Community assessments are vital in the development, implementation, and evaluation of programs to advance the health of a populace. An informal approach incorporated by Community Health Nurses to obtain vital knowledge regarding a community is by undertaking a windshield survey. This techniqueoffers aself-determining and subjective evaluation of a common region’s discrete physical, visual, and primary features as witnessed while walking or driving through a community. The general rationale for undertaking a community assessment is to represent a region and link any needs within the community and any predominantissues.Some topics should be scrutinizedto present aclear and wide-rangingdemonstration, including the historical content, populace, essential data, health-related challenges, communication means, administrativeparticulars, and opinions from community members.The research paper would provide a community assessment of community data and analyze the strengths, recommendations, summary, and reflection pertaining to Kendall Florida, zip code 33173.
Community Assessment
Kendall, Florida, is situated in Miami Dade County, along the southeast side of the Florida Peninsula, with a third of the county being positioned in the Everglades wildlife park. The county’s governing body is headed by a mayor responsible for the county’s daily operations. According to Health (2019), health is one of the pressing concerns within the county, with lifestyle ailments being the notable aspect. This is mainly attributed to the individual’s way of life within the society. Community health nurses play an essential role in the eradication of lifestyle diseases by creating awareness and offering treatment to the county’s populace.
Community Data
The People
Based on the United States census in 2019, Kendall Florida boasts of a population of approximately 75,312 people, whereby 86.7% are citizens. The county’s male population makes up 46.40% of the entire populace, while 53.60% of the populace is made up of women. The five most prominent ethnic groups in Kendall, Florida include White (64%), White (Non-Hispanic) (24.2%), Asian (3.79%), Black or African American (2.71%), and other populaces (2.43%) (Health, 2019).In addition, a high number of the populace consists of individuals aged between 25 to 75 years, followed by persons aged 75 to 85 years: kids, teenagers, young adults, and the aging make up less than 10% of the entire populace (Health, 2019).Thus, the region consists of people originating from specific social groups and diversities with various needs.
The susceptible populace within the community comprises the aging, marginalized groups, and economically disadvantaged. According to health (2019), poverty rates amongst women are deemed higher than men, signifying that approximately 18% of women live under the poverty line. Approximately 7% of the city families live under the poverty index, with 2.8% representing the unemployment rate. The town consists of 13,055 families, with each family having approximately 2.83persons and 33.22% represents households with children. Moreover, the town has a significant number of single-parent households, with the woman as the family head. This aspect is a contributing factor to the increased poverty levels in the area (Metropolitan, 2018).However, on the positive side, the educational level amongst the inhabitants is gradually progressing, with high school graduates and university graduates recording a significant percentage of 82%.
Environment
The region consists of approximately 13936 housing units, with a growing figure of owner-occupied housing units. According to health (2019), the town has approximately 17,800 registered cars, with 65% representing households that own a car. Approximately 11.7% of the populace do not have a car. This signifies that a significant portion of the populace is mainly dependent on cars to execute their daily activities. Approximately 1.74% of the populace use bicycles, while 7.4% of the populace trek to work. This is mainly attributed to the fact that most individuals are employed or are engaged within the region. Most parks charge a small entry fee or, in most cases, fail to charge fees to attract frequent visits from the locals. The county administration also organizes various activities meant for families and the elderly, for instance, kayaking and canoeing. The county also boasts of four dog parks, golf courses, and a zoo. The county’s policy takes pride in maintaining cleanliness within the town by guaranteeing that public areas are not littered.
Social Systems
The fundamental objective of the town administration involves guaranteeing access to health care amenities. The county consists of ten private and governmental health facilities. The health Institutions cover every specialty, with some being considered the principal health providers globally, such as the Bascom Palmer Eye Institute. Also, the town hosts one of the significant nationwide much-admired educational centers for clinical care and the Jackson Memorial Centre. Miami Dade Community is home to the third-biggest airfield in the nation, the Miami International Airport. The second-largest agricultural producers are situated in the county, with most of the produces being retailed within the region. As a result, residents have a preference for consuming manufactured products. The residents’ purchasing power is mainly affected by the prices and the geographic location of the stores. This is mainly seen by the small number of grocery stores within the low-income neighborhoods.
