Assignment Part 1:
Culture impacts development of some diseases, such as diabetes and coronary artery disease. Some cultures don't emphasize healthier eating habits due to cooking/meal traditions or even due to the resources available to these communities. Financial status will also impact the ability for someone to prevent, manage, or treat their health conditions. Sometimes medication is too expensive for someone with a limited income to afford.
Environmental factors such as hazardous chemicals are risks for exposure without even knowing it sometimes. These environmental factors can cause significant diseases. Genetic factors are risk factors that cannot be prevented; however genetic testing can help find out if the risk for certain diseases are there. With this information, the disease process can possibly be prevented or treated early.
Select two specific family members and answer the following prompts for each family member selected: Leslie Collins (father) & Akio Kim (grandpa)
Leslie's health considerations based on his lifespan is that he is approaching middle age. With his medical history including high blood pressure, tobacco use, and hyperlipidemia, Leslie is at risk for respiratory issues, heart disease, diabetes, and kidney disease (Endres et al., 2011, p.548).
Akiko Kim is in late adulthood at 68 years old in regards to lifespan considerations.
Both hypertension and high cholesterol cause blood vessels at risk for atherosclerosis, stroke, or myocardial infarction. Hypertension and hyperlipidemia can also cause inflammation of his blood vessels which also contributes to stroke and heart attack (Mattila et al., 1998, p.719). Akiko also shares the same risk implications due to his hypertension. As far as infection, smoking reduces the body's immunity response which can lead to higher risk of infection for Leslie. As an older adult, Akiko's immune response is weakened, making him a higher risk for disease (Yu & Zheng, 2019, p.218).
Assignment Part 2:
I'd like to start this discussion with analyzing grandparents Akio and Akira. 68 year parents with Korean culture background. Traditional Korean diets include a lot of vegetables, fermented foods like kimchi, and seafood, which are generally good for health. However, these foods can be high in salt, which may increase the risk of high blood pressure and heart disease (Kim, Kim, & Lee, 2018).
Given Leslie and Kali-Kim family may have limited financial resources, they might struggle to afford comprehensive health insurance, which can restrict access to essential medical services like check-ups and specialist care. While the veteran father may receive VA healthcare, the quality and coverage can vary, and not all family members may be covered, leading to additional out-of-pocket expenses (Kaiser Family Foundation, 2020).
For genetic factors, I'd like to talk about the adopted child Noah. 4-year-old Noah was adopted last year with no known genetic history but she is from Haiti. For instance, Asian and Caucasian families are not prone to sickle cell disease. However, given Noah's ethnicity and race, she is more prone to sickle cell disease than the rest of her foster family (Carter, 2014).
Grandparents William and Sarah are 71 and 70 years old couple putting them at risk for developing certain diseases such as depression. With age, they are at increased risk for depression. "Because of its devastating consequences, late-life depression is an important public health problem (Fiske, 2009)."
For the second portion of the discussion, I'd like to talk about 8-year-old boy Elliott with a history of asthma and egg allergy. On the other hand, he is an active member of boy scout. Throughout his life, he needs to be careful to avoid eggs especially if his allergies are severe. On the other hand, while he is enjoying boy scout outdoors, he must be aware of his asthma at all times. In a journal posted on Boy Scouts of America following is stated: "If the Scouting event is physically demanding, individuals with the following asthma conditions should reconsider participation (America, 2024)."
Finally, 12-year-old Lindsey is a healthy young new teenager. As there is no pertinent medical history for her, with her age she is going into the new physilogical area of her life. She will be exploring her body and what her body does while going through many psychological waves. In research posted on the National Library of Medicine, "The results suggested that life satisfaction acted as a mediator between adolescents' positive school relations and their mental health (Cavioni, 2021)." While she is healthy now, she will need support in her life from her family and her school.
Kim, H., Kim, M., & Lee, M. (2018). Dietary patterns and health outcomes in Korean adults: The Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Journal of Nutrition & Health, 51(2), 123-130.