Introduction
Today, society is obsessed with creating the best healthcare and social services and underlining equality, equity, and quality worth. In addition to national and state requirements and standards, healthcare providers and social workers need to pay much attention to each community and its major characteristics. Thus, community profiling turns out to be a critical step in exploring and managing safe care environments. According to Mishra (2020), community profiling is a very important document for assessing people and their needs as it contains demographic, geographical, political, and social information about the population within a chosen area. In most cases, the content of such profiles depends on what their creators want to achieve. Recognising and evaluating social, cultural, and economic issues provide a solid basis for community profiles. It is suggested to combine primary and secondary data to facilitate discussions in the chosen directions. This paper aims to develop a summative assessment of a particular community and identify the areas of influence and further nursing and social recommendations.
The Edinburgh Niddrie Community in Scotland, UK, is the chosen area for this analysis. Edinburgh is the capital of Scotland, with 32 council areas and a total population of 530,000 in 2020 (The City of Edinburgh Council, 2021). The number of citizens continues to grow and leads to the creation of new estates and communities. Niddrie is one of its residential suburbs in the southeast of the city, with a population of about 4400 individuals with a strong sense of identity (About Niddrie, n.d.). The main feature of this community is the presence of ever-changing opportunities for social, religious, and economic growth (About Niddrie, n.d.). The residents are mostly friendly and ready to cooperate for the public good.
The community profile is based on evaluating secondary data about people, personal observations, and direct communication with residents. A windshield survey was conducted to make local observations with the possibility of talking to people and asking questions about their health and social status. Human activities, main locations, and opinions were considered to assess the Edinburgh Niddrie Community and identify the influences on health and social care.
Community Experience
My windshield survey began with a brief evaluation of the historical development of the chosen area and its main events that might affect the current population’s interests and activities. The Gazetteer for Scotland offers a discussion of the community, starting from its official creation in the middle of the 16th century and the ownership by the Wauchope family (Niddrie, 2022). The road, avenue, and terrace gained the name of Major General Andrew Gilbert Wauchope, whose contributions were critical for the Niddrie community. The Wauchope Family did a lot for the region, and employing its coal measures under the land was one of the major post-industrial interests of the population (Niddrie, 2022). Finding new places for workers was necessary, and the territory was used to build cottages and develop private or public housing estates. Overpopulation of the region was one of the reasons for creating special living streets according to the home-zone principles where only pedestrians got the right to move, like on Moffat Way (Niddrie, 2020). This historical overview proved that the government took care of its people the best way it could, addressing available resources and opportunities.
Despite the intention to improve living conditions and stabilise social relationships in Niddrie, the community cannot ignore certain health and social problems. The chosen area of Edinburgh is 31st on the list of the most deprived housing estates in the country (About Niddrie, n.d.). Such issues as unemployment, violence, crimes and poor education lead to the progress of mental health concerns and the necessity of improving healthcare services (About Niddrie, n.d.). Driving across the streets, I could not find many people in the daytime. I used such explanations as working hours, education, and no desire/reason to leave the house as the major excuses for people. I also noticed many cars across the streets, proving that the locals did not like walking but preferred driving to save time. Compared to a number of churches and healthcare facilities, I did not recognise the equal number of restaurants and entertainment locations. It was also difficult for me to find sports areas and playgrounds where young people could spend their free time.
In the afternoon, I was lucky to meet several people on the streets and initiate small conversations. I asked them about how they spent their free time and what activities were common. The answers varied, and most of them proved that the Niddrie community needed improvements. For example, one woman underlined the necessity of going home soon after work to complete her household responsibilities. The man explained his lack of interest in extra activities and desire to go home and sleep. Finally, a group of young people wanted to find a new place for their hobby (skating) and explore the areas of the local skate park. I did not want to ask these individuals about their financial statuses or other economic aspects because they did not actually demonstrate a burning desire to cooperate for a long period. Although most people were eager to answer my quick questions, it was evident they were not interested in their current lifestyles. It seemed they expected something new and interesting to happen in their community.
Considering the observations and the historical background of the region, the chosen feature of the community area was social inactivity within the local population. If people had no interest in changing their place of living, they had nothing to do but use the offered sources and opportunities, underlining the role of the government and local community leaders. Such social inactivity affects the health of the population in a variety of ways. According to Huang et al. (2020), sedentary behaviours like watching television, sitting around, and using computers make people mentally passive and lead to increased risks of depression. Thus, the possibility of depression and other mental health challenges has to be recognised in the Edinburgh Niddrie community. Educational problems and unemployment can be the reasons for poor awareness of a healthy lifestyle and the promotion of new activities. In England, as well as in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland, one in three adults is obese, and these ratings continue to grow today (Griffith, 2022). The population needs new policies and programmes to solve their physical and mental health problems and find support and encouragement in the community.
The influence of social inactivity on the mental health of the Edinburgh Niddrie community and the importance of developing social care services were proved commonly related during the windshield survey. People needed additional support and alternatives to fulfil their daily activities and diversify their lives. Young and older adults must understand that promoting equality of opportunity is their obligation (Griffith, 2022). Sedentary behaviours negatively affect the quality of life, and their effects on human health are not always easy to manage and control (Huang et al., 2020). Obesity and depression are the two common disorders characterised by a high prevalence in many regions across the globe (Blasco et al., 2020). Cooperation with healthcare providers and social workers is required to prove that people understand their problems and take steps to protect their health and improve their well-being.
Niddrie is not the safest place to live in Edinburgh, but some people have no other option but to use the opportunities they get from their families or the government. Therefore, improving the community’s awareness of the existing threats and health or social problems is important. The creation of new healthcare facilities or social services is not enough to solve the problem the community faces at the moment. It is necessary to identify a challenge and consider various perspectives to improve the situation. Although the community can hardly improve its employment ratings without additional help or build a new playground without additional financing, changes in self-education and self-assessment may be achieved through sufficient communication. Social inactivity is a burning public health and social issue, and the summative assessment of the chosen community is the first step to recognising a problem and showing the worth of new interventions and considerations.
Conclusion
Future practices that emerged from the experiences of the Edinburgh Niddrie community should include several interventions. The community profile allows me to identify the main problems the locals face living in Niddrie. They include social inactivity, a lack of interest in personal initiative, and low access to resources. As a result, mental health problems, like depression, and physical concerns, like obesity, challenge people of different ages. The recommendations should focus on communication with the population, improved health education, and social support to occupy people. Undertaking the community profiling exercises has contributed to my learning about care environments by recognising individuals who need additional help. In addition to solid housing and safety, motivating individuals to improve their health and offer alternatives is necessary. Health and social care play an important role because the community cannot change independently, and the government and outside stakeholders may be interested in using available human resources.
Reference List
About Niddrie (n.d.) Web.
Blasco, B. V. et al. (2020) ‘Obesity and depression: its prevalence and influence as a prognostic factor: a systematic review’, Psychiatry Investigation, 17(8), pp. 715-724.
The City of Edinburgh Council (2021) Edinburgh by numbers 2021. Web.
Griffith, R. (2022) ‘Obesity, poverty and public policy’, The Economic Journal, 132(644), pp. 1235-1258.
Huang, Y. et al. (2020) ‘Sedentary behaviors and risk of depression: a meta-analysis of prospective studies’, Translational Psychiatry, 10(1).
Mishra, S. (2020) Community assessment. Maharashtra: Kripa Drishti Publications.
Niddrie (2022) Web.