NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

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Capella university

NURS-FPX4000 Developing a Nursing Perspective

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Date

Analyzing Healthcare Issues

Food insecurity remains a significant public health issue affecting 33 million people with profound implications for individual and community health (Joseph, 2025). This paper analyzes the problem of food insecurity among low-income populations and proposes a sustainable intervention approach. It will explore the underlying causes, affected groups, and potential solutions while evaluating the ethical implications of implementing such strategies. This analysis aims to provide evidence-based insight that aligns with care spheres.

Identifying the Elements of the Problem

A person experiencing food insecurity does not have regular access to enough wholesome food to maintain an active lifestyle. Food insecurity means more than experiencing constant hunger because people face food uncertainties and difficulty purchasing socially accepted foods (Myers, 2020). Food insecurity primarily affects disadvantaged United States populations who belong to low-income families, single-parent families, and communities made up of minority groups. Multiple factors contribute to food insecurity. Firstly, people who struggle economically because of unemployment or earn low wages face obstacles in obtaining nutritious food.

Secondly, residents face restricted access to supermarkets that sell fresh, nutritious food products in food deserts. This creates an additional problem in maintaining healthy diets (Young et al., 2024). Further, insufficient program support through SNAP and other services impedes citizens from accessing nutritious food. Lastly, a person’s health struggles because poor nutrition leads to chronic illnesses, which further impair their ability to overcome their limited resources and poor health conditions (Garrity et al., 2024).

Analyzing the Problem

The fundamental factors creating this issue are economic differences and regulatory health system obstacles. Food insecurity produces various adverse effects among people, which include different chronic diseases that affect health negatively, such as diabetes, obesity, and hypertension. Evidence shows that food insecurity is linked to a 20–30% higher odds of obesity in adults and a 10–15% increased risk in children, particularly adolescents, while also growing hypertension risk by 15–25% in adults, with low-income populations facing a 1.3–1.8 times higher likelihood of developing it. Additionally, food-insecure individuals have approximately 20% higher rates of uncontrolled hypertension, with blood pressure readings above 140/90 mmHg, compared to food-secure counterparts (Thomas et al., 2021). This condition also affects maternal populations by causing mental health issues that disrupt child development, as explained by Myers (2020). 

The matter of food insecurity for nurse practitioners is of significant importance. During patient care, many people face difficulties in handling their chronic diseases because they lack both proper nutrition and available resources for sustenance. Through their daily care activities, nurses directly observe the harmful effects that lack of food access has on patients’ health outcomes and their ability to follow medical advice and recover from illness. The affected groups include children and adolescents in impoverished households, elderly individuals living alone on fixed incomes, low-income individuals with chronic health conditions, and pregnant women in marginalized communities (Thomas et al., 2021).

NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

The research requires more investigation to determine the long-term health effects food insecurity imposes on different populations, particularly women and elderly citizens during pregnancy. Further scholarly research needs to study the impact of food prescription programs on health improvement. Systemic barriers between racism and housing instability need additional examination about food insecurity. There is insufficient focus on cultural and community-specific factors influencing food preferences and access (Young et al., 2024). New knowledge developed in these fields will direct focused interventions that are sustainable.

Comparing and Contrasting Solutions

The solutions proposed to fight food insecurity present different strengths and specific barriers that hinder their implementation. The first proposed solution includes mobile markets, community gardens, and food pantries to create community-based food programs directly supplying nutrient-rich food in underserved areas. Strong community engagement supports these food programs, although they experience funding problems and issues related to sustainability and access to fresh produce (Hume et al., 2022).

The second proposed solution is expanding assistance programs like SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) at the policy level to produce lasting outcomes by enhancing low-income households’ purchasing capabilities. These initiatives face challenges because political opposition, bureaucratic systems, and limited communications with populations who might qualify frequently stop their progress (Nestle, 2023).

A third approach involves healthcare facilities offering screening for food insecurity so medical providers can refer at-risk patients to helpful resources, and healthcare providers can sometimes prescribe food distribution access. Healthcare facilities can use this approach to support comprehensive care through existing infrastructure, but its effectiveness depends on healthcare staff availability and appointment scheduling. The success of each anti-food-insecurity strategy depends on proper financial backing, effective partnerships between different sectors, and active community participation (Shanks & Gordon, 2024).

Choosing a Solution: Healthcare-Based Food Insecurity Screening and Referrals

A systematic process of food insecurity screening in primary care coupled with hospital settings must be followed by nutrition assistance programs and community resource referrals (Shanks & Gordon, 2024). A structured approach that bolsters disease protection and nurtures nutrition-oriented medical services while building health programs between medical facilities and communities.

Food programs based in communities create meaningful impacts; however, they function through community support and budget resources. The process of policy-level reform requires extensive time for progress to take place. Healthcare institutions can establish sustainable and system-wide screening programs that deliver screening results immediately (Garrity et al., 2024; Joseph, 2025). The following are the pros and cons of the proposed solution. 

NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

Clinical care improves greatly when early identification systems integrate with intervention strategies through screening processes. Accelerated health problem detection becomes possible through screening, resulting in immediate therapy and enhanced patient recovery. Its implementation improves patient trust by offering complete health solutions that consider social health factors during care planning. Taking action before hospitalization demonstrates the potential for decreasing medical facility admissions and general healthcare spending through advanced healthcare management (Shanks & Gordon, 2024).

Several important obstacles need attention. The successful execution of this approach needs qualified personnel training and specific time allocation, yet it potentially affects existing limited staff capacity. Initiatives succeed mainly because they need available community resources for making referrals and providing appropriate follow-up care. Medical practices for improving care have limited effectiveness because insufficient mandatory or incentive programs exist to utilize these approaches fully (Shanks & Gordon, 2024).

