Assignment: Windshield Survey

Among the most powerful qualitative data collection methods is the combination of observation and interview known as a “windshield survey.” This method is used in the earliest stages of a community health assessment. Whether conducted on foot or (more traditionally) behind the windshield of a car, the windshield survey is a great way to be guided through a community to get an overview of physical conditions first-hand. Being guided through public places by a member of the community is a good way to get a first impression. Later, when you conduct focus groups or interviews or examine public records, the location will have greater meaning for you.

For this Assignment, you will conduct a windshield survey in the company of a local community member.

To prepare:

• Find a physical environment where there is a potential health risk.
• Next, spend 40–60 minutes observing your chosen environment with the selected community member.
• Keep detailed notes of your observations. For example, use all of your senses (e.g., sight, smell, and sound) to describe the physical environment. Is it a public space or a private space? Are there buildings or open areas? If there is landscaping, is it manicured or overgrown? Is the space being utilized, or does it seem abandoned? Is the location maintained or run down? For example, is there a presence or absence of: chipped or worn paint, missing panels on fences, missing road signs, litter, graffiti, bad smells, good smells, loud noises, constant noises, potholes, well-marked crosswalks, etc.? Is the environment intended for use by families? Children? Teens? Is the potential health risk present at all times? At night? When it rains too much? Consider all of these questions, as well as any others you come up with during the survey.

By Day 7

Provide a 5- to 7-page evaluation of what you have observed. Include a detailed account of the physical environment. Include in your evaluation answers to the following questions:

• What aspects of this environment indicate a potential health risk?
• What types of health risk would you expect to find when living, working, or playing in this environment?
• Who, in particular, would you identify as being at risk in this environment (e.g., children, women, or the elderly)?