assignment

Geopolitical

Phenomenological

I. Boundaries: The focus of a boundary in a geopolitical community is on place

I. Boundaries: The focus of a boundary in a phenomenological community is on criteria for membership

A. Type of boundary

A. Criteria for membership

1. What are the natural (e.g., river, mountain) or man‑made parameters (e.g., railroads, streets, legal, census tracts)?

1. Who can belong?

2. What are the requirements or prerequisites for belonging to or attending this community?

3. What are the common characteristics used by the health provider to place people in this aggregate?

B. Permeability

B. Permeability

1. How open or closed is the system?

1. How open or closed is the system?

C. Suprasystem

C. Suprasystem

1. What is the external environment that is most closely involved with the community? Examples:

1. What is the external environment that is most closely involved/associated with this community? Examples:

Community

Suprasystem

Community

Suprasystem

Census tract 2102

City of Baltimore

A Catholic school

Archdiocese or a particular parish

Adams Morgan neigh--borhood

Washington, DC

A senior center

The Howard County Office on Aging

II. Goals

II. Goals

A. Purpose

A. Purpose

1. What is the reason or purpose for which the community exists?

1. What is the reason or purpose for which the community exists?

III. Set factors

III. Set factors

A. Physical/biological characteristics

A. Physical characteristics

1. Length of time community has been in existence

1. Length of time community has been in existence

2. Pertinent demographic data

2. Pertinent demographic data

a. Age

a. Age

b. Race

b. Race

c. Gender

c. Gender

d. Ethnicity

d. Ethnicity

e. Housing

(1) Type (single family)

(2) Ownership (rent or own)

(3) Condition

e. Environment in which group meets

f. Density of population

f. Density of population

(1) Rural, urban, suburban

(2) No. of people per housing unit

(1) Relationship of no. of people to area

3. Physical features of the community

3. Physical features of the community

B. Psychosocial characteristics

B. Psychosocial characteristics

1. Religion

a. Religious preference of members

b. Number and types of places of worship

1. Religion

2. Socioeconomic class

2. Socioeconomic class

3. Education

a. Educational level of members

b. No. and type of educational institutions

3. Educational level

4. Occupation

4. Occupation

5. Marital status

IV. External influences: matter, energy, information from outside the community (suprasystem) that influence the community system; may be resources (R) or demands (D)

IV. External influences: matter, energy, information from outside the community (suprasystem) that influence the community system; may be resources (R) or demands (D)

A. Money

A. Money

B. Facilities available to the community but located outside the community

B. Facilities available to the community but located outside the community

1. Health care

1. Health care

2. Transportation

2. Transportation

3. Safety measures/emergency services (fire, police, ambulance)

3. Safety/emergency measures

(fire, police, ambulance)

C. Human services

C. Human services

1. Formal (professional resources)

1. Formal (professional resources)

2. Informal (volunteers)

2. Informal (volunteers)

D. Health information disseminated through printed material and mass media

D. Health information disseminated through printed material and mass media

E. Legislation

E. Legislation

F. Values of the suprasystem

F. Values of the suprasystem

V. Internal functions of the community

V. Internal functions of the community

A. Economy: production/goal attainment

A. Economy: production/goal attainment

1. Human services

1. Human services

a. Formal

a. Formal

b. Informal

b. Informal

2. Money

2. Money

a. What is the community’s budget?

a. What is the community’s budget?

b. How is revenue generated within the community?

b. How is revenue generated within the community?

3. Facilities and equipment

3. Facilities and equipment

4. Education: How are members educated?

4. Education: Is there continuing education within the group? How are members educated?

Note: Lack of any of these resources indicates a demand.

Note: Lack of any of these resources indicates a demand.

Analysis questions: Are facilities, services, money, and goods adequate, accessible, and coordinated?

Analysis questions: Are facilities, services, money, and goods adequate, accessible, and coordinated?

B. Polity: coordination, control, and direction of activities to attain system goals

B. Polity: coordination, control, and direction of activities to attain system goals

1. Organizational structure: What is the organizational structure?

1. Organizational structure: What is the organizational structure?

2. Leadership

2. Leadership

a. Who are the formal leaders?

a. Who are the formal leaders?

b. Who are the informal leaders?

b. Who are the informal leaders?

3. Decision making/problem solving

3. Decision making/problem solving

a. What is the decision‑making process?

a. What is the decision‑making process?

b. Who have been the key decision makers for health issues?

b. Who have been the key decision makers for health issues?

c. How have problems been approached and solved in the past?

c. How have problems been approached and solved in the past?

d. What problem‑solving approaches have not worked in the past?

d. What problem‑solving approaches have not worked in the past?

