The benchmark assesses the following competencies:
1.4 Participate in health care policy development to influence nursing practice and health care.
Research public health issues on the “Climate Change” or “Topics and Issues” pages of the American Public
Health Association (APHA) website. Investigate a public health issue related to an environmental issue within
the U.S. health care delivery system and examine its effect on a specific population.
Write a 750-1,000-word policy brief that summarizes the issue, explains the effect on the population, and
proposes a solution to the issue.
Follow this outline when writing the policy brief:
Describe the policy health issue. Include the following information: (a) what population is affected, (b) at what
level does it occur (local, state, or national), and (c) evidence about the issues supported by resources.
Create a problem statement.
Provide suggestions for addressing the health issue caused by the current policy. Describe what steps are
required to initiate policy change. Include necessary stakeholders (government officials, administrator) and
budget or funding considerations, if applicable.
Discuss the impact on the health care delivery system.
Include three peer-reviewed sources and two other sources to support the policy brief.
However, after being the center of controversary for many years, Mattel Inc. rebranded Barbie and released a new commercial that spreads a positive, less superficial, and more realistic message about beauty (Bondareff 2010). The commercial encourages young children to be or do anything without worrying about the social beauty norms. Mattel Inc. created a doll with dark skin complexion and black dreadlocks breaking the chain of blonde and fair Barbie dolls (Bondareff 2010). Although Mattel Inc. has taken steps towards changing the unrealistic beauty perceptions by creating diverse dolls with different hair textures and skin colours, the doll still pursues the skinny body image (Bondareff 2010).
This case is significant for development of this research question as it demonstrates the complex relations between race and beauty. Whiteness and thinness are perceived as beauty norms which are enforced and normalized in society. Various forms of industries, markets, and companies monitor conceptions of beauty through objects and pursue the conception that beauty is akin to fair skin, long sleek hair, and thinness. As a result, those who do not identify with these notions of beauty, whether is it skin colour, hair texture or body size, perceive themselves as not beautiful.