The lifestyle of people in the Barrio Community in the American society today was very different from the lifestyle of most modern community. The Barrio Community at Blythe Street in San Fernando Valley, California, Blythe Street “barrio” is an old street, located in the San Fernando Valley, in the Los Angeles County. It has a bad reputation for having high crime rates. The people living in this barrio have a strong sense of community, pride, and respect for their family, the neighborhood, and for everyone living on that street. It is “their” street and they know each other by name. Some families have lived there for many years, such as generations of ex-gang members ”cholos” and illegal immigrants ”paisas” .The main ethnic population are from Mexico and Central America. A few Puerto Ricans, and some black. A large percentage is undocumented. They have an old market that has been there since the late 1950’s it is family owned and operated” Dona Cuca’s market”. There you can find anything from a toothbrush to a pound of meat.
They also have Community Park,”Blythe street park” the park is located in the middle of the street. The park was semi full with children, some in strollers and some running around. The children looked overweigh and obese, there were a lot of young mothers and some men loitering around. What this writer found interesting was that nobody can park on the street. There are signs warning drivers not to park on the street, only police trailer were parked on the street to prevent “the “cholos” from stealing people car batteries” and to report any suspicious activity.
Housing in this barrio consists of new and old buildings. The new buildings are section 8 projects, which are apartment complexes that receive federal funds to asset very-low income families. It is also known as a housing choice voucher program. The housing choice vouchers are administered locally by public housing agency’s (PHA) with the aids they received from the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). (www.HUD.gov)
Value/Belief:
Support systems are found in the “families or God’s faith”. The majority of the people in this community are Catholic or Christian. Having a strong bond with your family members is very important. A family can consist of people related by blood or by association such as a gang. Principles learned are carried from one generation to the next. Such as the man is the head of the household and the women stay home to take care of the children. If your dad is a gang member, you will be one too, because you are born into it. Children have the responsibility of going to school and taking care of younger siblings.
Health Perception/Health Management:
People in this community lack the resources for health prevention and management. Members of the community were asked if anyone does anything to stay healthy and a lot of them said no. They seek medical attention only if they are sick, but will self- medicate with over the count medication or penicillin, “Because penicillin kills everything”.
They rely on “Medi-Cal” or Medicare for services. If someone in their family gets sick, they seek medical attention by driving to county hospitals, which usually requires a 6-7 hour wait in the Emergency room. There are some local clinics that provide medical services, but also have long waiting periods. The people in this community suffer from diabetes, hypertension cholesterol, asthma, strokes and drug induced psychosis. One individual stated that drugs are still sold on the street. Risk for infection as related to the evidence by lack of good health care management services and resources, community members were encouraged to advocate to their local state representative to improve the health care services in the area.
Nutrition/Metabolic:
The people from this community are obese or overweight. Their food intake consists of mainly starches and complex carbohydrates, such as rice, tortillas, sweet bread and very little meat, since meat is expensive. The irony of this is that as you enter this community there is a
McDonald’s, on the southeast corner, a lot of the food is fried in lard, oil or whichever is cheaper. The people in this community rely on government food assistance programs such as stamps and food banks. The federal food stamp program aka SNAP, is designed to help low income families & individuals to buy food. (www.getting Food stamps.org). Imbalance nutrition more than body requirement as evidence by obesity, people in the community need to be taught the benefit of eating healthy food.
Elimination
Due to the unbalanced diet mentioned previously in this community, people’s elimination is affected. Hydration status of the community members is a key element of the body being able to function properly in regards to elimination. Access to clean water and adequate nutrition should be at the forefront for issues affecting the Blythe street barrio starting at birth. Assistance with identifying ways to implement fresh foods into their diets can be accomplished through community projects and then provides nutrition that fulfills needs and aids in proper elimination for the young and the old member of the Barrio. The frequency decreases in bowel movement, teach the importance of eating balance diet.
