Vulnerable populations refer to individuals that are disadvantaged due to their ethnicity, race, economic status, low-income backgrounds, age advancement, homelessness, and chronic health illnesses like HIV/AIDS and mental illness. This can be inclusive of people living in rural areas where accessing proper healthcare and other basic needs is a challenge (Schmittdiel et al., 2009). Lack of adequate education, adequate housing, and poverty are the major social factors that enhance the vulnerability of these individuals. The vulnerable populations can be categorized into three main categories, namely social, physical, and psychological domains. The physical domain comprises of infants, disabled individuals, chronically ill people, the elderly, people living with HIV/AIDS, and high-risk mothers (Schmittdiel et al., 2009). Chronic illnesses can also include dyslipidemia, diabetes, heart disease, and respiratory diseases. The psychological realm includes people with mental conditions that are chronic like depression, bipolar disorder, hyperactive disorder, suicidal individuals, schizophrenia, and individuals susceptible to homelessness. The social domain consists of individuals that are homeless, refugees, hailing from abusive families, and immigrants. In the present day, this category also includes individuals who are queer and those who have been incarcerated (Schmittdiel et al., 2009). Children are more prone to environmental hazards as compared to adults. This is because children are continually developing and growing, which means they eat, drink, and breathe more than adults putting into consideration the weight proportion. The main body functioning systems like the reproductive, central nervous, digestive, and immune systems in children are in the process of development. In some development stages, if children are exposed to certain environmental risks, there is a high possibility that irreversible damage might occur (World Health Organization, 2019). The body patterns in the process of exposure in children and adults vary; crawling on the floor can expose children to chemicals, soil, and dirt that accumulate on the ground. Children do not possess the capability to control their surroundings like adults, so they are unaware of the risks they might face or how to stay away from things that might harm their well-being. Globally the leading causes of environmental diseases in children are the disposal of waste, the use of unsafe chemicals, or the use of unsafe measures when handling chemicals, mosquitos, interior smoke, and poor sanitation (World Health Organization, 2019). Implementation of a more holistic approach in evaluating the risk dynamics of the burden of environmental diseases will significantly assist in global endeavors. The recent surveys conducted indicate some ecological risks that are mainly found in environments where children learn, live, or play. Malnutrition, HIV/AIDS, war and disasters, lethal child labor, and physical inactivity are some (World Health Organization, 2019). Poor or inadequate sanitation, air pollution, electronic wastes, injuries, radiation, chemicals that disrupt the endocrine, disease vectors, chemical dangers, and universal changes in the environment are other environmental risks that are likely to influence the health of children (World Health Organization, 2019). Child mortality has significantly decreased by about 10% from the 19 th century, but there is still room for improvement. Environmental risks are still a significant threat to the health of children and the mortality rate (UNICEF et al., 2012). Diarrhea diseases and ARIs have been effectively managed, but more efforts need to be put in eradicating and minimizing new risks emerging as a result of an increase in commercialized agriculture, urbanization, global climate change, and industrialization. Some of the measures that can be used to mitigate environmental risks that affect the health of children include; inspiring the creation of community-based initiatives to eradicate environmental risks, advocating for study, assessment, and acknowledgment of the ecological risks that influence the well-being of children, educating children on ways to evade exposure to health hazards and investing in policies that improve the sanitation levels and access to clean drinking water (UNICEF et al, 2012). Vulnerable populations like refugees or immigrants might relocate after having been exposed to health hazards. Medical assessments of these individuals should include checking for potential and previous exposure risks. Identifying the risks at the initial stages can significantly contribute to finding a solution for the problem and identifying areas where more information about hazardous exposures should be provided. Many private and public organizations have made significant efforts to make environmental-related risks and hazards a priority, especially in areas occupied by vulnerable populations (Purdom, 2013). The ATSDR (Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry) provides reliable data on the priority health environments. In the U.S, the ATSDR is charged with the role of assessing and evaluating health issues associated with hazardous disposal (Purdom, 2013). The primary health conditions that are given priority are cancer, liver dysfunction, reproductive disorders, kidney failure, birth defects, defects in the immune system, neurotoxic disorders, and respiratory diseases. The ATSDR makes use of these priority conditions to give direction on how the resources will be utilized in creating health programs that benefit everyone, especially vulnerable populations (Purdom, 2013). Creating access to proper medical care, availability of clean drinking water, language diversity, and other basic needs are the first steps to ensuring the success of these health programs (UNICEF et al., 2012).
References
Purdom, P. W. (Ed.). (2013). Environmental health . Elsevier.
Schmittdiel, J., Ettner, S. L., Fung, V., Huang, J., Turk, N., Quiter, E., ... & Mangione, C. M. (2009). The Medicare Part D coverage gap and diabetes beneficiaries. The American journal of managed care , 15 (3), 189.
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UNICEF., United Nations Children's Fund, & World Health Organization. (2012). Children in the new millennium: environmental impact on health . UNEP/Earth print.
World Health Organization. (2019). Children's environmental health : Environmental risks . Retrieved from https://www.who.int/ceh/risks/en/
