The Community

Social support is the perception that individuals within the social network are cared for and have assistance from other individuals. Within a social network there are several supportive resources to help address a communal or individual need.

Consider for example the availability of tangible resources such as HIV/AIDS treatment centers in communities, informational supports, and social relationships developed from friends, neighbors or community businesses.

Since social support is proven to optimize health, how might social isolation contribute to health disparities in populations? In those populations with diminished social support networks, social exclusion can help explain health disparities due to lack of access to resources within communities, whether they be tangible or intangible (Richmond, 2009).

For this Discussion, select one population and consider how social support or social networks can impact health disparities within this population.

This Discussion will be available from Day 1 through Day 7 of this week. You are required to submit your initial post by Day 3. You are encouraged to post early. Once you have submitted your initial post, start engaging in a discussion with your colleagues. You must respond to at least one of your colleagues by no later than Day 5 and should continue to interact frequently with your colleagues through Day 7. Part of what makes a Discussion a discussion and not a lecture is the back and forth, in-depth, animated interaction of at least two people. If you start a topic and none of your colleagues are responding, consider what you can do to get the conversation going. Include something that would elicit further thoughts and different opinions from colleagues. Validate your opinions with references and links to the sources you used so that your colleagues can read them for themselves. See your Discussion rubric in the Course Information tab for specific grading requirements.

Post by Day 3 a description of the population you selected. Explain how social support might contribute to positive health outcomes in this population. Then, explain how social exclusion in this population might contribute to health disparities and why. Be specific and provide examples.

Remember to begin interaction with your colleagues in the Discussion no later than Day 5 and continue engaging through Day 7. Continue the Discussionby Day 5 and suggest how alternative social support systems impact planning health interventions for a health disparity described by your colleagues. Then explain how various types of social capital can improve health outcomes across the SEM and why.

Support your work with specific citations from this week's Learning Resources and additional scholarly sources as appropriate. Refer to the Essential Guide to APA Style for Walden Students to ensure that your in-text citations and reference list are correct.