Scarbrough Amanda W, Hill Jack, Rodriguez Jesus
1 College of Health Sciences, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA.
2 Office of Research and Sponsored Programs, Sam Houston State University, Huntsville, TX, USA.
Int Q Community Health Educ. 2017 Jan;37(2):129-133. doi: 10.1177/0272684X16685256. Epub 2016 Dec 29.
The Montgomery County United Way and Sam Houston State University explored existing public health and community-based issues and associated assets and gaps within Montgomery County, Texas, through the integration of quantitative geospatial data, demographic information, and the application of geographical information systems. The intent of the initial results was to use maps to visually compare the magnitude of significant emerging health issues in Montgomery County with other counties across Texas in an effort to better educate and increase the awareness of the general public within Montgomery County. The second objective was to present an example of the visual effect and impact of the overall spatial analysis and mapping process with a focus on a specific community issue that could likely be addressed and potentially solved in a relatively short amount of time. This second and more spatially detailed aspect of the evaluation resulted in the creation of an asset map that presented high concentrations or densities of payday loan services in Montgomery County. Recognizing the potential risks of payday loans, Montgomery County United Way presented the asset maps to the effected community leaders. Upon review, leaders discovered there were dense clusters of payday loan sites in areas with high rates of poverty. Prior to the creation of this aggregated payday loan business location map, an individual in a community typically only saw one, or two at the most, payday loan business during a daily commute. Within a very short period and through a grassroots effort to improve community well-being, there were significant formal and positive changes made by the community.
蒙哥马利县联合之路组织与萨姆休斯顿州立大学通过整合定量地理空间数据、人口信息以及地理信息系统的应用，探索了德克萨斯州蒙哥马利县现有的公共卫生和基于社区的问题以及相关资产和差距。初步结果的目的是使用地图直观地比较蒙哥马利县与德克萨斯州其他县重大新出现的健康问题的严重程度，以便更好地教育蒙哥马利县的普通公众并提高他们的认识。第二个目标是通过关注一个可能在相对较短时间内得到解决并有可能解决的特定社区问题，展示整体空间分析和制图过程的视觉效果和影响。评估的这第二个且在空间上更详细的方面导致创建了一张资产地图，该地图展示了蒙哥马利县发薪日贷款服务的高集中程度或密度。认识到发薪日贷款的潜在风险，蒙哥马利县联合之路组织将资产地图提交给了受影响的社区领导人。经审查，领导人发现贫困率高的地区有密集的发薪日贷款站点集群。在创建这张汇总的发薪日贷款商业地点地图之前，社区中的个人在日常通勤中通常最多只能看到一两家发薪日贷款业务。在很短的时间内，通过基层努力改善社区福祉，社区发生了重大的正式且积极的变化。
