Factors Contributing to the Yearly Incidence and Mortality Rates of Various Cancers in America

Factors Contributing to the Yearly Incidence and Mortality Rates of Various Cancers in America

The majority of the factors contributing to high cancer mortality rates among Americans are lifestyle-related. These are tobacco use, physical inactivity, overweight, and obesity.

Tobacco use

In the US, tobacco is the scourge of public health. The use of tobacco among Americans through cigarette smoking causes about 440000 premature deaths from cancer every year. Smoking is also responsible for 30 percent of all cancer deaths (Douglas et al., 2018). Smoking is linked to eight cancers; lung, pancreatic, bladder, kidney, pancreatic, pharyngeal, laryngeal, and esophageal cancers. Tobacco has also been found to cause colon, stomach cancers, and leukemia.

Physical Inactivity

Physical activity is linked to numerous mental and physical benefits, including reductions in the risk of premature mortality, cardiovascular illnesses, hypertension, diabetes, and even cancer. Physical activity minimizes the risk of colon, rectal, and endometrial cancer. Importantly, physical activity is a crucial complement to dietary management to prevent weight gain and is vital for weight maintenance after intentional weight loss. According to Cannioto et al. (2018), approximately 15 percent of lung, colorectal, and breast cancers are attributed to a lack of physical activity in the US.

Overweight and Obesity

Research suggests that approximately 70 percent of the American population is obese or overweight (Trattner et al., 2017). Obesity contributes to the incidence and mortality rates of cancers in several ways. These include through female hormones for breast and uterine cancers, insulin pathways for colon cancer, and other cancers at different sites. Addressing the above three risk factors is essential to reduce the occurrence and mortality rates of various cancers. Nursing Process Approach to Care Cancer Essay.

How the American Cancer Society (ACS) Might Provide Education and Support

The American Cancer Society is devoted to guiding patients through their cancer experience. Besides helping patients, society’s resources are also dedicated to families of cancer patients. ACS provides support in several ways, including patient services, support groups, medical equipment, social services, wigs and prostheses, transportation services, lodging, and financial programs. The society also provides cancer-related education by publishing patient education brochures, professional journals, books, and pamphlets. These educational materials focus on specific types of cancers, prevention, and coping strategies.

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Among the services I would recommend are the online community, rides to treatment, and lodging services. Through the American Cancer Society Cancer Survivors Network, cancer patients can share practical tips, experiences, and instill hope in one another. The online community is free and was created for cancer patients and their families. Lodging services are ideal for patients whose cancer treatment is far from home, and they need a place to stay. Additionally, rides to treatment assist patients who experience difficulties in the treatment centers.

Use of the Nursing Process in Providing Safe and Effective Care for Cancer Patients

The nursing process is a methodical guideline that promotes patient-centered cancer care using five steps. Developed by Jean Orlando in 1958, the nursing process is distinguished as a orderly approach to care using the central ideologies of critical thinking, goal-oriented services, nursing intuition, and evidence-based recommendations. The five steps of the nursing process are assessment, diagnosis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.

During the assessment phase, the physician utilizes critical thinking and data collection skills directly from the patient or primary caregivers. Here, physicians gather data on the patient’s physical, psychological, social, and spiritual dimensions. The Maslow hierarchy of needs is utilized to determine the patient’s needs. During diagnosis, the physician determines the patient’s actual or potential health problems (Leslie, 2018).  Planning is the third phase, which involves establishing measurable and achievable goals for cancer patients. Examples of these goals could be adhering to medications, consuming healthy diets, and providing emotional support.  The fourth stage is implementation, which is specific depending on each patient. In this stage, physicians monitor cancer patients to identify any symptoms while educating them on symptom management and coping strategies. Nursing Process Approach to Care Cancer Essay.  In this stage, nurses also encourage cancer patients to seek follow-up care.