Activity & Exercise
The members of this community have to worry about safety. The sidewalks are their front yards according to the Los Angeles Times. Drug dealers mingle with the members of the community. As the crime rate continues to climb, the feelings of safety by everyone from children to the elderly is questioned. Children don’t have parks that are safe so they stay indoors where they are restricted and have no outlet for exercise. So families spend quality time together, which does not include adequate activity or the ideal 60 minutes of physical exercise recommended for children. Despite these obstacles, the members of the community are willing and motivated to stay together as families and make the best life for each other. Risk for inactive lifestyle related to unsafe community.
Sleep and Rest:
As per interview, Young adults and children have no sleep disturbances noticed. They have good sleeping patterns and able to sleep for at least eight hours at night and go to bed around 10pm and wakes up at 6am. The older population has sleep disturbances at night but fell back to sleep after some time and gets enough sleep hours as needed. Comparing to young people older people go to bed early and wakes up early. The community prefers to work 8am -5pm. The barrio community was calm and had adequate lighting and not overcrowded. Some of the youngsters use illegal drugs like marijuana and alcohol but majority has respect for family values and beliefs and try’s to refrain from those activities. The community is interested in planting vegetable at their leisure time.
Cognitive and perceptual:
According to national statistics by US Census Bureau 47.7% Persons of Hispanic or Latino origin, Lives in Los Angeles County. Majority of barrio community people are educated but older people speaks Spanish only. Elders are poor in communicating in English and some have cognitive loss with age difference, which is a barrier to communicating with the elderly population. Majority of young people are educated and can understand and follow directions, retain information, make decisions, solve problems, and use language appropriately. Older population has the capacity for independent functioning is considered a major role of thinking and perceiving. Some of the children wear glasses for reading. The community has very good educational facilities. Theodore Roosevelt high school is famous for football game. They have special educational programs for disabled children. The people in the community are aware of using computer and internet resources. The specific population is able to find and utilize the scholarships and funding resources for their education.
Self-Perception/Self-Concept:
In the Barrio communities there are individuals of all ages from infants to older people. Children and adolescents seemed to make up a large proportion of the population. There is a strong sense of community amongst the residents. They look after the community and neighborhood with a sense of pride and will go to any lengths to defend it. The community park was a popular spot for children of all ages and young adults. The LAPD has helped to provide extra patrols and organize Neighborhood Watch groups to bring down crime rates. There are several families living in the neighborhood and some of them have been there for several generations. Ex-gang members and illegal immigrants form a prominent part of the community. Ethnically, most people are of Mexican and Central American descent. There are also a few Puerto Ricans and African Americans. The barrio does have a bad reputation of having high crime rates. People seemed to look out for everyone living on the street. People know each other by name and know which family each person is part of. There are also signs warning people not to park on the streets so as not to have their car batteries stolen.
Role relationship:
In the Barrio Community members respect each other and their family. Blythe Street residents know each other by name and family and they will go to any lengths to defend the community. In the Barrio Community children are the major vulnerable population primarily because of low and improper nutrition levels. Many children were seen to be obese. The majority of Barrio families on Blythe Street are medically indigent who cannot even receive medi-cal. Due to this, people do not receive preventative health services, but will receive care once their condition become unbearable. The family is an important support group. Most of the people are catholic or Christian. However, there is a fair amount of gang influence. The Blythe street gang has an ongoing rivalry with a gang from a nearby neighborhood, which has led to violence and loss of life on both sides. The gang has a mixed effect on the community; meanwhile people see it as a means of protecting themselves from aggressive outside forces. Which has leaded to violence and death? Gang activity is also responsible for illegal drugs being made available to the community. The Police have tried to suppress crime in the community by having trailer parked on the street to monitor suspicious activities. Hispanic families are overrepresented among low-income married couples, possibly because they get married at younger ages and stay married longer than people from other racial/ethnic groups (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).
