Fcators Affecting Vulnerability and Assessment of Needs - Assignment Example

An individual’s vulnerability to negative health increases as the level of exposure to risk or causative agents increases. In real life situation, everybody is vulnerable at some point. However, the level of vulnerability varies among individuals based on the level of exposure to risk. Vulnerable individuals or populations are those groups of people or individuals are pre-exposed to very high levels of risk factors such as high levels of alcohol, tobacco and other narcotics usage. Inadequate access to basic needs such as proper housing and balanced diet enhances individuals’ vulnerability.

Risks factors responsible for individual’s vulnerability entails such attributes such as highblood pressure, unsafe sex, underweight, heavy alcohol and tobacco consumption, unsafe drinking water, poor sanitation and hygiene. Vulnerable mothers are one of the major and most vulnerable American groups. Many interventions are continuously put in place to improve the welfare of such vulnerable mothers. This entails access to housing, proper diet and health care facilities. This also entails educating school children on proper nutrition and facilitating their immunization requirements.

Meeting the needs of vulnerable individuals has always been an uphill task. This is mainly because the problems of such individuals are intertwined and do not exist as independent entities. Drugs and substances abuse has always been the major causative problem with vulnerable mothers, infants and highly abusive persons. Drugs and substances abuse plays a major in enhancing vulnerability of individuals in the U.S. apart from its many health related side effects, it also exposes individuals to many other risks such as HIV and AIDS.

Its heavy usage leads to addiction leaving individuals incapable of functioning properly if not under its influence.