Vulnerable Populations in our Own Communities
Shi, Stevens, Faed, & Tsai (2008) maintain that an individual’s personal surroundings play a role in their access to material and social resources essential to wellbeing, which in turn play a role in their level of vulnerability and risk of negative outcomes. Their contention is that the lack of access to these resources may reduce the level of health-promoting behaviors while increasing the incidence of risk behaviors (2008), which in turn increase risk exposures and vulnerability to poor health outcomes.
Think about this in relationship to your own community.
In your post of 150 to 175 words:
First, identify a “vulnerable population” in your community and list several factors that might play a role in making them vulnerable or at risk. For example, you might identify what resources they lack access to and how this increases risk for certain negative outcomes. Explain how their surroundings serve as barriers to healthy behaviors/lifestyles or increase the incidence of risk behaviors. Then, reflect upon how vulnerable groups are viewed or treated in your community, and how community members’ own values play a role in how one views, treats or responds to members of vulnerable groups. Do you think this adds another challenge to a community’s willingness to prioritize services for vulnerable populations.
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