Ethical Principles in Implementing Solutions

The proposed healthcare-based solution requires the evaluation of ethical principles when implemented. The intervention exhibits beneficence because it protects patient wellness and solves food insecurity problems, which are important social determinants of health and enable people to manage their chronic diseases better (Knight & Fritz, 2021). For example, implementing a food prescription program for diabetic patients allows them to access fresh produce regularly, which can significantly improve glycemic control.

The principle of nonmaleficence receives backing because the timely identification of at-risk patients enables harm reduction through minimalizing complications from malnutrition. The practice of respect for autonomy happens through providing patients with choices and empowering resources that allow them to take charge of their health. For instance, nutrition counseling paired with grocery store tours allows patients to make informed decisions about their dietary habits. Justice is promoted through equal provisions of support to underserved groups because they face higher rates of food insecurity (Knight & Fritz, 2021).

Healthcare institutions must remove bias from their procedures to effectively utilize this solution for discrimination-free screenings. Applying implicit biases leads to under-screening specific populations, so healthcare institutions must establish proper training and protocols (Myers, 2020; Joseph, 2025). The successful rollout needs EHR-integrated screening tools, full staff training on referral mechanisms, local food assistance program collaboration, and funds to maintain care coordination operations.

Impact of the Proposed Solution on the Spheres of Care

The solution fulfills its purposes within the Wellness and Disease Prevention care sphere. Early detection of food insecurity lets healthcare providers deliver preventive measures that protect patients from chronic diseases or their progression. When healthcare addresses food insecurity, patients demonstrate better medicine adherence because they avoid trading food costs against prescription costs (Mozaffarian et al., 2024). These preventive measures lead to superior health results while decreasing healthcare expenses and enabling people to lead better quality lives. Adding nutrition support services to healthcare enables systemic changes in treating patients from reactive to proactive and comprehensive care. The results of this method produce more beneficial communities and higher health equality (Joseph, 2025).

The proposed solution substantially impacts the Chronic Disease Management sphere of care through its prolonged support mechanisms, which assist patients in managing persistent health problems. People with diabetes, hypertension, or heart disease can benefit from regular access to nutritious foods within connected food support services to better control their diseases while decreasing symptom intensity (Thomas et al., 2021). Choosing nutritional services for care planning enables providers to customize interventions according to individual requirements, which enhances drug adherence and achieves better biometric metrics like controlled blood pressure or A1C measures. Follow-up food security assessments enable clinical professionals to track patient improvements and modify treatment approaches, reducing hospital admission rates and enhancing the life quality of people with chronic health problems (Shanks & Gordon, 2024).

Conclusion 

Food insecurity is a central healthcare concern affecting individuals and communities collectively. Food insecurity screening and referral through healthcare systems is a sustainable, ethical solution to understanding food insecurity. This approach improves health equity, and the population receives enhanced wellness alongside preventive disease capabilities and improved outcomes. Healthcare professionals and nurses must actively support evidence-based practices to achieve implementation and advocacy.

Reference

Garrity, K., Guerra, K. K., Hart, H., Al-Muhanna, K., Kunkler, E. C., Braun, A., Poppe, K. I., Johnson, K., Lazor, E., Liu, Y., & Garner, J. A. (2024). Local food system approaches to address food and nutrition security among low-income populations: A systematic review. Advances in Nutrition, 15(4), 100156. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.advnut.2023.100156

Hume, C., Grieger, J. A., Kalamkarian, A., D’Onise, K., & Smithers, L. G. (2022). Community gardens and their effects on diet, health, psychosocial and community outcomes: A systematic review. BMC Public Health, 22(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-022-13591-1 

Joseph, N. (2025). Geospatial analysis of food insecurity and adverse human health outcomes in the United States. GeoHealth, 9(2). https://doi.org/10.1029/2024gh001198 

Knight, J. K., & Fritz, Z. (2021). Doctors have an ethical obligation to ask patients about food insecurity: What is stopping us? Journal of Medical Ethics, 48(10), https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2021-107409 

NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

Mozaffarian, D., Aspry, K. E., Garfield, K., Etherton, P. K., Seligman, H., Velarde, G. P., Williams, K., & Yang, E. (2024). “Food is medicine” strategies for nutrition security and cardiometabolic health equity. Journal of the American College of Cardiology (Print), 83(8), 843–864. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2023.12.023 

Myers, C. A. (2020). Food insecurity and psychological distress: A review of the recent literature. Current Nutrition Reports, 9(2), 107–118. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13668-020-00309-1

Nestle, M. (2023). Equitable access to the USDA’s food assistance programs: policies needed to reduce barriers and increase accessibility. American Journal of Public Health, 113(S3), S167–S170. https://doi.org/10.2105/ajph.2023.307480 

Shanks, C. B., & Gordon, N. P. (2024). Screening for food and nutrition insecurity in the healthcare setting: A cross-sectional survey of non-Medicaid insured adults in an integrated healthcare delivery system. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 15. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319241258948 

NURS FPX 4000 Assessment 5

Thomas, M. K., Lammert, L. J., & Beverly, E. A. (2021). Food insecurity and its impact on body weight, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and mental health. Current Cardiovascular Risk Reports, 15(9). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12170-021-00679-3 

Young, A. O., Brown, A., Collins, T. A., & Glanz, K. (2024). Food insecurity, neighborhood food environment, and health disparities: State of the science, research gaps and opportunities. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 119(3). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.12.019