Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns (FHP) model elucidates an individual’s needs by outlining eleven functional areas that include nutrition-metabolic pattern, health perception- health management pattern, activity-exercise pattern, sexuality-reproductive pattern, cognitive-perceptual pattern, elimination pattern, sleep-rest pattern, role relation pattern, coping-stress tolerance pattern, self-perception-self-concept pattern, and value-belief pattern (Türen & Enç, 2020). The evaluation of these patterns leads to a holistic approach to patient assessment and provides a framework for assessing the patient as a whole. This framework can be utilized when dealing with diverse patients. This essay assesses health perception- health management and activity-exercise patterns, as they relate to Black/African Americans’ health education and promotion.
In health education, promotion, and disease prevention, motivation is a significant factor. Two of Gordon’s functional health patterns, health perception- health management and activity-exercise relate to each other in that self-motivation determines whether an individual engages in regular exercise. Among the African-American population, the risk of acquiring heart disease or getting a stroke is high, hence the need for this particular population to understand the risks of the disease and consequently take action to address them. Other common conditions that increase the risk of heart disease and stroke among African-Americans are high blood pressure, overweight and obesity, and diabetes.
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Applying Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns (FHP) model in patient education is associated with improved wellbeing (Temel & Kutlu, 2019). When dealing with this population during an assessment procedure, focusing on health perception- health management should encourage the patient to adhere to the recommended medication regimen and encourage them to engage in exercise. Regular exercise is especially vital in the prevention and management of chronic conditions such as obesity, depression, diabetes, and musculoskeletal conditions. When assessing the African-American population, there is a need to inquire about the individual’s activities of daily living and whether they include physical activities. Activity and exercise are associated with an improved quality of life, and people who participate in physical exercise live healthier lives.
The benefits of regular physical activity have been documented in literature, with studies demonstrating that the more active people have lower rates of chronic diseases such as cancer. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommendations, people should engage in moderate-to-intensive aerobic activity for at least 2 hours and 30 minutes each week for the maintenance of health (Eastland & Hardy, 2016). Statistics by CDC, however, show that only 17.3% of African-Americans meet this requirement. More data from the 2010 National Health Interview Survey show that approximately 59% of African-Americans participate in leisure-time activities (Eastland & Hardy, 2016).
The above statistics are an indication that this particular population needs to be sensitized to the benefits that physical exercise has on health. Health education and promotion in this population should be based on their perception of health and what they perceive as a healthy life. It is important to understand whether these individuals value the suggestions given by healthcare providers concerning health management. Lack of knowledge among African-Americans is a major factor that affects health-seeking behaviors (Eastland & Hardy, 2016). Health management is grounded on health perception and reflects the choices that an individual makes.
Positive health management is characterized by wise decisions and the availability of funds to implement these decisions. For instance, if an African-American woman perceives cancer as risky to health, she will prioritize being screened for the disease and acquiring treatment during the early stages. This will further prevent disease progression, thereby leading to health promotion. As a healthcare practitioner, it is vital to help the clients choose a lifestyle that maximizes health and prevents disease occurrence. Individuals need to understand the relationship between health status and health practices. Given the health risks that African-Americans have, helping them adopt a healthy life through health promotion and education will result in an improved quality of life and better health outcomes.
References
Eastland, T. Y., & Hardy, E. C. (2016). Facilitators and barriers to health promotion in African-American adults: a qualitative systematic review protocol . Nursingcenter.com. https://www.nursingcenter.com/journalarticle?Article_ID=3629617&Journal_ID=3425880&Issue_ID=3629148
Temel, M., & Kutlu, F. Y. (2019). Functional Health Pattern Model Based Care Plan for a Depression Diagnosed Patient . Fnjn.org. https://fnjn.org/en/functional-health-pattern-model-based-care-plan-for-a-depression-diagnosed-patient-13666
Türen, S., & Enç, N. (2020). A comparison of Gordon’s functional health patterns model and standard nursing care in symptomatic heart failure patients: A randomized controlled trial. Applied Nursing Research , 151247. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnr.2020.151247
