Community Public Health.

Begin Windshield Survey – This is a 2- week project. Please take your time and be thorough!
You will use the Healthy People 2020 Goals to organize, manage, and evaluate the development of evidencebased intervention strategies that will focus on the environmental, social and economic conditions to promote
healthy communities. The survey may be conducted in any community- perhaps a community other than the
community in which you live. You will present your findings in a Voice Thread. The following are guidelines for
the survey.
WINDSHIELD SURVEY (NOTE: Part I and Part II)
PART I
Select a community to drive through to perform a “windshield” survey.” See description under Part II to assist
your drive.
Gather statistics related to the community
Demographics (age, race, sex ethnicity),
Socioeconomic status
Health statistics (mortality, morbidity, leading causes of death, births).
Select one area of concern and develop a plan for meeting the health needs of the community.
Identify both strengths and weaknesses of the community.
Address primary, secondary and tertiary prevention as it relates to meeting the health needs of the community.
(Be specific.)
Contact Health Officer or other Public Health associate (think Public Health Nurse, Community Police officer)
for community and interview him/her regarding community issues/concerns.
Attach an annotated bibliography including all web sites and articles used.
Note individuals with names, agencies and phone numbers that you contacted.
ELEMENTS
Housing and zoning
Open Space
Boundaries
Commons
Transportation
Service Centers
Stores
Street People
Signs of Decay
Race
WINDSHIELD SURVEY COMPONENTS – PART II DESCRIPTION
What is the age of the houses, architecture? Of what materials are they constructed? Are all neighborhood
houses similar in age, architecture? How would you characterize the differences? Are they detached or
connected to others? Do they have space in front or behind? What is their general condition? Are there signs
of disrepair – broken doors, windows, leaks, locks missing? Is there central heating, modern plumbing, air
conditioning?
How much open space is there? What is the quality of the space – green parks or rubble-filled lots? What is
the lot size of the houses? Lawns? Flower boxes? Do you see trees on the pavements, a green island in the
center of the streets? Is the open space public or private. Used by whom?
What signs are there of where this neighborhood begins and ends? Are the boundaries natural – a river, a
different terrain; physical – a highway, railroad; economic – differences in real estate or presence of industrial
or commercial units along with residential? Does the neighborhood have an identity, a name? Do you see it
displayed? Are there unofficial names?
What are the neighborhood hangouts? For what groups, at what hours (e.g., schoolyard, candy store, bar,
restaurant, park, 24-hour drugstore)? Does the “commons” area have a sense of territoriality,” or is it open to the stranger?
How do people get in and out of the neighborhood—car, bus, bike, walk, etc.? Are the streets and roads
conducive to good transportation and also to community life? Is there a major high way near the
neighborhood? Whom does it serve? How frequently is public transportation available?
Do you see social agencies, clients, recreation centers, signs of activity at the schools? Are there offices of
doctors, dentists; palmists, spiritualists, etc.? Are there parks? Are they in use?
Where do residents shop – shopping centers, neighborhood stores? How do they travel to shop?
If you are traveling during the day, whom do you see on the street – an occasional housewife mother with a
baby? Do you see any one you would not expect–teenagers, unemployed males? Can you spot a welfare
worker, an insurance collector, a door-to-door salesman? Is the dress of those you see representative or
unexpected? Along with people, what animals do you see – stray cats, pedigreed pets, “watch- dogs”?
Is this neighborhood on the way up or down? Is it “alive”? How would you decide? Trash, abandoned cars,
political posters, neighborhood-meeting posters, real estate signs, abandoned houses, mixed zoning usage?
Are the residents Caucasian, African-American, or of another minority, or is the area integrated?
Ethnicity Religion
Health & Morbidity
Politics Media
Are the indices of ethnicity – food stores, churches, private schools, information in a language other than
English?
Of what religion are the residents? Do you see evidence of heterogeneity or homo- geneity? What
denominations are the churches? Do you see evidence of their use other than on Sunday mornings?
Do you see evidence of acute or of chronic diseases or conditions? Of accidents, communicable diseases,
alcoholism, drug addiction, mental illness, etc.? How far is it to the nearest hospital?
Do you see any political campaign posters? Is there a headquarters present? Do you see an evidence of a
predominant party affiliation?
Do you see outdoor satellite antennas? What magazines, newspapers do residents read? Do you see Forward
Times, Hampton Post, Enquirer, Readers’ Digest in the stores? What media seem most important to the
residents – radio, television, print, digital ?
From Anderson ET, McFarlane J: Community as partner: Theory and practice in nursing. Philadelphia: 1996.
J.B. Lippincott.
500 Cities Project (Links to an external site.)