease than women. Although global statistics show that the silent generation and young children are more vulnerable to the disease, statistics in California show the opposite is true. The state has over 400,000 confirmed Covid-19 cases from its youth population and only 71, 901 cases from its older generation (California department of public health, 2020). Therefore, interventions taken in the state must involve all age groups and center on minority groups.
Social Media Campaign Objective
Globalization leads to the embrace of social media platforms as the most effective means of communication. Most societies use social media to share ideas and thoughts without geographical barriers. The main objective of the social media campaign would be to reduce the spread of Covid-19 in Boyle Heights. The aim would be possible through encouraging healthier lifestyles, governmental accountability, and positivity among residents. Since most Boyle Heights residents suffer from lifestyle diseases such as objectives, embracing healthier lifestyles through proper nutrition and exercise would improve their immune systems and general health, hence arm them with physical strength to fight against Covid-19. Additionally, Illum (2014) states that areas like Boyle Heights suffer significant social and economic blows since the government and other policymakers overlook their presence in society. Illum (2014) also contends that redlining due to racism and the upward migration of well-off residents left Boyle Heights with inadequate resources. Therefore, a social media campaign that targets the federal and Californian government for their ignorance towards the suffering of Boyle Heights’ residents would increase their accountability and support for the neighborhood.
All human beings are susceptible to Covid-19. However, those with pre-existing conditions are more likely to succumb to the disease than formerly healthy counterparts. Therefore, the most significant approach towards reducing Covid-19 fatalities is through reaching out to Boyle Heights’ residents suffering from obesity or overweight and diabetic patients. Social media marketing directed to these populations in the neighborhood would encourage them to reduce their sedentary lifestyles and poor diets (Gracia-Marco et al., 2012). Although it is challenging to find exercising areas during the Covid-19 pandemic, the campaign could provide options such as indoor exercise routines like climbing up and down the stairs at home, yoga, and other helpful cardio exercises. Encouraging an active lifestyle would prevent cardiovascular disease and increase one’s immunity against Covid-19.
Additionally, the campaign would encourage proper dieting to prevent the intake of too many fats and carbohydrates and promote protein and vitamin diets. According to the World Health Organization, vitamin C intake through fruits such as lemon protects one from Coronavirus and helps in weight loss (WHO, 2020). Changes in physical activity and nutrition routine also positively affect one’s blood sugar, thus preventing the prevalence of diabetes.
Although the campaign will use more than one social media platform in advocating for a healthier Boyle Heights, it would center its advertising on Facebook. Facebook is a leader in the social media market as it contains over 2.5 billion users. The platform is a low-cost and easy to use strategy, thus makes it more efficient for the low-income residents of Boyle Heights. Facebook also allows the formation of groups; hence it would ensure that the information reaches the target audience. Additionally, the platform is a pacesetter in raising awareness and the promotion of positive word-of-mouth information flow. Therefore, only a few Boyle Heights residents could use the platform, but their gained knowledge would reach all their neighbors, making communication fast and effective. Facebook also aids in connectivity as it encourages interactions among people with shared interests and opinions, thus helping the campaign identify the target intervention group easily. The target population would receive daily workout routines and healthy but affordable meal plans through the platform. They would receive occasional encouraging messages and Covid-19 information. Moreover, the platform would lobby for more governmental support for all Boyle Heights residents.
Best Practices for Implementing Social Media Tools
Diversity is critical for social media intervention or communication. Although Facebook would be the core platform used by the campaign, other media such as Twitter and Instagram would also create awareness. Currently, the young population uses platforms such as Tiktok and Snapchat to communicate. Therefore, using these platforms would ensure youth participation in reducing Covid-19 fatalities in Boyle Heights. Another significant practice is ensuring that the campaign connects with the niche community. For instance, the instructors used to encourage healthy lifestyles should be from the Latino or minority community to ensure connectivity. Additionally, placing Boyle Heights’ residents in different Facebook groups would help these groups realize that there are other people facing similar problems in their society. For instance, the campaign could create a Covid-19 survivors, a diabetes group, and an obesity group via Facebook.
Implementation Plan
The stakeholders in the Boyle Heights’ campaign include the neighborhood’s residents, the Californian government, the Federal government, and hospitals in the area. The residents would have a role to practice healthy lifestyles while the government would serve as a financier. Hospitals would also need to aid in spreading awareness on the derogatory nature of pre-existing conditions such as obesity in Covid-19 infections. Additionally, hospitals would need to provide uninsured citizens with medical assistance at less costly rates to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The campaign needs to occur and bear fruit within a short period to prevent the rapidly growing Covid-19 fatalities in Boyle Heights. Therefore, the campaign would be implemented within three months. Evaluating the effectiveness of the intervention necessitates the use of data. Ideally, the rate of Covid-19 fatalities is bound to reduce immediately after the campaign, while the virus’s infections would reduce gradually in Boyle Heights. People in residential areas would also change their food preferences from fast foods to healthy home-made meals. Social media campaigns are highly advantageous as they are less costly. Nonetheless, the campaign would need capital to use various social media platforms and provide incentives to stakeholders. Therefore, the campaign cost during the three months would be $21,000. The figure includes social media advertising costs, marketing and intervention specialists, gifts and incentives for participants, and transport fees to different locations in Boyle Heights.
Reflection
Social media opens up a wide range of opportunities for healthcare workers and communities. Through social media platforms, physicians can share health alerts, and patients or potential patients could ask relevant questions. The social media campaign in Boyle Heights would help counter lifestyle diseases and prevent the acquisition of Covid-19. Moreover, the platform would push the government to support the area’s residents. Therefore, a social media campaign is crucial to nursing practice as it helps encourage healthier life choices among communities.
References
Alcalá, E., Albert, L., Trabanino, K., Garcia, R. E., Glik, C., Prelip, L., & Ortega, N. (2016). Access to and use of health care services among Latinos in East Los Angeles and Boyle Heights. Family & community health, 39(1), 62–71. 10.1097/FCH.0000000000000090
Boyle Heights Health Profile. (2013). Understanding the health of your community. https://healthpolicy.ucla.edu/chis/bhc/Documents/BHC_Fact_Sheet_Boyle_Heights.pdf
California Department of Public Health. (2020). Covid-19 Updates. https://www.cdph.ca.gov/Programs/CID/DCDC/Pages/Immunization/ncov2019.aspx
Gracia-Marco, L., Moreno, A., & Vicente-Rodríguez, G. (2012). Impact of social marketing in the prevention of childhood obesity. Advances in nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 3(4), 611S–615S. 10.3945/an.112.001958
Illum, J. (2014). Bringing healthy food alternatives to Boyle Heights. Kcet. https://www.kcet.org/shows/artbound/bringing-healthy-food-alternatives-to-boyle-heights#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20family%20sizes%20are,racial%20and%20ethnic%20health%20disparities.
WHO. (2020). Corona Virus. https://www.who.int/health-topics/coronavirus