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Application of Epidemiology

Student’s Name

Institutional Affiliation

Course Name

Instructor’s Name

Due Date
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Prevalent Infectious and Chronic Diseases

Virginia has a complicated pattern of infectious and chronic illnesses due to its

diversified population and terrain. From cosmopolitan Richmond and Virginia Beach to rural

Appalachian communities, Virginians face various health issues determined by socioeconomic

position, healthcare access, environmental exposures, and culture. Cardiovascular disease,

cancer, and respiratory disorders like COPD are major public health issues. While vaccination

and public health programs have controlled infectious illnesses, occasional influenza outbreaks,

and COVID-19 continue to pose concerns. HIV and hepatitis have also persisted, especially in

places with inadequate healthcare access or socioeconomic factors, including poverty and drug

misuse.

Comparing sickness occurrence in Virginia and Minnesota reveals similarities and

differences. Virginia and Minnesota both have cardiovascular disease and cancer, but most

populations with preventive treatment and healthy behavior have lower cardiovascular disease

morbidity and mortality (Ndejjo et al., 2021). Minnesota's high median income and solid care

infrastructure contrast with Virginia's urban-rural mix, which might compromise care. Minnesota

had fewer vaccine-preventable infectious disease cases than Virginia, probably due to

vaccination adoption and differences in the public health budget and infrastructure. Both states

have similar and different illness rates according to socioeconomic characteristics, care values,

and environment, such as urban-rural air quality.

The causes of illness prevalence in both states are complicated. High blood pressure,

obesity, and inactivity contribute to Virginia's top killer, cardiovascular disease. Minnesota has

benefited from diet and exercise programs to reduce heart disease risk (Minnesota Department of

Health, 2021). Preventive treatment and early illness identification are priorities in Minnesota
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public health (Benavidez et al., 2024). Comparisons show that healthcare policy, community

actions, and environment shape regional health profiles. Both states show that public health

measures must incorporate regional demography and availability and emphasize global illness

etiology variables.

Application of the Epidemiological Model

A complete epidemiology model may optimize Virginia's long-standing cardiovascular

disease prevention efforts. Heart failure, arrhythmias, and coronary heart disease cause major

morbidity and death in Virginia and other states, including Minnesota (Roth et al., 2020).

Through healthy behavior, prompt medical treatment, therapy compliance, socioeconomic status,

education, and access to care, behavior, environment, and genetics affect CVD. Interrelated

causes of cardiovascular disease are explained by the CVD model. CVD is a valuable model

since it explains several contributing variables and a single cause and outcome. They are

surrounded by behavioral and biological factors such excessive blood fat, high blood pressure,

cigarette usage, lack of exercise, and poor diets (Azadaki et al., 2024). Social variables including

income, education, community personality, and healthy food availability surround them. This

model includes genetic vulnerability and psychological stress, CVD risk factors. Due to its web-

like nature, even small changes in one variable may have wide-ranging effects. More community

security and leisure places may boost activity, lower blood pressure and obesity, and reduce heart

disease risk. Using the Web of Causation model, the scenario identifies many activities. Public

initiatives must address behavior, social issues, hypertension, and cholesterol. Community

interventions may promote healthy eating, food environment improvement, and smoking

cessation (Bezzina et al., 2023). The concept helps create multi-faceted strategies to reduce

illness incidence and promote public health by addressing multiple cardiovascular disease risk
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factors. Upstream social and environmental variables and downstream clinic risk factors need

therapy. Minimizing cardiovascular disease in society and individuals requires balance.

Levels of Prevention

Community health practice relies on prevention to reduce illness burden and promote

health. Three preventive strategies are main, secondary, and tertiary. Primary prevention changes

risk and protective factors to prevent disease. Community-based health education, proper

nutrition, and exercise may prevent cardiovascular disease. These techniques target fundamental

causes, including sedentary behavior and bad diets, which lead to obesity and hypertension, to

prevent cardiovascular events. Public health initiatives that promote a balanced diet, frequent

exercise, and tobacco abstinence have reduced heart disease in populations who follow these

guidelines.

Early identification and treatment reduce disease development in secondary prevention.

Routine examinations for blood pressure, cholesterol, and other risk factors for cardiovascular

disease are secondary preventive methods. Early hypertension identification allows prompt

medical care, reducing the risk of more serious cardiovascular events (Shimanda et al., 2024).

Free or low-cost health screenings at community centers, companies, and schools have identified

at-risk people. Early lifestyle adjustment or pharmaceutical therapy may slow cardiovascular

disease development and prevent consequences. Since many people with cardiovascular disease

are asymptomatic in the early stages, early intervention may save their lives.

Tertiary prevention manages existing illnesses to lessen disability, deterioration, and

quality of life. Tertiary prevention for cardiovascular disease comprises cardiac rehabilitation,

medical care, and lifestyle changes for long-term health (Winnige et al., 2021). Complete cardiac

rehabilitation programs include supervised exercise, dietary counseling, and stress management.
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These programs promote physical exercise, medication adherence, and psychological well-being

to assist patients recover from acute cardiac events and lower the risk of recurrent occurrences.

