Running head: WINDSHIELD SURVEY

Windshield Survey: City of Mount Pleasant

Kelsey Dysinger
Ferris State University

WINDSHIELD SURVEY

2
Windshield Survey

Health is so important to every human on this planet. It is what keeps us able to do the
things in life that is considered to be fun. It keeps our livelihood, work, and love alive. Looking
at health of a person can be complicated, but the health of a community even more so. It is
complex and multifactorial, but the health of a community can help predict the health of
individuals.
Community
A community is defined as A group of people sharing common interests, needs,
resources, and environment; an interrelating and interacting group of people with shared needs
and interests (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 175). Community health, therefore, is the health
of the population that encompasses that community. The boarders of that community can be
defined in two ways. A geopolitical community is described as a specific area possessing
geographic boundaries and sharing the same governing structure and a phenomenological
community refers to members of community with common interest who have interpersonal and
intrapersonal connections (Harkness & DeMarco, 2012, p. 177). Either way a community is
defined as a group of people with something in common. A community also shares common
problems and strengths when it comes to health.
Community Health
There are several factors affect human health. Physical, mental, social, and emotional
health are all aspects of individual health. Similarly, the economics, safety, and education of a
community must be considered to fully assess its health. After conducting a windshield survey,
there are several areas in the city of Mount Pleasant that pose as possible health factors.

WINDSHIELD SURVEY

The common areas in the city of Mount Pleasant are a health threat because they are so
heavily populated with people that infections can spread very easily from one person to another.
An outbreak of any kind could happen so fast due to the amount of people in such a small area.
Another aspect that was noted to be a health concern was the people. People making poor
choices at the grocery store, obviously obese, and smoking are all factors that affect the
communitys health. Not helping the situation is the impact of the media in the city. The negative
impact of the media is a health concern in this city. Not only does it lead to bad health choices
diet wise, but it can impact the community at a mental level. On a positive note, the community
is filled with sidewalks, parks, and trails that allow walking and exercise and make it easy and
fun to do.
Community as Client
When looking at an entire community as a client the nursing process is still used. We still
need to assess, diagnose, plan, implement and evaluate. Dealing with a population as a client is
really the same, except on a wider and multifactorial level. Instead of asking the patient who
does the grocery shopping and educating the family with the patient, we have to look to see what
types of foods are available, who is using them, why, and what can we do to make healthier
decisions. So to look at the community as a patient, Harkness and DeMarco (2014) state that
nurses must examine biological, psychological, and sociocultural influences of the
environment of a group of people who share specific characteristics (p. 176). Therefore, the
community is a client just as any other client in that it has a hierarchy of needs and can move
across a health continuum.

WINDSHIELD SURVEY

Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicator

According to the Healthy People 2020 Leading Health Indicators: Progress Update, one
target goal was met while three others found little or no change in the area of nutrition, physical
activity, and obesity. The area of improvement was found on aerobic physical activity for adults
18 years or older, while there was no improvement found in the obesity of children or adults and
the intake of vegetables was also found to be lacking. One of the goals of Healthy People 2020 is
to Improve health, fitness, and quality of life through daily physical activity (U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services, 2014). The Healthy People 2020 update is consistent with the
windshield survey. Obesity was observed as well as physical activity in the community.
The nurse needs to target prevention at all levels. Harkness and DeMarco (2012) state
Downstream one-on-one interventions do little to address the social or environmental
determinants of population health and require continued and repeated efforts as new people
continue to experience the relevant health problem they continue on to explain, Prevention of
disease by intervening upstream at the social or environmental levels or mainstream at the
community level amplifies the impact of such interventions on population health (p. 141). So as
a nurse, it is our role to educate our patient at a one-on-one level, but to have greater effects, we
educate the community through the media and get involved in policies, projects, and programs to
help change the health of the community.
Conclusion
The health of a community is similar to that of a single client. It has several factors that
need to be assessed in order to get the full picture. The assessment of a community can help
nurses evaluate the overall population of an area and therefor make changes to better the health
of more people at a time.

WINDSHIELD SURVEY

5
The city of Mount Pleasant

Housing and zoning

Transportation

There are several different types of

houses located throughout
including new homes, older homes,
run down homes, well taken care of
homes, apartments new and old,
duplexes located throughout, and
student housing surrounding the
Central Michigan University
campus. Majority of homes are
modernized with plumbing, heating
and cooling. Most yards are very
small, lots of fences in place
throughout.

Most popular mode of

transportation is a vehicle on the
main roads. Buses are used for
public and school systems. Lots of
people walking, biking, running,
rollerblading, and skateboarding
around on the sidewalks and in the
parks. This affects health in a
positive way. There is a highway
nearby with two on ramps/exits as
well as train tracks that go right
through the city.

Race and ethnicity

The majority of race is Caucasian.
There are some African Americans,
Mexicans, and Muslims, and Asians
noted. Most of the local nail parlors
are owned and ran by Asians.

Open space

Service centers

Religion and politics

There is not a lot of open space

noted. There is open space located
in the parks and recreational areas
and some area that surround the
public schools. The bulk of houses
are very close together.

The City is thriving with service

centers from hospitals, health
centers, all types of doctors
offices, post offices, law buildings,
social services, city services,
public and private schools. Most
are within walking distance. There
are also city parks and recreation
centers.

Lots of churches are located

throughout the city with a variety of
religions. Church bells are heard from
every hour and half hour. Political
posters are scattered throughout the
community. There are some posters in
yards, stickers on cars, or personal
property.

Boundaries

Stores and street people

Health and morbidity

The City boundaries are clearly

defined with signs. The
surrounding area is mainly open
fields used for farming, back roads,
and country homes.

There are numerous stores and

people of all types. Stores range
from small and locally owned to
corporate run nationwide such as
Walmart. Stores are in walking
distance of most places within the
city. While there are teens that
skateboard on the back streets,
there are no street people noted.

People seem healthy however most

are obese. Poor choices at the grocery
store lead me to believe there are
diabetes, heart disease, and other
complications in the city. There are
also numerous people seen smoking.
This is a health issue.

Commons

Signs of decay

Media

Common areas include the area

surrounding the school where after
school sporting events are held, the
parks and walking trails, and the
Campus of Central Michigan
University. The strip malls and
shopping stores are also very busy
will lots of people. This is a health
threat.

There are no signs of decay noted,

however, there are a few run down
homes scattered throughout. Most
of the city is very active and there
are real estate signs as well as for
rent signs located everywhere.

There are newspapers located at the

grocery stores and flashing signs of
businesses to promote sales. Most
people are noted to have a cell phone,
most of which are smart phones that
have access to the internet. The radio
can be heard coming from others
vehicles, and some people stand in
costume outside their place of
business to attract customers. There
are billboards and signs located
throughout the city. Lots of media
exits and can be a health concern
because it can lead to bad choices.

References

WINDSHIELD SURVEY

Harkness, G. A., & DeMarco, R. F. (2014). Community and public health nursing: Evidence for
practice. Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer Health & Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Healthy people 2020 leading health
indicators: Progress update. Retrieved from http://healthypeople.gov/2020/LHI/LHIProgressReport-ExecSum.pdf
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2014). Physical activity. Retrieved from
http://healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/overview.aspx?topicid=33