Risk factors in epidemiology and the intervention of nurses specializing in community nursing

Abstract

Introduction: Identifying risk factors is an essential step in epidemiological surveillance and allows targeted intervention to improve quality of life and prevent disease. Public health nurses have the skills to design the necessary interventions to reduce and prevent risk factors.

Objective: to reflect on the importance of epidemiological surveillance in identifying risk factors in the Portuguese community and the intervention of specialist nurses in community nursing and public health.

Methods: a bibliographic search was carried out in official databases, documents and websites and a critical-reflective analysis was performed.

Results: The concept of risk associated with epidemiology has evolved in close collaboration with the concept of causality, from the perspective of the relationship between exposure to the risk factor and the health consequences. In this context, the importance of the intervention of specialist nurses in community nursing in the area of public health is highlighted.

Conclusions: The global burden of disease in Portugal, as well as worldwide and in Europe, is dominated by non-communicable diseases, with the main cause being risk factors in the behavioral domain. In Portugal, cerebrovascular disease is the main cause of death and disability, and the risk factor with the greatest impact on the development of preventable diseases is diet.

Keywords: Risk factors; Risk; Epidemiology; Public health nursing.