Running head: COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUE 3 1

Bow Valley College

Brandon Martin

Iddela Malinao

Nida Mansorani

Nkiru Flora Madueme

Ranjneet Mahey

Community Nursing NURS2504

Clare Byrne

Friday, September-22-2017
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COMMUNITY HEALTH ISSUE 1: STRESS

Stress is a very common form of expression which is seen among College/University

students. The picture above has been taken at North campus of Bow Valley College. Looking at

the picture, it shows that how much stress is evolved nowadays among students from studying to

finishing an assignment and preparing for their exams. According to Bhujadey (2017) Higher

education is a stressful period in students' life which they need to cope with due to various

reasons as living away from the families, a heavy syllabus, and inefficiency in higher education

programs (p. 748). During college life, student deals with different kinds of transitions, where

students experience many firsts, including new lifestyle, friends, roommates, exposure to new
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cultures and alternate ways of thinking (Bhujadey, 2017, p. 748). Unfortunately, when students

are unable to manage these challenges, they are more likely to feel academic stressors

(Bhujadey, 2017, p. 748). In Bow Valley College, that palpable pressure is felt every day

because of the competition. This pressure is felt at extreme when parents, friends, and society

expect much from an individual. Stress among students is considered when there are an abrupt

changes from high school or separation from home (Bhujadey, 2017, p. 748).

DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH: SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT

According to Reutter & Kushner (2014), social environments have been defined as "they

array of values and norms of society that influence in varying ways the health and wellbeing of

population" (p. 10). Different factors support a community and reduces potential health risks,

like "social stability, recognition of diversity, safety, good working relationships and cohesive

communities" (Reutter & Kushner, 2014, p. 10). On the other hand, several factors can be

harmful to the social environment like stress. Stress is a fact of life that cannot be avoided. It can

come in many different forms and stem from many different places. During school, students

often become stressed and overwhelmed because of exams, projects, and other aspects of life

such as work, children, and family. In short doses, stress is usually okay because once the stress

is removed, hormone levels return to normal and the effects of stress are removed, but long-term

stress has shown to be very harmful to the body. Long-term exposure to Cortisol, the stress

hormone has been demonstrated to increase the risk of anxiety, depression, heart disease, sleep

problems and weight gain ("Chronic stress puts your health at risk, 2016). These are many

issues that students have to deal with on a regular basis, so a mismanagement of stress can cause

a long downward spiral that is hard to work out of. This is why it is essential to have an effective
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way to deal with stress, so it doesnt build up over long periods of time. One proven method for

stress reduction in regards to school is to have friends and peers who listen, offer advice, and

provide emotional support (Baier & Hegadoren, 2014, pg. 484). Having sufficient social

support can make us less prone to genetic and environmental vulnerabilities for mental illnesses

(Ozbay, Fitterling, Charney & Southwick, 2008, p. 304).

POPULATION HEALTH OUTCOME:

Social environment plays a huge role in adopting ways to deal with stress. According to

the research, it was reported that ones social environment could be disrupted when multiple

stressors are associated with like, academic/coursework demands, study/life balance,

procrastination, and finances and money problems (Stallman & Hurst, 2016, p.130). When a

student is unable to cope up with everyday stressors and his poor social environmental

conditions, sometimes lead students to experience depression and anxiety symptoms as a result

of excessive stress (Stallman & Hurst, 2016, p. 128). The impact of stress can be on the overall

health status of the student. According to a national survey with the university and college

counseling center directors, anxiety is the top concern among college students followed by

depression. Anxiety can trigger the flight or fight response (Pietrangelo, 2014, para. 14). This

reaction can activate an individual to work in an intense situation. According to Pietrangelo

(2014) If repeatedly feel anxious and stressed, for a long time, the body never gets the signal to

return to normal functioning (para. 15). Anxiety can interfere with students ability to

concentrate. According to Essel & Awusu (2017) Stress also causes restlessness in a student

(p. 31). Anxiety can cause hyperventilation that can cause a panic attack in someone prone to

panic attacks (Essel & Awsu, 2017, p. 31).