Analysis
The town is a substantially grown city in Miami Dade County, as seen in numerous economic undertakings. The town consists of a robust health framework, with the most extensive healthcare amenities globally that provide dedicated care. The health system is also boosted by the presence most qualified health professionals around the world. The town’s graduation rate in public schools is considered to be high, signifying the county’s strong education framework. The education framework’s accomplishments are mainly attributed to the leaders’ attempts to finance public learning institutions to chart institutions. Nonetheless, despite the presence of the positive aspects, the town and the county at large have numerous needs established during the research.
Based on the gathered data, a significant percentage of society is known to suffer lifestyle ailments, such as obesity and being overweight, asthma, and diabetes attributed to the residents’ lifestyle. It is apparent that the county residents fail to partake in health and fitness practices. Failure to lead a healthy lifestyle and engaging in physical activities further aggravates the health problem. Increasing ailments attributed to the lifestyle have a significant detrimental impact on individuals, causing an economic burden, especially with the health industry. This leads to increased poverty levels as people are incapable of conducting any economic undertakings, and more funding is directed towards treatment processes, affecting the family’s income. Members of the family are also compelled to provide care to ailing members, failing to partake in any economic process and cutting off the revenue sources (Dariush, 2015). Such aspects lead to increased cases of depression and cases of drug abuse and increased rates of demise within the county. Emphasizing eliminating the diseases enhances the objectives directed towards the attainability of healthy individuals with high quality and prolonged lives free from preventable ailments and premature deaths. This is accomplished through the development of an environment that promotes healthy living.
Recommendation
One of the significant aspects of eliminating diseases attributed to lifestyles is raising awareness within the community. By raising awareness, people are better positioned to make healthy life choices, for instance, undertaking regular physical exercises and embracing good consumption habits. Another factor that advances a healthy lifestyle in a community involves access and availability. The accessibility to numerous health facilities within a community further enhances a healthy lifestyle as people are constantly educated on healthy living practices. One of the institutions that advocate for healthy living in the Jackson Health System. This is witnessed through the facility’s mission statement that states “building the society’s health through the provision of quality health care for the county’s residents.” The medical facility embraces the objectives of healthy individuals by CDC by promoting healthy living (CDC, 2020). The health framework continues to seek new ways of assisting the community to practice a healthy way of life through education. The facility consists of professionals who train the public on making sound pronouncements to facilitate lifestyle disorders. The professionals counsel and provide recommendations on the ideal meal plans and exercise to engage in, for instance, walking or cycling.
Summary
Lifestyle disorders are one the most noteworthy aspects that have a detrimental impact on the county. This is mainly facilitated by a host of lifestyle choices made by the community’s populace, for instance, unfit consumption habits. The need does not just affect the community’s people, but it similarly affects the societyat large. There are enlargedlevels of poverty as the affected personsmay not work, eradicating the sources of income for households and hampers community growth. Medical facilities are overwhelmed by the number of patients and ultimately leading to an increase in premature death rates. Community nurses have a significant role to play in preventing diseases by creating awareness in society. This may be achieved through the provision of direct care to ailing patients. Community nurses similarly teach family caregivers ways of taking care of members of the family recovering from home. Therefore, it is essential for nurses to carry out research and develop programs meant for educating society on leading a healthy lifestyle.
Reflection
Windshield surveys are vital as it facilitates the collection of primary information by directly observing. The windshield survey has enabled me to learn more regarding the county and ascertain the society’s dynamics. I had the ability to gain significant information on the county’s strengths and needs. Moreover, through this, my perception of the community, particularly pertaining to health, was clearly influenced by comprehending the reasons behind certain behaviors. Nurses have the ability to address the community’s needs through the development of programs that enhance a healthy lifestyle, training community members on the significance of slightly reducing the use of vehicles and taking on activities such as trekking and cycling, increasing the metabolism rate within the body. Health is of significant concern, not only for me but for my household and society. Being a health expert, I will seek to be more involved in community health issues in the future by volunteering in community-based groups. More systematized activities should be developed and executed to offset the existing and forthcoming health concerns. Doing so will assist in promoting awareness based on nutrition, health learning, and other resources to patients.
