Beruflich Dokumente
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Anabel Castaneda
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collection of data of a population which is used to anticipate problems a community may face or
the needs they may have. They can aid in the establishment of well strategized short and long-
term goals, helps shape programs or policies, and give a point of evaluation. Understanding a
community’s unique dynamics and structure is the point where the statistical information that is
acquired meets social science and strives to predict how certain factors determine health needs
and outcomes for a community. Community demographics is also valuable when evaluating
how it compares to neighboring cities, counties, the states or the nation. As a lifelong resident of
San Bernardino County and an aspiring public health professional, I was curious about how this
demonstrates that we have shifted from managing infectious and acute disease to now chronic
disease. The challenge with population dynamics is that it is fluid and constantly changing.
When considering a population, factors like size, distribution, and composition create diverse
communities. A population size would take into consideration its growth and decline in a
population size. According to the Census vintage year 2016 estimates, San Bernardino County is
home to 2,140,096 residents (Figure 1). By total area, San Bernardino County is the largest
county in the United States. The size of a population has a lot of direct and indirect implications.
Related to public health, for example, the social needs and funding available for a county is
determined by its size. As a result of lack of resources of funding, an area that is considered
overpopulated can result in issues such as malnutrition, high infant mortality, environmental
Running Head: Community Demographics 3
degradation, and strain on social services (Coreil 2010). The physical environment that serves a
particular population can also result in issues of food security and access. Community size is a
largely considered demographic but even more closely related to health are the dynamics of that
unique community.
Figure 1
Aside from population size, the composition of a population creates diversity between
communities based on a number of traits which include age distribution, race, sex, education
levels and more. When compared to California and the rest of the nation, San Bernardino
County has a younger population distribution (Figure 2). This would indicate San Bernardino is
a county is a growing population with a high ratio of dependents. This can also suggest
information about San Bernardino county’s fertility rate as a whole which can bring into
consideration public health issues such as family size and dynamics, sex and family education,
access to birth control, prenatal care, and more. Moreover, a population dense in youth
influences education. Larger populations of youth in communities could impact public education
systems with larger class sizes in schools which may impact student achievement. Student
success rates in at the primary school level can determine a student’s self-efficacy which can
Running Head: Community Demographics 4
impact their pursuit of higher education. Education is another degree in which population
composition is measured. When compared to the state of California, San Bernardino County has
a 3.2% lower high school graduation rate and a 12.4% lower rate of earning a bachelor’s degree
or higher. Compared to the rest of the nation, high school graduation rates are 8.1% lower and
the probability of earning a bachelor’s degree or higher is 10.8% (Figure 3). Because education
is closely linked to occupation, income, and health outcomes of both an individual and a
Age Distribution
Age, Under 5
Age, Under 18
Age 65+
Figure 2
Education
100%
86.7%
78.6% 81.8%
80%
60%
0%
San Bernardino County California State United States
High School Grad+ Bachelors Degree+
Figure 3
Running Head: Community Demographics 5
income. These are considered quality of life variables (Coreil 2010). Income can determine A
person’s access to resources to meet the basic needs of that individual and the family they
support. Income based on a household size is what puts a person or family “in poverty” relative
to the poverty line of a particular society. Poverty is a strong predictor of health and therefore a
major concern for public health professionals. Figure 4.1 shows the Median Household Income
of San Bernardino County, California State, and the U.S. while Figure 4.2 shows a relationship
between income level and Persons in Poverty. Since each society has different poverty rates
determined by the cost of living of the specific area, the graphs per area are relative yet the
correlation is undeniable. Some of the negative effects of income inequality are seen in rates of
chronic disease, food security, drug use, depression, infant mortality and more. San Bernardino
County has several areas that are considered food deserts and areas that are burdened with high
rates of crime. These factors would limit a person’s access to healthy food and ability to seek
recreation or exercise within their neighborhoods. This impacts social behavior and are lifestyle
related factors that impact long term health outcomes. Lifestyle related determinants can result
in one of the leading causes of chronic illness or mortality such as heart disease, diabetes and
certain types of cancer. Populations living in poverty become more susceptible to these diseases.
Data on socioeconomic status can help policymakers address the health effects of poverty.
1 2 3 1 2 3
Race, Asian
4%
Figure 5
agencies highlight differences between races in morbidity and mortality rates. Racial inequality
can be attributed to factors like social disadvantage and racism. There is no question that some
communities are more socially disadvantaged that others. Figure 5 shows just how diverse San
Bernardino County is where a large portion of the population are minorities. Diverse
communities are culturally rich and dynamic but they also present some challenges for public
health. Programs and interventions that target health issues often have to take into consideration
the culture of the communities they are aiming to serve. Cultural competence is an area that is
growing with evolving policies and trainings about attitudes, skills and behaviors for public
health practitioners (Coreil 2010). Human nature suggests that an individual is more likely to
seek health care or health services from someone they can communicate and relate to. As
Running Head: Community Demographics 7
evidence, many health promotion and intervention programs in San Bernardino County are
tailored toward different races and offered in multiple languages so a larger percentage of a
community can take advantage. Figure 6 shows how the racial distribution of San Bernardino
County compares the state of California and the rest of the nation. As a state, the distribution is
more similar than the variance between the U.S. In public health, racial diversity presents a
challenge for us to understand the influence that culture has on a community in order to become
Race/Ethnicity
100%
90%
80% San Bernardino County California State Unites States
70%
60%
50%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
Figure 6
appreciation for the county. With Census data alone I was able to formulate opinions about the
unique issues that residents of the county may encounter when it comes to health disparities.
This is the initial step in conducting a community needs assessment in order to find and priorities
the issues that can be addressed. People ranging from statisticians, public health professionals,
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community advocates can come together with some of this demographic data to strategize how
the county can be better served. A healthcare professional should consider a few more questions
to ask for data. The majority of the questions would communicate subjective and opinion based
information. It is important to draw information from objective data but also hear directly from
communities in which we serve. Gaining insight from informed residents and stakeholders
within a population can help formulate programs or interventions that members will be invested
in. A public health community needs assessment is an important way to organize around
community populations and their unique health profiles. It is evident, public health planning
Works Cited
Coreil, J. (2010). Social and behavioral foundations of public health (2nd ed.). Los Angeles:
Sage.