Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs

Abstract Like many underserved and low socio-economic urban neighborhoods, the city of Richmond, CA faces several health-related problems, including childhood obesity, pollution and low air quality, gang violence, high unemployment, and lack of access to needed healthcare services, including substan...

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Main Authors: Umair Jamal, Cora Hoover, Candice Wong, Amin Azzam
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Association of American Medical Colleges 2014-02-01
Series:MedEdPORTAL
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9687
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author Umair Jamal
Cora Hoover
Candice Wong
Amin Azzam
author_facet Umair Jamal
Cora Hoover
Candice Wong
Amin Azzam
author_sort Umair Jamal
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Like many underserved and low socio-economic urban neighborhoods, the city of Richmond, CA faces several health-related problems, including childhood obesity, pollution and low air quality, gang violence, high unemployment, and lack of access to needed healthcare services, including substance abuse and mental health resources. This “public health oriented” Problem Based Learning (PBL) case uses the framework of a new primary care clinician evaluating a child with asthma and obesity to consider “upstream” interventions that physicians might use to indirectly improve the health of the neighborhood by working with community health organizations to prevent and/or minimize health disparities. Having a Public Health understanding such as the associated behavioral and social risk factors for obesity can help in improving the health of patients. The geographic specifics of this case are easily modifiable to represent local urban or rural underserved neighborhoods. This PBL case has been used in a predominately PBL-based pre-clerkship medical school curriculum for several years. This work conveys that providing primary care through a “Public Health lens” is a significant benefit to treating patients with certain diseases, especially chronic diseases such as obesity and asthma. The purpose of this work is to make medical students aware of the multiple “upstream” ways they could improve the health of patients.
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spelling doaj.art-5c0ff4e1c95c4616b2ed09aa4604dfb22022-12-21T17:49:35ZengAssociation of American Medical CollegesMedEdPORTAL2374-82652014-02-011010.15766/mep_2374-8265.9687Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention ProgramsUmair Jamal0Cora Hoover1Candice Wong2Amin Azzam31 University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine2 University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine3 University of California, San Francisco, School of Medicine4 University of California, San Francisco, School of MedicineAbstract Like many underserved and low socio-economic urban neighborhoods, the city of Richmond, CA faces several health-related problems, including childhood obesity, pollution and low air quality, gang violence, high unemployment, and lack of access to needed healthcare services, including substance abuse and mental health resources. This “public health oriented” Problem Based Learning (PBL) case uses the framework of a new primary care clinician evaluating a child with asthma and obesity to consider “upstream” interventions that physicians might use to indirectly improve the health of the neighborhood by working with community health organizations to prevent and/or minimize health disparities. Having a Public Health understanding such as the associated behavioral and social risk factors for obesity can help in improving the health of patients. The geographic specifics of this case are easily modifiable to represent local urban or rural underserved neighborhoods. This PBL case has been used in a predominately PBL-based pre-clerkship medical school curriculum for several years. This work conveys that providing primary care through a “Public Health lens” is a significant benefit to treating patients with certain diseases, especially chronic diseases such as obesity and asthma. The purpose of this work is to make medical students aware of the multiple “upstream” ways they could improve the health of patients.http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9687Health Equity ResearchAsthmaHealthcare DisparitiesHealth DisparitiesObesityCommunity Health
spellingShingle Umair Jamal
Cora Hoover
Candice Wong
Amin Azzam
Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
MedEdPORTAL
Health Equity Research
Asthma
Healthcare Disparities
Health Disparities
Obesity
Community Health
title Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
title_full Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
title_fullStr Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
title_full_unstemmed Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
title_short Preventing Obesity in Patients through Community Health Prevention Programs
title_sort preventing obesity in patients through community health prevention programs
topic Health Equity Research
Asthma
Healthcare Disparities
Health Disparities
Obesity
Community Health
url http://www.mededportal.org/doi/10.15766/mep_2374-8265.9687
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