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DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH: PERSONAL HEALTH PRACTICES AND COPING

SKILLS

Stress is a part of daily life regardless of age or circumstance; therefore, the ability to

identify and cope with stress in efficient and healthy ways is essential to living an ideal life. (The

University of British Columbia, n.d.., Stress). Students can be especially susceptible to the

effects of stress as the responsibilities of life are still present while they are trying to focus on their

studies. Working full or part-time to afford school as well as monthly bills, family obligations,

attending lessons, studying for class, taking exams, participating in social activities, staying fit and

healthy, maintaining a home, and many more tasks fall on a student. If they are not equipped to

deal with the pressure and stress which can come from having so many responsibilities

simultaneously, the stress can have a negative effect on the student's physical and emotional health

(The University of British Columbia, n.d., Managing stress and anxiety). The discipline in

which the student is also studying plays a part in the amount of stress they carry. Students taking

medicine course like dentistry, pharmacy, and even nursing showed to have high-stress levels

(Gomathi, Ahmed, & Sreedharan, 2013, p. 437). This is quite ironic since these are all fields

relating to the physical health of an individual, yet they seem to induce the most amount of stress.

However, in the same study of Gomathi, et.al., (2013) it was shown that "the majority of the

students were using positive coping strategies"(p. 431). Positive coping strategies are crucial to

the physical and emotional wellbeing of an individual, (The University of British Columbia,

n.d., Managing stress and anxiety).Therefore, it is imperative these strategies are taught, and

resources are readily accessible to students, (The University of British Columbia, n.d.,

Techniques to help you relax). This can help prevent students from attempting to cope with
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harmful substances such as drugs and alcohol or to avoid having students give up on dealing

altogether. Equipping students to understand how to handle stress starts in childhood (Kids

Kottage, n.d., para. 1). Many factors can cause stress in children, and these are great opportunities

to help develop positive coping mechanisms which will be useful to the child at the moment, but

also later on in life, (Kids Kottage, n.d., para. 2). It is important to note "common causes of stress

in children include good things as well as bad things, (Kids Kottage, n.d., Causes of stress in

children). There are some good stressors which will benefit the person and negative stressor like

failing an exam which will have an impact on a persons health (Kids Kottage, n.d., Causes of

stress in children). There are some practical coping strategies to assist the person in dealing with

stress like relaxation and meditation that should be available in the community (Haggstrom, n.d.,

para. 1). If a child can learn to use these strategies in their youth, as they grow and are faced with

increasingly difficult situations they will be better prepared to identify stress. As it becomes present

in their lives, knowing what methods of coping mechanisms work best for them is necessary to

deal with that stress, (Haggstrom, n.d., para. 8).

POPULATION HEALTH OUTCOME:

Effective personal health practices and coping skills during student life results in

academic achievements. Some stress is necessary for personal growth, but when a person is

unable to cope with those challenges the amount of stress can overwhelm a student and affect

the ability to cope (Bhujadey, 2017, p. 748). To overcome those challenges, some students avail

advisory support at college and another struggle by their own, due to which they sometimes face

health challenges. One of the common health conditions from which a student suffers is sleep

deprivation. According to Yugantara, Saket, Vivek & Alka (2016) Sleep deprivation results
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weakening of physical functions, mental health problems like depression and lowering of

productivity, thus resulting in loss to an individual and society (p. 51). Sleep disturbance is

commonly seen in college student; it can lead to Daytime sleepiness, difficulty in waking up

early (Yugantara et al., 2016, p. 59). These studies prove that sleep plays a significant role in

individuals achievement. It is commonly observed among students around Bow Valley College

that they feel tired and sometimes unable to come up with the everyday life challenges. As a

result, lack of sleep not only become a reason for not scoring high at school but its consequences

also include increased risks of accidents, strained relationship and impaired concentration

(Yugantara et al., 2016, p. 51).

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