Introduction to the community, including the name of the community SOUTH CAROLINA and any interesting or historical facts you would like to add about where you live
Photographs of the selected area of the community that serve as evidence of your observations and hypotheses
Windshield Survey findings, including a description of the section of your community that you chose to survey
Description of the Vulnerable Population (SOUTH CAROLINA and Available Resources
Demographics of the vulnerable population
What social determinants create their vulnerable status?
What community strengths exist to assist this population?
Conclusions based on Nursing Assessment of the Community
Based on what you have found, what conclusions can you draw about your community and your selected population for your practicum? Windshield Survey and Community Assessment Essay Paper
REQUIRED
****Introduced the community including the name of the community and interesting or historical facts
****Described the general population demographics and noted whether this was borne out in the windshield survey
****Presented the findings of their windshield survey including photographs of selected areas
****Described vulnerable populations, related social determinants and community strengths
****Included conclusions based on nursing assessment of the community and selected population for practicum
Windshield Survey and Community Assessment: South Carolina
South Carolina is one of the States in the Eastern section of the United States. It is affectionately known as The Palmetto State and has an area of 32,020 square miles. It is bounded to the East by the Atlantic Ocean and to the West by the state of Georgia by way of the Savannah River. The state has got a mixed population that is however still majority white. Its current population stands at 5,277,830 (World Population Review, n.d.). Being one of the smallest states in the US, South Carolina has one of the highest population densities of any state. The population stands at 67.2% White, 26.8% Black, mixed race 2.3%, and others 3.8% (World Population Review, n.d.).
Historical Facts
South Carolina was the 8th state in the Union and officially joined the United States in the year 1788. It then became one of the original 13 founding states of the USA. But in the lead up to the Civil War, South Carolina was to become the first state to pull out of the United States of America Union. Separation of South Carolina from North Carolina occurred in 1729. The Civil War began in 1861 and South Carolina was to rejoin the Union again in 1868 (Nations Online, 2021).
Windshield Survey
This windshield survey could not be done in the whole of South Carolina as that would have been practically impossible due to the cost and logistical implications. For that matter, the town of Gaston was chosen as a sample town representing the state and the survey was conducted there. The town of Gaston has an area of 3.43 square miles. The community is a religious community with almost 505 of all the residents identifying with a certain religious belief. There are several churches in particular and they include Praise Family Life Center and Little Zion Baptized Holiness Church. The Lexington County Fire Service is located in the town. This is a green town with trees everywhere. The climate is good and the air quality favorable. There are several factories that offer employment to the local residents. One of them is Diamond Pet Foods. Other economic activities are restaurants and fast food joints such as Domino’s. Gaston town is 93% White and 37% Native American. Windshield Survey and Community Assessment Essay Paper
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The community of Gaston cannot be described as rich but the standard of living is satisfactory. A significant percentage of the community members drive their own cars. Children are either taken to school by the school bus or dropped at school by their parents and guardians. There is a post office, a town hall, and an array of residential homes with well manicured lawns. Unlike the rest of South Carolina, the population density of Gaston is low. Not many people are walking the streets and only a few cars can be seen on the one at any particular time.
Vulnerable Populations and Related Social Determinants of Health
According to the windshield survey, the vulnerable population demographics within the Gaston community and South Carolina in general are the elderly and the overweight/ obese. Social determinants of health are factors that impact the health of populations and communities from the time that a person is born up to the time that they die. They include socioeconomic status, living conditions, access to quality healthcare services, and educational achievement (Powell, 2016). In the windshield survey, it was seen that the living conditions of these populations are satisfactory. As has been stated above, the socioeconomic status of the community members is not bad. The community cannot be described as poor. Housing within the community is affordable and children attend school. Despite this, the number of schools within the area of the Gaston community is small. This coupled with the fact that hospitals are also scarce means that the two significant social determinants of health affecting this population are educational achievement and access to quality healthcare services. Windshield Survey and Community Assessment Essay Paper
Overweight and obesity are a significant risk factor for the development of lifestyle diseases such as type II diabetes mellitus, hypertension and hyperlipidemia. During the windshield survey, the surveyor did not see a single person jogging in the streets. This is despite the fact that there are very many open green spaces within the area of Gaston. This means that lack of physical exercise and probably poor dietary choices are partly responsible for the rampant obesity seen during the survey. There is need for evidence-based interventions to address this problem of overweight and obesity. These are usually educational in nature and take the form of health education and promotion (Kornet-van der Aa et al., 2017).
The elderly as seen are also vulnerable because they may be neglected and fall into depression. No nursing home was seen during the survey. Apart from the risk of depression due to loneliness, the elderly who are frail also are at risk of accidental falls that may disable them and even lead to death through complications. The community strengths seen are good neighborliness, closeness, and unity of purpose. These are attributes that can be put to use especially in organizing for community awareness campaigns and health promotion.
Conclusion
The above windshield survey in South Carolina took place in the vicinity of Gaston. The identified vulnerable populations are the elderly and the overweight/ obese. Interventions to correct these health problems will involve educational campaigns to sensitize the population and inform them.
References
Centres for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] (2020). Strategies to prevent and manage obesity. https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/strategies/index.html
Kornet-van der Aa, D.A., Altenburg, T.M., van Randeraad-van der Zee, C.H. & Chinapaw, M.J.M. (2017). The effectiveness and promising strategies of obesity prevention and treatment programmes among adolescents from disadvantaged backgrounds: A systematic review. Obesity Reviews, 18(5). https://doi.org/10.1111/obr.12519
Nations Online (2021). A map of South Carolina (SC). https://www.nationsonline.org/oneworld/map/USA/south_carolina_map.htm
Powell, D.L. (2016). Social determinants of health: Cultural competence is not enough. Creative Nursing, 24(1), 5-10. http://dx.doi.org/10.1891/1078-4535.22.1.5
World Population Review (n.d.). South Carolina Population 2021. https://worldpopulationreview.com/states/south-carolina-population Windshield Survey and Community Assessment Essay Paper