In this activity, you will discuss how a social sciences approach can address the challenges for rural and remote health in the context of aging.

Reference Guide Links:  

• Thinking in Rural Gap: Mobility and Social Inequalities.

Step 1: Review

Study the given scenario below:

Imagine yourself as a medical social worker. Early in your career, you are deployed for a two-month medical mission to a rural “aging” community (residents are mainly 65 and older) in your country. As this is your first time receiving such an assignment, it is expected that you will encounter some challenges and social influences that may hinder the success of your medical deployment. As a medical social worker, how do you think a social sciences approach can address the challenges that you will encounter in the rural “aging” setting?  

Step 2: Respond

Reflect on the given scenario by recalling some concepts covered previously, such as the social influences affecting rural health (see reference guide links above). After reflecting, study the “Rural Aging Community Assessment Table” and fill in the fourth column with the necessary details.

Note: Each box entry should be between 100 - 300 words (a total of 300-900 words for this table).

Step 3: Share

To share your work, click on the “Reply” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “post to forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”

In this activity, you will reflect on the possible benefits and challenges of improving rural health in the context of social and behavioral sciences.

Reference Guide Links:  https://www.ruralhealthinfo.org/topics/social-determinants-of-health 

Step 1: Review

Select one of the four common issues present in rural health.

Rural Health Issues:

• Prevalence of substance use disorders.
• HIV and other sexually transmitted diseases as social and psychological issues.
• Prevalence of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis, and COVID-19.
• Resource distribution in rural health sectors.
• Access to health care centers and health facilities.

Step 2: Respond

After selecting one rural health issue, prepare a 500 - 900 word reflective piece of writing with the following inclusions:

• Social and behavioral concepts/models that can be used to explain why the issue is considered a “rural health” problem, 

• e.g., cervical cancer illiteracy as a rural health problem can be explained by the Theory of Planned Behavior and Theory of Reasoned Action because:

• Briefly summarize the concepts/models of your choice.
• Provide a few examples of how it applies to your selected health issue.

• Potential approaches to improve the response to the selected issue that becomes evident after analyzing it under the lenses of social and behavioral sciences, 

• e.g., incorporating the Theory of Planned Behavior entails an intervention approach or strategy that includes education and literacy through small group classes and teach-back methods.

• Possible benefits and challenges of integrating/applying these concepts/models in addressing the issue

• e.g., Integrating the Theory of Planned Behavior provides reliability in the prediction of the behavior of individuals towards substance use/abuse, as it helps identify the biggest barriers to changing behavior, addressing the often-challenging gap between the “intention and behavior of the concerned individuals.

Step 3: Share

To share your work, click on the “Add a new discussion topic” button under this post and paste your work in the “Message” box. Make sure to reference others’ intellectual property when necessary. All references should follow 7th Edition APA formatting. For further instructions, see the resource on the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library: APA citation resource (N.B. references are excluded from word counts).

Step 4: Interact

To complete the activity, you will need to reply to at least two posts made by your peers in a respectful and professional manner. Be sure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “post to forum.”

OPTIONAL Step 5: Interact (10 minutes)

If you would like to, you can reply to your peers' posts in a respectful and professional manner. Ensure that your post engages your peers' ideas by including a reflection on their comments, sharing ideas of other potential difficulties and parties involved, or asking thought-provoking questions. If a peer comments on your posting, please reply. To post a reply, click “Reply” on a particular discussion, write your feedback and then click on “Post to forum.”