Health Risks of Vulnerable Population in Miami Essay

Introduction

The community was chosen for the windshield survey, and this paper is Golden Beach in Miami, Florida. It mostly consists of families (same-sex or different-sex couples) with and without children. It is a small community located near Hollywood that appears to consist of mostly upper-middle-class and upper-class members. The vulnerable population identified during the survey was pregnant women (including teenagers). There were not many pregnant teenagers, but many pregnant women were seen. The purpose of this paper is to address the possible health risks associated with the identified vulnerable population. Demographic and epidemiological data will be used to assess the risks.Health Risks of Vulnerable Population in Miami Essay

Vulnerable Population Overview

Many pregnant women (up to 20-30) were seen in the community during the survey; three pregnant teenagers were also identified. Most of them appeared to be healthy and with a good socio-economic background, although one of the teenagers had unhealthy (grayish) skin color. Most of the women were either alone or with their husbands/other relatives.

Economic conditions such as poverty and unstable/low income can negatively affect pregnant women because they need expensive medical services and quality nutrition to avoid miscarriages or other health problems. Obesity can also adversely affect pregnant women, as well as such behaviors as smoking, drinking, or too intense exercises. Anxiety and depression are also common among pregnant women and can be fueled by their age, previous miscarriages, abortions, etc. (Ali, Azam, Ali, Tabbusum, & Moin, 2012).Health Risks of Vulnerable Population in Miami Essay

Strengths, Risk Factors, and/or Barriers

The strength of becoming a mother early (during teenage or young adult years) is that the person will experience fewer problems with the gender gap with their child, will (possibly) become more responsible, and recover from labor sooner compared to older pregnant women (35-45 years old). Nevertheless, research shows that teenage pregnancy can have an adverse impact on physical and mental health, and young maternal age can lead to anemia, low birth weight, neonatal mortality, and stillbirths (Gibbs, Wendt, Peters, & Hogue, 2012). Risk factors for adult pregnant women include obesity, depression, anxiety, miscarriages, stillbirths, neonatal deaths, etc. Barriers that pregnant women might face include barriers to physical activity, dietary control, necessary health care, mental health counseling, etc.