After reviewing the resources in the course materials, write a 1,000-1,500-word paper proposing a plan to prevent or reduce the incidence of cancer, chronic illness, and/or disease. The plan will focus on lifestyle changes and risk factors, in addition to elements that promote wellness, while decreasing illness and current high rates [prevalence] of cancers, chronic illnesses, and disease.
It is important to use current scholarly research when formulating a plan. The elements selected should be supported by this research.
Include the following in the plan:
- Choose a cancer, chronic illness, or disease. Check instructor announcements to see if topic approval is required.
- Choose a community/culture/subculture. A subculture is a smaller group within a larger culture who share common beliefs, norms, and traditions.
- Describe the background of the community/culture/subculture as it relates to history or other defining characteristics. Including but not limited to: (a) What is the background of the chosen community/culture/subculture? (i.e., demographics, such as age, education, race, sex); (b) Explain the historical factors that are important to the plan and the perceived positive and/or negative effects on health care (i.e., norms, traditions); (c) Why is this an important community/culture/subculture to apply a prevention or reduction program? (risk factors/current rates of cancer/illness or disease); (d) Why is it important to implement a plan in this community/culture/subculture? How is this critical to the prevention or reduction of incidence?
- Describe several components of the plan. What factors are considered that have a correlation with the community/culture/subculture described? (i.e., education, socioeconomic status (SES), existing lifestyle behaviors, health behaviors, self-care, exercise & nutrition, conflicts with mainstream medicine, religious/spiritual factors).
- Using research and psychological principles/theories to support your plan, explain how you would make this plan successful (i.e., how will you promote it?): (a) Include information on how your plan would positively affect the factors described for the community/culture/subculture in relation to the chronic illness (i.e., lifestyle changes for a person suffering from a diabetic condition); (b) Describe how you would go about implementing your plan. Where your plan would be based (for example, if your choice is children with cancer, would that be in a hospital, school, etc.?); (c) How would your plan be different to any existing plan for your chosen community/culture/subculture?.
- Explain any obstacles that might get in the way of implementing your plan, and how would you overcome these obstacles. These obstacles might include the existing plan, dynamics of the population, or other problems.
Use four to six outside peer-reviewed journal articles to support your discussion (one of which may be the textbook). Scholarly support is evidenced by in-text citations that match source references.
Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.
Benchmark Information
This benchmark assignment assesses the following programmatic competency:
BS Nutritional Sciences; BS Psychology; BS Public Health; BS Sociology
3.4: Incorporate sociocultural factors in scientific inquiry.