Sexuality/Reproductive:
According to community members in the barrio many of them started having sex at a very early age and before they were sixteen or seventeen they had their first child and are engaged in relationship very early. Many of the young people do not believe in using birth control or engaging in family planning, when asked why many of them said because their parents starting having children early and it was fine in their community. While other said because of their religion, all the families we spoke to were catholic or Christian, which is one of the reasons why they do not believe in using birth control or engaging in family planning programs. Members of the community said they have community centers that provide sexually transmitted disease education but the line to get help is very long and sometime there is not enough resources given to them. In 2009, Latinos accounted for 20% of new HIV infections in the United States while representing approximately 16% of the total US population (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). According to females members of the community abortions is something they do not do because of the religious and women and girl are encouraged to have their baby no matter how their got pregnant. According to the women miscarriages is somewhat a problem for them because of the lack of insured and good medical care. Research shows that the abortion ratio is somewhat lower among Hispanics 3 in 10 pregnancies end in abortion than among blacks and white non-Hispanics 4 in 10 (CDC, 1999).
Research done in 1995 found that Hispanics women between the ages of 15 and 44 were almost twice more likely to give birth outside of marriage than White women (Musick, 2002). Further examination of the context of nonmarital births revealed that Hispanic women were twice as likely as White women to have a planned birth and 1.6 times as likely to have an unplanned birth (Musick, 2002).
Coping/stress:
When asked how does families in the barrio handle stress and crisis situation many of them said they pray. The families in the community were very concern about the delinquency, violence, and crime that are taking place in their community; many of them believe it is due to the low employment rate, gang activities, and high poverty rate among members of the community. Homicide is the second leading cause of death among Hispanic/Latino adolescents and young adults (Rodriguez& Brindis, 1995). The homicide rate among Hispanic/Latino males ages 15-34, as reported in a recent Healthy People 2000 review, has increased from 41.3 per 100,000 in 1987 to 47.8 per 100,000 in 1990 (Rodriguez& Brindis, 1995). Community members agreed that poverty is a major problem in their community, because of the unemployment rate and the illegal immigration status. More than 10 million illegal immigrants are thought to live in the United States. The overwhelming majorities are Hispanic; most are from Mexico (U.S. Bureau of the Census, 1988).
According to members of the community the rate of CPS and APS abuse have increase, and they feel that it is due to the increase unemployment rate in their community compare to previous years. People in the community feel that drug abuse is a major problem, they said that alcohol use and abuse is a major problem in their community and it has increase compare to previous years. Overall, SAMHSA found that Hispanic-Americans have a lower current alcohol use rate than the national average 46.1% versus 55.2%, and lower current illicit drug use rate than the national average 6.6% versus 7.9%(SAMHSA, 2010). Likewise, the need for alcohol treatment among Hispanic-Americans rose above the national average 8.7% versus 8.1% (SAMHSA,2010).
According to members of the community many of them rely on their extended family, community, traditional healers, and/ or churches for help during with crisis and stress, while the men reported turning to alcohol to help relieve the stress. The community members also said they try to use Hispanic/ Latino community resources that are available for stress management. Members of the community that are mentally ill are care for by families members and they are only taken to mental health professional if their medically ill. The community members believe that there are many mental health professionals but because of lack of insurance and their illegal status many of them tried not to see them. Members of the community follow the Disaster and crisis intervention plan for the state of California. Risk for Injuries as related to violence activities and alcohol use, members of the community were encouraged to seek help dealing with the alcohol use and the violence.
Conclusion with Summary of Findings and Impressions of General Health:
Most of the Blythe Street residents did not follow healthy habits like eating healthy, exercising, etc. The majority of Barrio families on Blythe Street are medically indigent and those especially affected are immigrant children and parents who cannot receive medi-cal. Due to this, people don’t receive preventative health services, but will receive care once their condition has become unbearable after trying to medicate themselves with over the counter medications like penicillin. The Blythe Street Barrio is a complex community made up of many community members. Gangs and crime are rampant in the community, but all members have strong bonds, showing the aspects of the community that are functioning well and the ways that members are thriving is important on the road to understanding the Blythe Street Barrio. How are members meeting their needs according to Gordon’s Functional Health Patterns? Also, identifying the parts of the community that seems to be failing in regards to the needs of both individuals and the community as a whole brings to light the areas where help is needed. Community involvement coupled with resources from surrounding areas can aid with the failing areas. By the members of this community being a high-functioning healthy community will help them grow and overcome challenges both now and in the future.
