Leight Susan Bragg
Department of Nursing, Fairmont State College, Fairmont, West Virginia 26554, USA.
Public Health Nurs. 2003 Nov-Dec;20(6):440-8. doi: 10.1046/j.1525-1446.2003.20604.x.
This article describes the application of the vulnerable populations conceptual model to rural health. Vulnerable populations are social groups who have an increased susceptibility to adverse health outcomes. Evidence of this differential in vulnerability or increased risk includes premature mortality, comparative morbidity, decreased functional status, and diminished quality of life.
The vulnerable populations conceptual model postulates that there are interrelationships among resource availability, relative risk, and health status. Resource availability speaks to socioeconomic and environmental resources that are operationalized in this model as income, jobs, education, housing, availability of health care, quality of health care, and patterns of family and community life. Relative risk addresses the likelihood of exposure to risk factors and is reflected in lifestyle behaviors and choices and exposure to stressful events. Health status is operationalized as morbidity and mortality.
This review of the literature supports the utility of the vulnerable populations conceptual model in working with rural populations.
This model has potential utility to inform nursing research, practice, and policy about the opportunities and resources needed to achieve and maintain health in rural communities.
本文描述了弱势群体概念模型在农村卫生领域的应用。弱势群体是指那些对不良健康结果易感性增加的社会群体。这种易感性差异或风险增加的证据包括过早死亡、相对发病率、功能状态下降和生活质量降低。
弱势群体概念模型假定资源可及性、相对风险和健康状况之间存在相互关系。资源可及性涉及社会经济和环境资源，在本模型中表现为收入、工作、教育、住房、医疗保健可及性、医疗保健质量以及家庭和社区生活模式。相对风险涉及接触风险因素的可能性，并反映在生活方式行为和选择以及接触压力事件中。健康状况表现为发病率和死亡率。
对文献的综述支持弱势群体概念模型在农村人口研究中的实用性。
该模型对于为护理研究、实践和政策提供信息具有潜在作用，这些信息涉及在农村社区实现和维持健康所需的机会和资源。
