02 Jul Perform a community assessment and describe the tools utili

Perform a community assessment and describe the tools utilized to accurately define your communityOverviewIn  this module, you will complete a full assessment of your own community.  You may build upon this assessment in Community Health II by planning,  implementing and evaluating a project within your community designed to  address primary prevention of an identified health concern.Defining the CommunityYour community can be any geographically defined county, city, or town. Clearly delineate the following dimensions before starting the process of community assessment: Describe the population that is being assessed? What is/are the race(s) of this population within the community? Are there boundaries of this group? If so, what are they? Does this community exist within a certain city or county? Are there general characteristics that separate this group from others? Education levels, birth/death rates, age of deaths, insured/uninsured? Where is this group located geographically…? Urban/rural? Why is a community assessment being performed? What purpose will it serve? How will information for the community assessment be collected?AssessmentAfter  the community has been defined, the next phase is assessment. The  following items describe several resources and methods that can be used  to gather and generate data. These items serve as a starting point for  data collection. This is not an all-inclusive list of resources and  methods that may be used when a community assessment is conducted.The  time frame for completion of the assessment may influence which methods  are used. Nonetheless, these items should be reviewed to determine what  information will be useful to collect about the community that is being  assessed. It is not necessary to use all of these resources and  methods; however, use of a variety of methods is helpful when one is  exploring the needs of a community.Data Gathering (collecting information that already exists)Demographics of the Community When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons can be made. If  the population that is being assessed is located within a specific  setting, it may be best to contact that agency to retrieve specific  information about that population. The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state: State and County Quick Facts—Easy access to facts about population, housing, economics, geographic data, business, based on U.S. Census data Obtain information about a specific city or county on these useful websites www.epodunk.com and www.city-data.com Information from Government Agencies Healthy People 2020—this  resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human  Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the  country to be reached by the year 2020  National Center for Health Statistics—this  agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; this  website provides statistical information about the health of Americans  National Vital Statistics System Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—The  CDC website contains a large amount of information related to the  health of the American population. The search engine within this website  can be used to find relevant information  Federal agencies with statistical programs  Every  state in the United States has its own specific health improvement plan  and goals that are based on the Healthy People 2020 document. This  information may be available on the state health department website.  State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community. Other Data Sources America’s Health Rankings—this website provides information about various health indicators for each state: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/  Other  relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search  related to the topic that is being examined through the community  assessment. After  data are collected from various sources, it is important to review the  information and to identify assets and areas for improvement in the  community by comparing local data (if available) versus state and  national data. This will facilitate organization of the information that  has already been obtained and will provide direction for the next step  of the process.Data Generation (data are developed that do not already exist):Windshield SurveysWith  the use of public transportation or by driving a vehicle around the  community, one can observe common characteristics of the community.Examples of key observations to make when one is assessing the community through a windshield survey include the following: Age of the homes in the community  Location of parks and other recreational areas  Amount of space between homes and businesses  Neighborhood hangouts  Transportation in the community  Quality and safety of streets and sidewalks  Stores and other businesses  People out in the community  Cleanliness of the community  Billboards or other media displays  Places of worship  Healthcare facilities  Participant ObservationSpend  time observing the population that is being assessed. Through  observation of interactions among group members, much can be learned  about the community, including the following: Developmental level of the population  Effectiveness of peer-to-peer interactions  Respect for peers and others  Safety in the environment  Economic status Informant InterviewsInformants could be people who are familiar with and interact with the population on a regular basis.Examples of questions that may be asked of key informants include the following: Strengths/assets of the community  Areas of improvement for the community  Concerns of community members  Access to health care  Emergency plans for natural or man-made disasters Focus GroupsFocus  groups (usually small groups of 6-12 people) can be helpful when one is  gathering information about specific areas of concern within the  population. Use of a focus group involves open dialogue about the  population, whereas an interview or survey yields only individual  responses. Focus groups may be effective for assessing the following:  Satisfaction with services provided  Community resources used  Transportation issues within the community  Safety within the community  General concerns of members of the population SurveysSurveys  may be used to collect data from the community. Selecting a sample of  the target population may prove helpful in the collection of data that  are easier to analyze. It is important to ensure that the sample is  representative of the target population.A  survey should be developed that takes into consideration the  developmental level of the group that is being assessed. Questions  should be written at the appropriate developmental level, so they are  answered in a way that makes the data useful. Surveys might include  closed-ended (yes/no), multiple choice (several responses to choose  from), Likert scale (Strongly Agree/Agree/Neutral/Disagree/Strongly  Disagree), or open-ended (“why”/“how”) questions.Topics that may be addressed in a survey include the following: Demographic information  Status of employment  Safety within community  Safety in environment  Personal safety (seatbelts, helmets, etc.)  Stressors/stress management patterns  Risky behaviors  Support systems  Volunteer/community activities  Rest patterns  Nutrition  Dental hygiene  Health promotion activities  Learning Materials N492 Signature Assignment Rubric v1.1 Demographics of the Community  When demographic data are collected, it is useful to collect data from a variety of levels so comparisons can be made.  If  the population that is being assessed is located within a specific  setting, it may be best to contact that agency to retrieve specific  information about that population.  The following resources provide a broad overview of the demographics of a city, county, or state:  State and County Quick Facts—Easy access to facts about population, housing, economics, geographic data, business, based on U.S. Census data  Obtain information about a specific city or county on these useful websites: www.epodunk.com and www.city-data.com   Information from Government Agencies  Healthy People 2020—this  resource is published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human  Services. It identifies health improvement goals and objectives for the  country to be reached by the year 2020  National Center for Health Statistics—this  agency is part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; this  website provides statistical information about the health of Americans  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)—The  CDC website contains a large amount of information related to the  health of the American population. The search engine within this website  can be used to find relevant information  Federal agencies with statistical programs  Every  state in the United States has its own specific health improvement plan  and goals that are based on the Healthy People 2020 document. This  information may be available on the state health department website.  State and local health departments provide information related to vital statistics for the community.  Other Data Sources  America’s Health Rankings—this website provides information about various health indicators for each state: https://www.americashealthrankings.org/  Other  relevant data sources may be found by conducting an Internet search  related to the topic that is being examined through the community  assessment.