Community Health Assessment
Student Guide
Contents Demographic Data ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 1
Resources …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 2
Windshield Survey ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 3
References ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 5
Demographic Data Only include information relevant to your paper’s focus.
• Population density
• Age
• Gender
• Income level
• Race and ethnicity
• Employment levels
• Location
• Level of education
• Homeownership
• Preferences
• Hobbies
• Lifestyle
• Marriage rates
• Death rates
Resources
Health and disease-related statistics
https://www.cdc.gov/DataStatistics/
Healthy People 2030
https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives
US Demographic Statistics by Zip code:
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/US/PST045219
Community Data: Health and quality of life data indicators
http://www.miamidadematters.org/tiles/index/display?alias=communitydata
City Profiles
moving.com/real-estate/city-profile
City Government Database:
dos.myflorida.com/library-archives/research/florida-information/government/local-
resources/fl-cities
Map Data Collection by State:
census.gov/programs-surveys/geography.html
Parks and Services by State:
recreation.gov/search
Air and Water Quality by State:
www3.epa.gov/myem/envmap/myenv.html
Water Resources by State:
usgs.gov/mission-areas/water-resources/maps
Charts and Maps Database:
nass.usda.gov/Charts_and_Maps
General Database of Statistics:
statsamerica.org
Crime Statistics:
fbi.gov/services/cjis/ucr
Education Statistics:
www2.ed.gov/rschstat/landing.jhtml
Windshield Survey
A windshield survey is a descriptive approach that assess several community components by
driving through a community.
Strengths: Provide a descriptive overview of a community
Limitations: The results are based only on visualization and do not include input from
community members or empirical data. Keep this is mind when reporting on your observations.
These observations should be considered preliminary until verified with data. For example, bars
on windows may suggest higher levels of crime within the community; however, refrain from
characterizing the community as “violent” unless the statistics on crime supports this conclusion.
Windshield Survey Components
Disclaimer: Not all questions below need to be answered or addressed within your paper. This
overview is intended to guide you while conducting your survey. When writing your paper, only
include the information most relevant to the health and wellness of the community and your
suggestions for community improvement according to the Healthy People 2030 topics.
People
1. Who is on the street?
2. What is their general appearance (age, dress, well-nourished, obese, frail, unkempt)?
3. What are they doing?
4. What is the origin, ethnicity, or race of the people?
5. How are the different groups (subgroups) residentially located?
6. Is there any evidence of substance use, violence, disease, mental illness?
7. Are there any animals or pets in the community?
Place
1. Boundaries
a. Where is the community located?
b. What are the boundaries?
c. Are there natural boundaries?
d. Are there man-made boundaries?
2. Location of health services
a. Where are the major health facilities located?
b. What health care facilities are necessary for the community but are not within the
community?
3. Natural environment
a. Are there geographic features that can harm the community?
b. Are there plants or animals that could harm of threaten the health of the
community?
4. Human-made environment
a. What industries are within the communities?
b. Could the environment or industry pose a threat to the health of community
workers or the community itself?
c. Is there easy access to health care facilities?
d. Are the roads adequate and marked well?
e. What types of employment exist? Manufacturing? Retail? Small business?
Military installation?
f. Are there grocery stores which provided fresh produce, or is this a “food desert”?
g. Where is the garbage disposed? Is there evidence of trash, abandoned cars, or
houses?
Housing
1. Is the housing of acceptable quality?
2. How old are the homes?
3. Are there single or multifamily dwellings?
4. Is the housing in good repair or disrepair?
5. Is there vacant housing?
Social Systems
1. Are there social services, clinics, hospitals, dentists, and health care providers available
within the community?
2. Are there ample schools within the community? Are they in good repair or disrepair?
3. Are there parks or areas of recreation?
4. What places of worship are within the community?
5. What services are provided by local religious groups, schools, community centers,
activity or recreation centers?
6. Is there public transportation?
7. What grocery stores or other stores are within the community?
8. Is public protection evident (police, fire, emergency medical services, animal control)?
References
General Website Format:
Organization Name. (date). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper nouns only).
www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text citation: Blah blah blah (organization name, year).
Centers for Disease Control:
Centers for Disease Control [CDC]. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper
nouns only). www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text 1st time: Blah blah blah (Centers for Disease Control [CDC], year).
Subsequent Uses: Blah blah blah (CDC, year).
Healthy People 2030:
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st
letter and proper nouns only). U.S. Department of Health and Human Services;
HealthyPeople.gov. www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text 1st time: Blah blah (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion [ODPHP], year).
Subsequent Uses: Blah blah blah (ODPHP, year).
U.S. Census Bureau:
U.S. Census Bureau. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and proper nouns only).
www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text: Blah blah blah (U.S. Census Bureau, year).
Miami Matters:
Health Council of South Florida [HCSF]. (year). Title of the webpage (capitalize 1st letter and
proper nouns only). www.websitehyperlink.com
In-text: 1st time: Blah blah blah (Health Council of South Florida [HCSF], year).
Subsequent Uses: Blah blah blah (HCSF, year).
- b54f52bc-8a28-46ce-aa4b-c9e42d782b4b.pdf
- Demographic Data
- Resources
- Windshield Survey
- References