Early teen’s pregnancy and sexual activities are also a major problem in this community. The Blythe Street Barrio Community clearly needs help and we hope the state government will see the need for community intervention and help this community. So that people in the community can have a better life. Functional Health Patterns Community Assessment
Value/Belief Pattern • Majority of people are catholic/Christian and churches are located within the community
• Has strong family relationship and health promotion measures are valued.
• Man is the head of the house. Spend money for education ,food and housing
Health Perception /Management • Lack of resources for health prevention and management.
• Hispanic adults were 50% less likely to engage in active physical activity as Non-Hispanic Whites.
• Obesity is the main health problem.
•
• Community have appropriate prevention program for dental, fire, fitness and safety but some of them doesn’t have insurance.
• Risk for infection as related to the evidence by lack of good health care management services and resources, community members were encouraged to advocate to their local state representative to improve the health care services in the area
Nutrition/metabolic • People in the community are obese
• Consumes carbohydrate /fried most of the time
• Obesity percentage is higher than other population.
• Among Mexican American women, 73 percent are overweight or obese, as compared to only 61.6 percent of the general female population.
• Food stamps and WIC programs are available. Have enough water supplies and Fast-food are available in the barrio community.
• Imbalance nutrition more than body requirement as evidence by obesity, people in the community need to be taught the benefit of eating healthy food.
• People in the community need to be taught the benefit of eating healthy food.
Elimination • Noise level is tolerable and waste disposal is proper according to the county law.
• Community is aware of the pesticides usage. Has laundry services available and in general the community is aware of the importance of hand hygiene.
• County police is always present in the street due to the crime rates.
• The frequency decreases in bowel movement, teach the importance of eating balance diet.
•
Activity/Exercise • Recreational programs like gym are easily located near to the community.
• People are afraid to due to the gang’s involvement in the specific location.
• Most of the people watch TV and spent time at home as their leisure time.
• Public transportation like bus service is available.
• Risk for inactive lifestyle related to unsafe community
Sleep/Rest • All age groups-Sleeps average 8-10hrs at night.
• Prefers day shift 8am-5 pm
• Less crowded and has adequate lighting
• Some are addicted to alcohol and drugs
• Interested in gardening
Cognitive/Perceptual • Primary language is Hispanic
• Male-High school graduate, GED, or alternative122, 340. Bachelor's degree or higher46,534
• Female-High school graduate, GED, or alternative104, 234. Bachelor's degree or higher49, 241.
• Most of them are educated and able to speak English and use computer and internet. Aware of scholarships and funding resources.
Self-perception/self-concept • Individuals of all age levels from infants – old people
• Programs and activities are conducted to strengthen the unity of the community.
• Community has sense of pride and the people lives there care for each other.
Role/Relationship • Hispanic families are overrepresented among low-income married couples, possibly because they get married at younger ages and stay married longer than people from other racial/ethnic groups (U.S. Department of Education, 2002).
Sexuality /Reproductive • Interested in sex and starts at early age (14-16 years).
• The abortion ratio is somewhat lower among Hispanics 3 in 10 pregnancies end in abortion) than among blacks and white non-Hispanics 4 in 10.
• In 2009, Hispanics/Latinos accounted for 20% of new HIV infections in the United States while representing approximately 16% of the total US population f marriage than White women.
Coping/Stress • The homicide rate among Hispanic/Latino males ages 15-34, as has increased from 41.3 per 100,000 in 1987 to 47.8 per 100,000 in 1990Violence and crime issues are noticed within the people of middle class
• Hispanic-Americans have a lower current alcohol use rate than the national average (46.1% versus 55.2%), and lower current illicit drug use rate than the national average 6.6% versus 7.9%(SAMHSA, 2010.
• Hispanic-Americans have a lower current alcohol use rate than the national average (46.1% versus 55.2%), and lower current illicit drug use rate than the national average (6.6% versus 7.9%).

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