Tertiary preventive techniques improve patient outcomes and reduce healthcare expenditures

associated with recurring hospitalizations by addressing the complex requirements of heart

disease patients.

Reflection

Advanced practice nurses must monitor preventative initiatives to provide high-quality,

patient-centered care. They may follow patient outcomes and evaluate preventative programs

using electronic health records, community health assessments, and quality improvement

activities. Follow-up visits, health testing, and patient reporting inform preventive measures.

Collaboration with community organizations, public health agencies, and experts improves

preventative plan assessment and improvement. Preventive techniques ensure community needs

and current research informs initiatives.

My practice will implement preventive interventions via primary, secondary, and tertiary

interventions. Patients will participate in health education and outreach activities and get direct

treatment. I want to work with community organizations and public health authorities to create

healthy settings and reduce cardiovascular disease risk. I will advocate and attend diet, exercise,

and stress management classes and get frequent health checks. Early detection and surveillance

of cardiovascular disease risk factors will enhance preventative treatments. I think this approach

will improve my community's health, reduce cardiovascular disease, and have long-term effects.

After the assignment, I valued a multifaceted model for illness causes and therapy like

cardiovascular disease. I found that treatments must address individual, societal, and

environmental illness causes using a web of causality approach. A whole-person approach

fosters a complex, multifaceted paradigm for illness causes and treatments. After analyzing

preventative levels, I value integrating primary, secondary, and tertiary disease control methods.

Successful public health initiatives use all three preventative levels, which play distinct but

complementary roles in a continuum of care.

In conclusion, Virginia and Minnesota's public health contexts share concerns and

regional heterogeneity in cardiovascular disease prevalence. The Web of Causation model shows

the complicated interaction between disease-causing causes therefore individual and

environmental aspects must be considered. Healthcare practitioners may prevent, identify, and

treat cardiovascular disease using primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Advanced practice

nurses monitor, evaluate, and modify these preventative methods to make them successful and

responsive to different patient populations. This study has taught me epidemiologic models and

preventative methods, which I can use daily to improve health and public health.
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References

Azdaki, N., Salmani, F., Kazemi, T., Partovi, N., Bizhaem, S. K., Moghadam, M. N., Moniri, Y.,

Zarepur, E., Mohammadifard, N., Alikhasi, H., Nouri, F., Sarrafzadegan, N., Moezi, S.

A., & Khazdair, M. R. (2024). Which risk factor best predicts coronary artery disease

using the artificial neural network method? BMC Medical Informatics and Decision

Making, 24(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12911-024-02442-1

Benavidez, G. A., Zahnd, W. E., Hung, P., & Eberth, J. M. (2024). Chronic disease prevalence in

the US: Sociodemographic and geographic variations by zip code tabulation area.

Preventing Chronic Disease, 21(21). https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230267

Bezzina, A., Clarke, E. D., Ashton, L., Watson, T., & James, C. L. (2023). Workplace health

promotion programs targeting smoking, nutrition, physical activity, and obesity in men:

A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Health Education

& Behavior, 51(1). https://doi.org/10.1177/10901981231208396

Ndejjo, R., Hassen, H. Y., Wanyenze, R. K., Musoke, D., Nuwaha, F., Abrams, S., Bastiaens, H.,

& Musinguzi, G. (2021). Community-Based interventions for cardiovascular disease

prevention in low-and middle-income countries: A systematic review. Public Health

Reviews, 42(1604018). https://doi.org/10.3389/phrs.2021.1604018

Roth, G. A., Mensah, G. A., Johnson, C. O., Addolorato, G., Ammirati, E., Baddour, L. M.,

Barengo, N. C., Beaton, A. Z., Benjamin, E. J., Benziger, C. P., Bonny, A., Brauer, M.,

Brodmann, M., Cahill, T. J., Carapetis, J., Catapano, A. L., Chugh, S. S., Cooper, L. T.,

Coresh, J., & Criqui, M. (2020). Global burden of cardiovascular diseases and risk

factors, 1990-2019: Update from the GBD 2019 study. Journal of the American College

of Cardiology, 76(25), 2982–3021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.11.010

Shimanda, P. P., Shumba, T. W., Brunström, M., Iipinge, S. N., Söderberg, S., Lindholm, L., &

Fredrik Norström. (2024). Preventive Interventions to Reduce the Burden of Rheumatic

Heart Disease in Populations at Risk: A Systematic Review. Journal of the American

Heart Association, 13(5). https://doi.org/10.1161/jaha.123.032442

Winnige, P., Vysoky, R., Dosbaba, F., & Batalik, L. (2021). Cardiac rehabilitation and its

essential role in the secondary prevention of cardiovascular diseases. World Journal of

Clinical Cases, 9(8), 1761–1784. https://doi.org/10.12998/wjcc.v9.i8.1761