NCM 113-A: Community Health Nursing 2 Lecture
UNIT 2: Concept of the Community
1st SEMESTER A.Y. 2022 - 2023 Prepared by: Puno, Jacqueline S., Batch 2024
TYPES OF COMMUNITIES
There are 3 types of a Community:
a. Urban
b. Suburban
c. Rural
a. URBAN
• A type of community with a high population
density and infrastructure of built
environment. Urban areas are created
through urbanization due to conditions
created by a greater level of industrial activity
in a given area where a favorable
environment for human capital development
would also be generated simultaneously
through highly urbanized infrastructures.
• In the Philippine setting, an urban area must
have a locally generated income of at least
₱100 million for the last two consecutive years,
has a population of 150,000 or more and a
contiguous territory of 100 square kilometers
with contiguity not being a requisite for areas
that are on two or more islands.
• Features of an urban area include main
offices of establishments and banks, electric
jeepneys and few Sarao type jeepneys,
massive public transport (trains, buses and
UV Express), paved roads and large-scale
highways and large food establishments.
b. SUBURBAN
• A type of community with a medium
population and medium settlements built
around industrial infrastructures with some
agricultural areas. Suburban areas are
created through urbanization due to
conditions created by a medium level of
industrial activity in a given area where a
favorable environment for human capital
development would also be generated
simultaneously through its agricultural lands
and settings.
• In the Philippine setting, an suburban area
has a locally generated income of at least ₱50
million for the last two consecutive years, has
a population of 75,000 or more and a
contiguous territory of 50 square kilometers
with contiguity not being a requisite for areas
that are on two or more islands.
• Features of a suburban area include branch
offices of establishments and banks, Sarao
Type jeepneys, public transport (trains, buses
and UV Express), paved with some unpaved
roads and medium scale highways and
medium food establishments.
c. RURAL
• A type of community with a low population
and small settlements built around
agricultural areas and forests in some areas.
Rural areas are created through
establishment of a place where conditions
created by a low level of industrial activity in a
given area where a favorable environment for
human capital development would also be
generated solely through its agricultural lands
and settings.
• In the Philippine setting, a rural area has a
locally generated income of at least ₱30
million for the last two consecutive years, has
a population of 30,000 or more and a
contiguous territory of 30 square kilometers
with contiguity not being a requisite for areas
that are on two or more islands.
• Features of a rural area include some branch
offices of establishments and banks, Sarao
Type jeepneys, public transport (provincial
buses and tricycle (habal-habal), paved with
more unpaved roads and medium scale roads
and small food establishments.
CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY
COMMUNITY
A healthy community follows a standard
behavior in which is being shared by members of
the community.
The characteristics of a healthy community includes:
a. Participant Collaboration
• Is where two or more members of the
community work together to complete a
task or achieve a goal through a
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 cooperative manner in which it requires
trust to their members.
b. Safe Place to Express Honest Opinions
• Is where the individuals who feel
marginalized come together to
communicate regarding their
experiences and encounter problems
with marginalization to the pillars of the
community to promote cooperation with
them.
c. Shared Concern and Support To The
Community
• Is where the community members give
assistance to enable, function or act as
one to a community member to feel that
they want them to be happy, safe, and
well.
d. Sense Of Ownership
• Is where a community member's voice is
being heard, has influence over decisions,
and who is affected by the process and
outcome of a specific task to be made by
the community it belongs to. Applying the
concept of ownership can determine how
the strategic individual interests and
actions or organizations contribute to
community development efforts.
e. Meets Member’s Needs
• Is where the community members help in
circumstances in which something is
necessary, or that require some course of
action or necessity to be done.
f. Self-Managing and Self Governing
• Is where community members manage
and regulate themselves, or obey the
authorities on the implementations of
policies, actions, and affairs of the
community.
g. Members Draw Other Members
• Is where the community members
through being friendly, generous, and
considerate draw activities for enjoyment,
amusement, or pleasure and are things
considerate for fun.
h. Clear Purpose
• Is where the driving purpose is strong and
everything you do is consistent with the
purpose on the things that are important
now, and the fulfillment happens in real
time and leads to higher standards of
excellence, superior processes, and
better results in the long run.
i. Active And Consistent Participation
• Is where the community members
support an individual's right to participate
in the activities and relationships of
everyday life as independently as
possible. The individual is an active
partner in their own care or support
rather than being passive to contribute to
the community as a whole.
j. Shared History and Culture
• Is where the community respects the
characteristics and knowledge of a
particular group of people,
encompassing language, religion, cuisine,
social habits, music and arts and looks
back on past events, particularly in
human affairs.
