TOPIC 2 5.

There is an understanding of the local

TYPES OF COMMUNITIES health and environmental issues.
This involves examining and evaluating the
Rural community effects of chemicals made by humans on
An area or countryside is a human health or wildlife and how the
geographically located outside towns and ecological systems impact the spread of
cities. Rural areas are usually large, open illnesses.
areas with few houses and sparsely A number of specific environmental issues
populated, as opposed to urban areas. can impede human health and wellness.

Urban community 6. A community should have enough

An area which refers to towns, cities, security and safety for all people
and suburbs. An urban area includes the A community should be free from any
city itself, as well as the surrounding areas. criminality.
They are a well- developed community COMPONENTS OF A COMMUNITY
with high density population including 1. The environment
infrastructures.  Term for any naturally occurring
group of different organisms
Suburban community inhabiting a common environment,
The suburban areas thar are a mix of interacting with each other,
the urban and rural. Suburban’s are usually especially through food relationships,
located near to some major urban areas and relatively independent of other
that build up around or outside of the city groups.
and less congested with low or medium
density. 2. The people

 Is any group of people within a

CHARACTERISTICS OF A HEALTHY larger society united through a
COMMUNITY common location, interest or
1. The physical environment is clean and characteristic.
safe.  They are the members of a
An environment that has clean air, clean community at the heart of healthy
water, and clean energy. Basically, it is a communities.
healthy and safe environment.  They include all who live, learn, work,
play, and pray in communities.
2. The environment meets everyone's basic
needs. 3. The Economy
Human beings have certain basic
Community economy focuses
needs. There is a sustainable use of
on creating and developing nourishing
available resources for all.
livelihood opportunities, building on local
3. The environment promotes social resources and capacities, increasing
harmony and actively involves everyone. community control and ownership,
The community participates in enhancing the health of the environment,
identifying local solutions to local problems. and encouraging community resilience.
Community members have access to Community economic development
varied interaction and communication. encourages a way of improving social
4. The health services are accessible and conditions in a sustainable way to
appropriate. overcome to meet their needs.
Access to health care is the timely
use of personal health services to achieve 4. Culture
the best health outcomes. Coverage: Culture refers to the shared values,
facilitates entry into the health care beliefs and norms of a specific group of
system. people. Culture, therefore, influences the
manner we learn, live and behave.
5. Health from one time step to the next
Community health is a public concern with are the norm.
healthcare practices within a community. 3 POPULATION SPACING
• A healthy community benefits every 1. Uniform distribution
person in it and community health is  Organisms are clustered together
one means of achieving a healthy in groups
community
 Are evenly spaced over the are
they occupy
6. Quality of life
 The typical species in which
The community quality of life individuals compete for scarce
approach focuses on the perceptions of environmental.
community members of what makes life
1. Clumped distribution
good or not good for them.
 Clumped is the most common
Quality of Life directs attention to
pattern of population
how these factors affect individual lives
dispersion
and to whether basic human needs are
being met within a community.  Clumped-Organisms are
clustered in groups.
FACTORS AFFECTING HEALTH OF THE  This may reflects a patchy
COMMUNITY distribution of resources in the
1. Characteristics of the population environment. This is the most
common pattern of
a. Population Density: population dispersion.
- refers to the size of any population in 2. Random Distribution
relation to some unit of space.
 Organisms have an
Population Density = Number of People unpredictable distribution in
Land Area. which individuals do not
b. Natality interacts strongly.
 refers to the rate of reproduction  It implies that the position of
or birth per unit time. The number one organism in a bottom
of births during a given period in community in no way
the population. influences the position of other
organisms in the same
c. Mortality:
community. There are no
 The number of deaths in a interactions produce no
population during a given time or patterns or avoidance or
place attraction
d. Population Growth: 3. Age Structure
 refers to change in the size of a  The frequency of different
population which can be either ages or age groups in given
positive or negative over time, population.
depending on the balance of
 Age structure is the proportion
births and deaths.
of a population at different
e. Age Distribution: age ranges.
 The frequency of different ages  The age structure of a
or age groups in a population is an important
given population. factor in population dynamics.
It allows better prediction of
population growth, plus the
f. Population Fluctuations:
ability to associate this growth
 populations rarely grow smoothly with the level of economic
up to the carrying capacity and development in the region.
then remain there. Instead,
fluctuations in population
numbers, abundance, or density
2. Location of the community accomplishment of specified
 These are also called communities of by:Assessing client’s needs
place. - Planning and organizing to meet
 Geographic location is important those goals
because this is used to identify what
and where a place is. This concept - Controlling and evaluating the
gives individuals a sense of direction progress to ensure that goals are met
and reference to location.
5. Collaborator
3. Social systems within the community
• Community health nurses seldom
Community as a social system practice in isolation. They must work
means that members of the same with many people, including:-
community are functionally related with • the clients, nutritionist; who else?
each other. This means they have their
own role to play and love to work. All the 6. Leader
parts are linked with each other, and they • CHN are becoming increasingly
make an integrated whole. active in the leadership role, the
leadership role focuses on affecting
change, thus the nurse becomes an
COMMUNITY HEALTH NURSE ROLES AND
agent of change
ACTIVITIES
• As leaders, CHN seek to initiate
E. Roles and activities of community health changes that positively affect
nurse people’s health
Community-based nursing applies to all
nurses who practice outside the hospital. 7. Researcher
• CHN engage in systematic
investigation, collection and analysis
7 MAJOR ROLES OF COMMUNITY HEALTH
of data for solving problems and
NURSES enhancing community health
1. Care giver “clinician role” practice
• Uses the nursing process to provide
direct nursing intervention to
Common role and activities of a
individuals, families or population
Community Nurse in the health center
groups
 Cleaning and dressing wounds.
2. Educator
 assist doctors with examination and
• Facilitates learning for positive health
medical procedure
behavior change
 Attend to and perform deliveries
3. Advocate  Administering medications
• Speaks or acts on behalf of clients  Setting up intravenous drips and
who cannot do so for themselves. monitoring ongoing care
 Basic care-such as checking temp,
4. Manager blood pressure and breathing
• As a manager, the nurse exercise
administrative direction towards the
 Supervision of the work of the health
personnel in the center
• accomplishment of specified
by:
o Assessing client’s needs
o Planning and organizing
to meet those goals
o Controlling and
evaluating the progress
to ensure that goals are
met