Running head: Concept of Community
Concept of Community
The purpose of this paper is to discuss the concept of community. The paper will explore the differences and definition between community and aggregate. The author will further discuss specific identification and description of an aggregate. The paper will conclude with the writer’s personal expression regarding this topic.
Community vs. Aggregate
Public health nurses and other care providers face various roles and challenges when working within the community. It is significant that nurses understand the differences between aggregate care vs. community based approaches to health care and service delivery. A community, in public health, is a defined population. The focus of public health is the health of a defined population of community. A community can be defined as a common interest or characteristics (age, race, gender, social class, or cultural identity), also referred to as an associate population. It can be defined by geographic boundaries, or a system (Porche, 2004). Therefore, an individual within a given population can be a member of several different communities at one time, depending on the defining characteristic of the community. And, depending on the type of community, the members may never come into contact with one another (Porche, 2004). An aggregate is a subgroup of the community population. Any community consists of multiple aggregates. Community aggregates can be grouped into simple aggregates based on demographics or geographic locations. This is the least type of aggregate in community health practices. The most common type of aggregate is high risk aggregate. A high risk aggregate or subpopulation of the community that has a high risk commonality among its members, such as Concept of Community 3
risky lifestyle behaviors (drug users, alcoholics) or high risk health conditions (teen pregnancy). The aggregate concept is...