4. Social control: the rules and norms of a community that influence behavior

4. Social control: the rules and norms of a community that influence behavior

a. Rules: local laws/control measures often enforced through police, law agencies, courts, and the government

a. Rules: legal control enforced by by‑laws, policies, and procedures

b. Norms: social sanctions enforced by neighborhood, school, or religious groups

b. Norms: social sanctions enforced by the group

Sources of data: By‑laws, procedure and policy books, attending meetings, being with the group

C. Communication: provision of identity and support to members

C. Communication: provision of identity and support to members

1. Nonverbal

1. Nonverbal

a. What is the “personality” or emotional tone of the neighborhood?

(1) Is it different at different times of the day?

a. What is the “personality” or emotional tone of the group?

2. Verbal

2. Verbal

a. Who communicates with whom?

a. Who communicates with whom?

(1) Horizontal

(1) Horizontal

(2) Vertical

(2) Vertical

b. How is communication achieved (e.g., newspaper, television, radio, newsletter, posters, fliers, person to person, informal gatherings, formal meetings)?

b. How is communication achieved (e.g., newsletters, person‑to-person, classes, committees, bulletin boards, kiosks, telephone)?

c. What is the focus of the communication?

c. What is the focus of the communication?

d. When does the communication occur (e.g., meeting dates, frequency of newsletters, and meetings)?

d. When does the communication occur (e.g., meeting dates, frequency of communication)?

D. Values: socialization

D. Values: socialization

1. Traditions

1. Traditions

a. What traditions are upheld?

a. What traditions are upheld?

b. Are kinship bonds strong, or is each person expected to deal with his or her own problems?

b. How are birthdays, holidays, or transitional events celebrated?

2. Subgroups

2. Subgroups

a. Are there identifiable subgroups with their own special values, life customs, and problems (e.g., Little Italy, Chinatown, drug culture)?

a. Are there subgroups or cliques?

3. Environment: Is the environment neat and well kept, or is little attention paid to aesthetics?

3. Environment: Is the environment neat, well kept, and aesthetically pleasing, or is little attention paid to aesthetics?

4. Health

4. Health

a. What type of health facilities are used?

a. How do members define health?

b. How often are they used?

b. What type of health facilities are used?

c. What are the attitudes about health, health care, and health professionals?

c. How often are they used (preventive care versus crisis only)?

d. What priority does health have?

d. What are their attitudes about health, health care, and health professionals?

5. Is the community homogeneous or heterogeneous in relation to its values?

5. Is the community homogeneous or heterogeneous in relation to its values?

VI. Outcomes: measurable, health‑related behaviors that are released from the community to the environment

VI. Outcomes: measurable health‑related behaviors that are released from the community to the environment

People Factors

People Factors

A. General trends

A. General trends

1. What is the relationship between birth and death rates?

1. What was the original size of the community? Has the community remained stable, grown, or decreased in size?

2. What is the relationship between immigration and emigration rates?

2. What are the changes in demographic characteristics (set factors) such as age, gender, race, occupation, marital status, educational achievement?

3. What are the changes in demographic characteristics (set factors) such as age, gender, race, occupation, marital status, educational levels?

3. What are the major diseases/illnesses present in the community?

4. Mobility: How often and how easily do people move in and out of the community?

4. What are the number and location of vulnerable or at‑risk aggregates (e.g., poor, homeless, elderly, or malnourished individuals; migrants; selected occupational groups; or risky behavior such as intravenous drug abuse for human immunodeficiency virus [HIV])?

B. Trends in mortality and morbidity

B. Trends in mortality and morbidity

1. What is the mortality rate?

1. What is the mortality rate?

2. What are the major causes of death?

2. What are the major causes of death, or what would you expect to be the leading cause of death? (Consider age and other set factors.)

3. What are the major diseases/illnesses present in the community?

3. What diseases/illnesses are present or expected to be present in this type of community? (Consider age and other set factors.)

4. What are the number and location of vulnerable or at-risk aggregates (e.g., poor, homeless, elderly, or malnourished individuals; migrants; selected occupational groups; or risky behavior such as intravenous drug use for HIV)?

4. What risky health behaviors are present?

5. What is the prevalence of presymptomatic illness (e.g., number of people with increasing blood pressure, blood cholesterol, or blood glucose levels)?

5. What is the prevalence of presymptomatic illness (e.g., number of people with increasing blood pressure, blood cholesterol, or blood glucose levels)? Estimations may be made on the basis of special surveys or part of a screening program.

6. What is the level of social functioning?

a. Dependency ratio = (Population younger than 18 years + population over 65 years) ÷ (Population between 18 and 65 years)

6. What is the level of social functioning? Look at dependency needs or number of people who are dependent on others for assistance (financial or other). Example: If 15 senior citizens in a center need help with ambulation and 3 are independent, the community has high dependency needs.

7. Disabilities and impairments

7. Are disabilities or impairments present (e.g., children with learning disabilities in a school; visual or auditory impairment in a school or elderly group; or elderly individuals who might use aids such as wheelchairs)?

Environmental Factors

Physical factors