Windshield Survey
In order to accurately address health promotion in a community, it is important to assess the conditions in which the individuals live. The most efficient way to do so is to complete a windshield survey. A windshield survey is defined as, “Observation of a community while driving a car or riding public transportation to collect data for a community assessment.” (Harkness & Demarco, 2015, p. 175) The following will be a windshield survey used to efficiently assess the health risks and promotions for the community of Winston Park.
Overview of the Community
Boundaries
Winston Park was established in the 1970s. The boundaries of the community include four major roads. The north side is located on Sunset Drive or Seventy-Second Street; the east side is located on One Hundred and Twenty Seventh Avenue, One Hundred and Thirty seventh avenue makes up the eastern border, and the southern border is located on Eight-eight Street or better known as Kendall Drive. The community name is displayed on all borders. There is no unofficial name for the community, as well as, no subsections.
Housing
The homes were constructed around 1976. The houses are made of cement and succor. They are of a traditional style, making most of them look very similar. However, there is no regulation as to how the houses should be painted or decorated. For this reason, there is still a clear distinction between the homes. The houses are single-family homes with a lot size of approximately five (5) acres. The community does show signs of improvement as displayed by the continuous upkeep of the homes maintained by the community association. However, there are a few vacant homes and lots. There are no obvious signs of decay. The community is relatively clean with no trash on the streets, abandoned vehicles, boarded up homes, rubble, or diseases.
Community Amenities
Parks and Recreation
There are park and recreation facilities. The public facility includes a field with a small are to ride bike or play sports. There is a section that contains a double-sided outdoor racket ball court and basketball court. The private facility or the clubhouse includes tow pools, one for families and the other for adults. There is a small gym and a rec room that includes pool tables, foosball tables, and other indoor games. There is also, a private tennis court where lessons are given. On both ends of the facility there are two areas for private events. One is an indoor area and the other is out door that contains a covered area with picnic tables and an area with a barbeque.
Stores
Less than one mile away there is two Publix two for groceries, one to the east and the other to the west. Slightly closer there is also another grocery store, Sabor Tropical. Other neighborhood stores are available as well. There is a K-Mart, CVS pharmacy and Walgreens. The residents of the community travel to these stores by personal vehicles, bike, buses, or even walking.
Transportation
The streets are relatively well kept, with minimal damage. The forms of public transportation are buses provided by Metrobus. There are many bus stops close within the community and along the borders of the community. There are two highways near the community. These include Florida’s Turnpike North and Florida’s Turnpike South. Needless to say there is a lot of traffic in the area.
Service Centers
There are no social agencies near the community. There are recreation centers such as the clubhouse where sports can be played and meetings are held. There is a school located in the center of the community called Winston Park K-8 Center. There are several private health care providers that include physician offices and dental offices. There are two urgent cares near by. Baptist Urgent Care located less than half a mile away, MD Now located 0.9 miles away, and West Kendall Baptist located 3.1 miles away.
Population
Pedestrians can always be seen on the streets. It is very rare to see the homeless residing in this area. The pedestrians are seen dressed clean and neat. It is usual to see them dressed in business attire or work uniforms. The animals seen are pigeons, ducks, and squirrels. There is police and fire protection available. The closest fire station is less that half a mile away and the police station is 1.8 miles away.
Hispanics are the predominant ethnic group in this community. There are churches and places of worship nearby on the northern and eastern borders of the community. Based on the prices of the houses, the cars, the upkeep of the homes, and overall conditions of the community, the community would be rated as working middle class.
Summary
The zip code for the area surveyed was 33183. The area is predominately Hispanic and the community may be rated as working middle class. There are no immediate signs of decay around the community. The roads are in almost perfect condition. The location of the community is convenient as there are many grocery and neighborhood stores. In addition, there are also, several major roads and highways nearby. The families that reside there utilize the many amenities provided for the community.
As previously mentioned, the purpose of this windshield survey was to address health promotion. It is summarized that, “Public health nurses address population health needs; thus, they must be well versed in clinical prevention, healthcare policy, leadership, research, finance and regulatory environments, and interprofessional collaboration.”(Hassmiller, 2014, p.391) For this community, the health risk that should be of focus is that of the risk of obesity.
A community health nurse may begin a health promotion project by figuring out a way to teach the community about the risks of obesity. There is a gym in the private facility or clubhouse accessible to members of the community. It would be beneficial if a community health nurse could promote the use of the gym. The nurse could also offer to measure BMI’s (body mass index) to aid in tracking weight loss. It would also be helpful to counsel the community in healthy diet, as well, as a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
The Winston Park community was surveyed for the purpose of this paper. During this process the boundaries, housing, parks and recreations, stores, transportations, service centers, and the population were assessed. In this instance, the focus of a community health nurse would be promoting a healthy lifestyle. The residents of this community may be at risk for obesity, both children and adults alike. With a private facility like the clubhouse in this community, it may provide the opportunity for a community health nurse to promote teaching in this area.
References
Harkness, G. A., & Demarco, R. F. (2015). Community and public health nursing: Evidence for
practice (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Hassmiller, S. B. (2014). Leveraging Public Health Nursing to Build a Culture of
Health. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 47(5), 391-392.
doi:10.1016/j.amepre.2014.07.027