Section: Module 2: Lesson 1: Defining and Characterizing the Community | Community-Oriented Primary Care | NextGenU.org
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Learning Objectives:
Upon completion of this lesson, you will be able to:- Learn how to define and characterize communities using various techniques and resources.
- Understand the use of epidemiology in the assessment of health conditions.
- Learn how to identify problems as well as how to locate assets and resources within a community.
- Consider why and how initiatives should address the social, environmental, and other determinants of health.
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Students mustView
Scroll down and under the heading titled "Activities and Modules" click on the link titled "Module 2 - Defining the Community". Read through the slides in order to describe and understand the community. Lecture notes are available for download.
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Read the two introductory paragraphs and the section titled "What is a community?". It summarizes how to define a community.
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Read down from the section titled "What do we mean by understanding and describing the community?". It summarizes how to characterize the community.
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Read this article titled "Geographic Retrofitting: A Method of Community Definition in Community-Oriented Primary Care Practices." This article describes how geographic retrofitting in combination with geographic information system (GIS) technology can be used to help define the community and assist in interventions.
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Students mustView
Read this article titled "Application of Epidemiology in Community Oriented Primary Care." This article, although one of the earliest articles used in this course, is one of the few available articles that specifically addresses which components of epidemiology should be utilized in COPC.
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Students mustView
In "Chapter 17: Analyzing Community Problems and Solutions" click on the link titled “Section 3. Defining and Analyzing the Problem”. Read the content under the heading "Main Section". Look at the examples illustrated under the “Examples” tab in order to understand how to identify, define, and analyze community health problems. Then, click on the link titled "Section 4. Analyzing the Root Causes of Problems: The "But Why?" Technique”. Again, read the content under the heading "Main Section" and look at the examples illustrated under the “Examples” tab in order to understand how to (i) identify, (ii) define, and (iii) analyze community health problems. The Community Tool Box is a valuable resource and will be referenced throughout this course.
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In "Chapter 3: Section 8. Identifying Community Assets and Resources" read the content under the heading "Main Section" to understand methods for the identification of community assets and resources.
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Read the World Health Organization’s webpage titled "About social determinants of health". Click on the "Key concepts" links and read the content to further your understanding of the global social determinants of health.
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Read the content of "Chapter 17. Section 5. Addressing Social Determinants of Health and Development" under the heading "Main Section" for a general overview. Being aware of social determinants of health is crucial when involving the community and analyzing health indicators/problems.
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Students mustViewMake a submissionReceive a grade
In this activity, you will connect with three members of the community you are working with to develop the first two steps of the COPC process: “Defining and Characterizing the community”.
Step 1: With the help of your community mentor, identify at least two other key informants who live and work in the same community and ask them if they would be willing to be interviewed. Explain that you are a NextGenU student taking a course on Community-Oriented Primary Care, and that you would like to interview them in order to learn more about the health issues within the community. During these interviews we suggest that you explain what you have learned about COPC and the process you used in identifying this individual. Each of the three interviews (two with community members AND one with your community mentor) should be at least 15 minutes in length and include the follow key questions:
- What needs, weaknesses, and strengths do you see in the defined community?
- What do you think are the major problems within the community that need to be resolved?
- What do you think are the most important health concerns and needs in the community?
- What are some of the social determinants that influence health in the community?
Step 2: Write a 200-300-word summary of each interview you had with each key informant (it may help to take notes during your interviews, or record them if you have permission to do so). Answer the questions above, and summarize any additional information or advice you received from the interviewees. Be sure to include a brief summary about your key informants, as well as a description of their current area of work. You will use the information obtained in these interviews to write the upcoming peer activity.
Step 3: Submit your summary below and let your mentor know that it is ready for grading.
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Students mustViewStart discussions: 1Post replies: 1Make forum posts: 2
In this activity, you will use the information previously acquired through readings, from your mentor and key informants, to define your community. Please note: You will use this information afterward to complete your project proposal in Module 4.
Step 1: Define and characterize your community using the information you obtained
through the required readings, from your mentor, and/or from the key informants interviewed in the mentored activity in this module. You can also gather information from official published or unpublished resources from governments and local agencies, hospitals and clinics, and international organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and the United Nations. The definition of your community should clarify the boundaries of the community and should also include maps.Step 2: Summarize your findings in 600 to 800 words, be sure to include: the geography of the community, demographic and social features of its population health, social, and other services available to members of the community the health status of its members.
Step 3: Submit your assignment for peer review by clicking “add a new discussion topic” below and completing the fields.
Step 4: Review the work of one of your peers by asking yourself the questions listed below and comment on their post stating that their post meets these requirements.
- Did my peer define and characterize their community in 600 to 800 words?
- Does my peer show evidence that she/he utilized and understood the required readings in the module, and that they conducted community-specific research?
- Did my peer include a community definition, including clarified boundaries?
- Did my peer address the geography of the community, the demographic and social features of its population, health, social, and other services available to members of the community, and the health status of its members?
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Students mustViewReceive a gradeReceive a passing grade
To access the quiz, click on the name of the quiz provided above. On the following screen, click the "Preview quiz now" button to respond to the questions
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Read the content in "Chapter 3. Section 16. Geographic Information Systems: Tools for Community Mapping" under the heading of "Main Section" for an introduction to GIS and how it can be used in community mapping and diagnosis. View the PowerPoint slides, by clicking on the link, if further understanding is needed or desired.
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Explore this website titled "GIS and Public Health at CDC" to further understand the uses of GIS, as described in the previous resource.
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Scroll through the section titled "2. Assessing Community Needs and Resources." This resource is an outline that provides links for assessing community needs and resources. Although you already read the section titled "Understanding and Describing the Community" as a required reading, feel free to click on any other section link to learn more about topics you are not confident with.
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Explore the website titled the "Health Indicators Warehouse (HIW)" to examine the list of health indicators in various communities in the United States. Think about how these indicators might change in different parts of the world.
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Students mustViewStart discussions: 1Post replies: 1Make forum posts: 2
Discuss with your peers methods to define and characterize the communities that you are each working with. Consider the following questions:
- Why is it important to define the community?
- What tools are useful when characterizing communities and why?
Moreover, if members in the forum:
- Have any previous knowledge regarding epidemiology or geographic information systems they should share their experience with the group.
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Have previous experience diagnosing community health issues, they should describe whether their previous experiences are similar or different to COPC?
You should comment on at least one other posting, and if someone comments on your posting, you should respond back to them.