COMPONENTS OF A COMMUNITY
A healthy community is being formed with
elements in which it is being governed by members
of the community. The characteristics of a healthy
community includes:
a. Basic Needs
• is where the community overseas with
the availability of the absolute minimum
resources necessary for long-term
physical well-being, usually in terms of
consumption goods such as food, shelter,
and water.
b. Health and Wellness
• is where the community admits that
achieving one's personal best state of
mental and physical being by eating
healthy foods such as fruits and
vegetables and maintaining an active
lifestyle that contributes significantly to
achieve optimal state.
c. Education
• is where the community focuses on the
process of receiving or giving systematic
instructions or the acquisition of
knowledge, skills, values, beliefs, and
habits through an enlightening
experience and a concrete study through
formal and non-formal way.
d. Economy
• is where the community knows their
wealth and resources especially in terms
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 of the production and consumption of
goods and services that is needed in
everyday living of its members.
e. Arts and Culture
• is where the community respects the
characteristics and knowledge of a
particular group of people,
encompassing language, religion, cuisine,
social habits, music, and arts.
f. Neighborhood
• is where the community members
acknowledge the person living near or
next door which is commonly someone
very close to you and can be counted on
in times of needed situations.
g. Environment
• is where the community members know
the circumstances, objects, or conditions
by which one is surrounded by a complex
of physical, chemical, and biotic factors
(such as climate, soil, and living things)
that act upon an organism or an
ecological community and ultimately
determine its form and survival.
FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH OF THE
COMMUNITY
A healthy community is also being affected
by factors in which it directly affects the members
of the community. The characteristics of a healthy
community includes:
A. CHARACTERISTICS IN POPULATION
The community is being affected by factors such as
it features a quality belonging typically to a person,
place, or thing and serving to identify such as:
1. PHYSICAL FACTORS- the community is
being affected by physical factors such as:
a. COMMUNITY SIZE- is where
communities that are densely populated
can be easily attacked by diseases that
contribute to an outbreak.
b. EMPLOYMENT- is where communities
at times, are being formed e.g., housing
of the job, employment, work or
occupation.
c. INDUSTRIAL DEVELOPMENT- is
where communities that are industrially
developed that are more likely to be
affected by numerous diseases due to
the toxic waste products from the
industries that are released into water
bodies and the atmosphere and due to
the congestion of settlement leading to
slum development hence contagious
diseases are easily spread compared to
areas not fully industrially developed.
Examples are Air Pollution and Water
Contamination.
B. LOCATION OF THE COMMUNITY
The community is being affected by factors such as
it features certainty of a place such as:
1. GEOGRAPHICAL FACTORS- the
community is being affected by geographical
factors such as:
a. WEATHER FLOODED AREAS- is where
there are certain communities that are hit
with more rainfall or typhoon which can
cause flood where manipulation of
reservoirs (e.g., stagnant water) can lead
to more production of more vectors (e.g.,
mosquito).
C. SOCIAL SYSTEMS WITHIN THE COMMUNITY
The community is being affected by patterned
network of relationships which is being followed
between individuals, groups, and institutions such
as:
1. SOCIO CULTURAL FACTORS- the
community is being affected by socio-cultural
factors such as:
a. TRADITIONAL BELIEFS- is where
community members believe in
something that is in the case, or that
some proposition about the world is true.
b. ECONOMIC STABILITY- is where
community resources matter in stopping
or preventing the spread of a disease
compared to a smaller community.
2. ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS- the
community is being affected by organizational
factors such as:
a. GOVERNMENT- is where community
members is affected by the planning of
the authorities in implementing and
provision of community services such as
water supplies, medical supplies, and
other needs that can directly affect the
community.
3. BEHAVIORAL FACTORS- the community is
being affected by behavioral factors such as:
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 a. PARTICIPATORY APPROACH- is through a study. Identifies research problems,
where community members behavior is works with data, and conducts research.
automatic and reflexive activity, while 8. CASE FINDER- is a role of the community
actions is an intentional, purposive, health nurse that has knowledge of cases of
conscious, and subjectively meaningful disease within the community because of
activity that can be vital on the proximity to families and communities.
development of an active approach that 9. EPIDEMIOLOGIST- is a role of the
facilitates community development. community health nurse that uses the
epidemiological method to study disease and
ROLES AND ACTIVITIES OF THE CH NURSE health among population groups and to deal
Community Health Nurses participation is with community wide health problems.
important in the community setting. Stated below 10. RECORDER/STATISTICIAN- is a role of the
are roles with corresponding activities of a community health nurse that reviews,
Community Health Nurse. These are: validates, consolidates, analyzes, and
1. CLINICIAN – is a role of the community interprets, records and reports for proper
health nurse that focuses on the validation of representation of a certain
determination of health of the population or problem through consolidated data.
individuals through focused care in a larger
context of the community. Provides nursing
care to the sick and disabled in order to
reduce disease, discomfort, disability, and
premature death among other sick people at
home or in the RHU.
2. ADVOCATE – is a role of the community
health nurse that focuses on speaking for
those who cannot speak or act for themselves.
Advocates for self-care and self-
determination.
3. COLLABORATOR – is a role of the
community health nurse that focuses on
working with strengths and weaknesses of
people toward a common goal and relies on
joint or shared decision making.
4. CONSULTANT – is a role of the community
health nurse that focuses on facilitating
change, helping people understand
processes and actions, and assisting them in
making decisions.
5. COUNSELOR – is a role of the community
health nurse that focuses on listening and
providing feedback and information,
strengthens and guides people’s own
decision-making skills and explores feelings.
6. EDUCATOR – is a role of the community
health nurse that focuses on aiming towards
health promotion and illness prevention
through dissemination of correct information
by educating people.
7. 7. RESEARCHER – is a role of the community
health nurse that utilizes data to predict future
phenomenon and modify interventions

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