Healthy People 2020: A Case Study

Healthy People 2020 Target Objectives Specific For Young Adults, Middle-Aged Adults And Older Adults

The word adult, whether it refers to the young, middle-aged, or older individual, has one common characteristic: responsibilities. It is true that the younger stages of development have some showings and expressions of responsibility; however, it is during the adult life that an individual takes on and assumes the grown-up task of responsibility, with all its meanings and implications. Although Healthy People 2020 laid out specific objectives for the older adults, the young and middle-aged adults were indirectly covered under several topics that concerned these two populations, e.g., family planning and maternal health, just to name a few. …show more content…
Screenings, immunizations, and health promotions for heart disease, diabetes, and cancer can all be applied to the three developmental stages of the adult life. There may be some nuances in each stage of the adult that deserve some considerations, especially in health promotion. As cited by Edelman, Kudzma, and Mandle (2014) the basic goal for the young adult is more on maximizing the “period of optimal health status and detect insipient health problems at an early stage (p. 528). For the middle-aged adult, in whom the toll of aging is beginning to show and impact quality of life, health promotion focuses on lifestyle choices and practices that optimize the health and well-being of the adult in midlife (Edelman, et al., 2014). Lastly for the older adults, the focus is more on utilization of health services, promotion of quality of life, injury prevention, and prudent choice of caregivers. All in all, Healthy People 2020 objectives and target goals are meant to be “incorporated into health plans supported by …show more content…
The health indicators outlined by the program are mostly preventable and achievable; the focus of which is more on the individual rather than the bigger picture (Edelman, et al., 24). The middle-aged adults are caught between caring for their children and their older parents. Rightly so, the middle-age group is called the sandwich generation. Thus, the additional demands of providing for the needs of children and parents, in addition to meeting the obligations of employment, subject the middle-aged adult to stressors that could impact one’s health. Therefore, the thrust of health promotion for the middle-age adult is more on motivating the individual to make their life and wellbeing a priority. Nurses as cited by Edelman, et al. (2014) “help middle-age adults improve their quality of life, both for the present and for the future, through the identification of risk factors, health promotion, and other nursing interventions” (p.

Show More

Healthy People 2020 Case Study