Determinants of health refer to the factors that impact the health status of a person or a population ( Edwards & Collins, 2014 ). In each stage of life, the health of an individual is influenced by the complicated association between, physical, social, economic, and individual factors. The factors exist together and not isolated from one another. According to Healthy People 2020, there are five major aspects of social determinants of health among them education and economic stability that form an organization model.
My target population is women and AIDS in Atlanta, Georgia. The determinants of health that affect the target population are access to unemployment and education. The number of women diagnosed with HIV in the US and the world at large has significantly increased. In the United States, women of color are a higher risk of contracting HIV compared to their White counterparts. The high risk is influenced by levels of income and education among the women. More than half of the approximately 33 million individuals living with HIV/AIDS in developing nations are women ( Edwards & Collins, 2014) . The countries are characterized by low income levels especially for women.
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The rates of unemployment in Fulton County where Atlanta is located are 4.8% which is slightly higher than that of the whole state of Georgia which stands at 4.7% ( County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2020 ). Out of the 159 counties in Georgia, Fulton ranks 42 in social and economic factors that affect health. The number of individuals with a high school diploma in Georgia is 87% of the total population while those with some college degree is 76% ( County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2020) . The rates of HIV infection in Atlanta are compared to those of developing countries because they are among the highest. Women are the most affected by these factors in Fulton and this contributes to the increased risk of HIV. The number of black women living with HIV in Atlanta is 15 times higher than that of women of white origin. When the two factors are compared in Atlanta, there emerges a strong link between them and the prevalence of HIV/AIDS and new diagnoses.
The community’s health diagnosis indicates that there is a deficit in knowledge on the importance of PrEP in HIV prevention. The diagnosis aligns with the Healthy People 2020 objective of attaining high quality and prolonged lives that are free from diseases that can be prevented. Lack of education on PrEP is one of the most important health concerns among women in Atlanta. PrEP offers preventive benefits and minimizes the possibility of contracting HIV. The problem selected for intervention was selected because knowledge on PrEP among women can effectively help reduce the rates of HIV infections despite their social economic situation. PrEP has the ability to stop the virus from taking hold and getting spread throughout the body. If consumed daily as prescribed, the intervention is highly effective and efficient in HIV prevention. However, if not taken on a consistent basis, PrEP may not be effective. Studies indicate that PrEP has the ability to reduce the risk of HIV infection by approximately 99% if taken appropriately.
PrEP education in this case would be a primary prevention intervention. Primary intervention refers to preventing development of an illness in people who are healthy ( Edwards & Collins, 2014 ). HIV/AIDS has no cure and therefore primary prevention is key and the most effective in reducing the prevalence of the infection. Secondary and tertiary prevention are not effective in reducing prevalence of the infection. Secondary prevention is only essential in delaying progression of HIV into AIDS only. Tertiary prevention would be least effective in tertiary prevention because of impaired immunity that is characteristic of AIDS.
References
County Health Rankings & Roadmaps. (2020). Retrieved from https://www.countyhealthrankings.org/app/georgia/2019/rankings/fulton/county/outcoms/verall/snapshot
Edwards, A. E., & Collins, C. B. (2014). Exploring the influence of social determinants on HIV risk behaviors and the potential application of structural interventions to prevent HIV in women. J Health DisparRes Pract , 141–155.
