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Please write a Paragraph answering to this discussion below with your opinion. Please include citations and references in alphabetical order in case of another source.

Three health disparities that can be prevented or managed with regular physical exercise are: Hypertension (HTN), Coronary Artery Disease (CAD), and Obesity. According to statistics found in Medical Surgical Nursing, in the United States, one in three adults have HTN (p.738), about 610,000 people die of heart disease in the United States every year–that’s 1 in every 4 deaths (Heart Disease Facts, 2017) and over one third of Americans are obese; however, this statistic jumps to 66% when considering how many are overweight in addition to obese (p.946).

As a nurse many factors need to be considered when incorporating health promotion measures such as exercise and physical activity into our clients’ lives. The Health belief model (HBM) is a theory used to predict and explain a patient’s health behavior. It is based on three assumptions: the patient’s readiness to change, their perceived need to change, and the client’s perceived benefits of the health change (Edelman, Kudzma, & Mandle, 2014 p.219) A program can be designed to meet the patient’s motivation level or their ability to perform certain exercises or activities. One thing I would impress upon all the patients is try to walk, bike or take the stairs whenever possible; for some, this maybe a big change. Another strategy I would try, is find out what outdoor activities they like to do or have them try a new sport. By becoming interested in a new hobby or activity they are becoming more active and don’t really think of it as “work.”

The current guidelines recommended by the American College of Cardiology/AHA is at least 30 minutes of moderate activity on most days of the week. Examples provided of moderate activity include: brisk walking, hiking, biking, and swimming. Regular physical activity contributes to weight reduction (Lewis, Dirksen, Heitkemper, Bucher, & Camera, 2011 p.767, 768).

References:

Edelman, C. L., Kudzma, E., & Mandle, C. L. (2014). Health Promotion Throughout the Life Span (8th ed., pp. 214-228). St.Louis, MO: Elsevier.