The project fulfills the mission towards social justice in my community in Philadelphia, PA, where the problem of health equity is aggravated by economic and financial diversity. Dukhanin et al. (2017) describe social justice as the moral obligation to avoid the disproportionate distribution of health benefits and societal disadvantages. The project attempts to attract public attention and educate the community on the issue of childhood obesity to achieve social justice for the affected ethnic minorities (Hispanic and African American). The presentation discusses the population at risk in detail and exposes the large scale of obesity in Philadelphia. Moreover, Windshield Survey helped identify the causes of childhood obesity in school children. It revealed the critical areas that need to be changed, such as unhealthy product advertising, limited/expensive food choices, and school nutrition policies, to ensure health equity and social justice.
Based on the health disparities affecting ethnic minorities, the project’s goal is to bring positive change to the community in several ways. Firstly, it helps educate the community and policymakers on the problem of childhood obesity. Secondly, the project identifies the causes of the problem specific to the population at risk and the local environment, which may assist in gathering additional data and developing appropriate policy changes. Thirdly, it recommends culturally sensitive, measurable interventions for childhood obesity prevention and management that might be implemented in schools and families. Finally, the work describes potential outcomes that might be expected as the result of the social change following the intervention.
The primary role of an advocate and healthcare leader is to identify vulnerable populations to initiate the process of positive social change. Next, as the scholar-practitioner, the nurse should examine the existing policies and find current research evidence to suggest possible interventions and recommend appropriate action plans for policymakers and active community members. It is also essential to define possible causes of health disparities and conduct surveys of the affected community members. The feedback may be used to develop culturally competent disease prevention campaigns, healthy behavior promotion, and other measurable interventions.
Reference
Dukhanin, V., Searle, A., Zwerling, A., Dowdy, D. W., Tayor, H. A., & Merritt, M. W. (2017). Integrating social justice concerns into economic evaluation for healthcare and public health: A systematic review. Social Science & Medicine, 198, 27–35. Web.