Public Awareness and Human Diseases.

Current disease trends in America include dramatic increases in obesity, cardiovascular
diseases, diabetes, strokes, and other age- and lifestyle-related conditions. This suggests
needs for community organizations to provide education and exercise programs for all ages;
for employers to provide incentives for participation in health maintenance and wellness
programs, gyms and exercise programs; and for hospitals to provide adequate follow-up
instruction after discharge.

ORDER CUSTOM, PLAGIARISM-FREE PAPER

• Resources: Appendix A and the appropriate Web site for the disease selected
• Due Date: Day 7 [Individual] forum
• Review the final project requirements described in Appendix A.
• Select one of the following widespread health issues: obesity, congestive heart disease,
diabetes, cancer, stroke, or COPD. If you would like to choose another subject, you must
contact the instructor by Week Five and seek approval for that disease.
• Visit two or more of the following Web sites that are appropriate for your selected
disease:
o Center for Disease Control: http://www.cdc.gov
o Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com
o American Heart Association: http://www.americanheart.org
o American Lung Association: http://www.lungusa.org
o American Diabetes Association: http://www.diabetes.org
o American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org
o WebMD®: http://www.webmd.com
• Use a minimum of two of the above Web sites and four additional sources other than the
text.
• Provide an overview of the selected health issue.
• Review at least one current program within your local K-12 schools, your employer, or
your community that educates people about that disease. If you’re not sure where to find
HCA 240 Health and Diseases
Course Syllabus Page 28
information, check the school district’s Web site, your employer’s Web site or human
resources department, the city’s Web site, or the county health department Web site.
• Propose an improved community-based education/awareness program, targeted at the
population most affected by the disease, that builds upon the existing program you are
researching.
• Combine the disease overview, review of the education program for the disease, and
your proposal to improve the program into a paper according to the following guidelines:
o Identify the disease and describe characteristics of the group most affected by the
disease.
o Discuss the major causes of the disease, which body systems are affected, and how
those body systems are affected by the disease.
o Discuss risk factors that can be controlled and how to control them, as well as risk
factors that cannot be controlled.
o Discuss the evolution of treatment options available to patients; give a brief history of
treatment procedures over time.
o Describe current treatment methods, and include what patients can expect in regards
to medical tests and procedures, equipment involved, therapies, and medications.
o Discuss future treatment options based upon current research.
o Evaluate the effectiveness of the existing education program you found.
• What kind of information and patient support is available in the program?
• How is the information delivered?
• Is the information readily available to those who need it most?
• Is the information comprehensive, helpful, supportive, etc.?
• What is being done well?
• What needs to be done better? How can it be accomplished?
• What new features would you add to the program in order to improve it?
o Propose a new, effective way to get word of the improved program out to greater
numbers of the targeted population.
• Select a spokesperson: someone famous? An “average” person? A cartoon
character?
• How will the information be distributed? On TV, in a game, in a ne