Community profile report Literature review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Community profile report - Literature review Example It has also been defined as â€Å"a comprehensive description of the needs of a population ...and the resources that exist within that community, carried out with the active involvement of the community itself...."(Hawtin and Percy-Smith, 2007 cited in Teater & Baldwin, 2009). According to CIA (2008) a community profile is a summary of the history, present conditions, and anticipated future of an area. Community profiles can also contain data about crime, transport, health status and community service available. Through information about attitudes, perceptions of community cultural and historical character, it is also possible to determine the strengths, current issues, barriers, or changes in the profile (Love, Boxelaar, O’Donnell & Francis, 2007). Neighbourhood is the vicinity in which people live; it is the immediate social and physical environment in which people dwell (Berk, 2002). It also describes a socially distinguished area depending on residents’ perception. In the neighbourhood people interact for utility such as grocery stores, schools recreational parks, medical clinics (Lebel, Pampalon & Villeneuve, 2007). They also support or provide mutual aid in addition to interacting for pure socialization, thereby creating bond between individuals. Neighbourhood is the space in which people move around carrying on with their social and economic activities. This built environment contributes to one’s identity. Neighbourhood gradually becomes a reflection of one’s self, one’s values and aspirations and of the socioeconomic conditions. Only one percent of the total population was aged over 85 years but 18.3% of the population was claiming some form of benefit which is above the city-wide figure of 17.3 percent (Public Health Plymouth, 2013). The claimants for jobseekers allowance (4.7%) was also above the city-wide figure of 3.8 percent. In addition, the mortality rate is higher and life expectancy