| Course | NUR 440 Community and Public Health Nursing in the United States |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 3 |
| Paper type | Community health education project, assessment and topic |
| Length | About 861 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | RN to BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 440 Module 3
Layers of Protection: Part 1 of a Community Health Education Project on Drowning Prevention for Parents of Young Children in West Phoenix
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
NUR 440: Community and Public Health Nursing in the United States
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Layers of Protection: Part 1 of a Community Health Education Project on Drowning Prevention for Parents of Young Children in West Phoenix
The windshield survey of ZIP code 85031 identified young children living near residential pools as a vulnerable population. This first part of the community health education project builds that observation into a project focus: drowning prevention education for parents and caregivers of children under five. The paper describes the health problem, the audience, the evidence on prevention, the health literacy needs of the audience, and the learning need the project will address.
The Health Problem
Drowning ranks among the top causes of fatal injury in American children; in 2017 it took nearly 1,000 lives among children and adolescents younger than 20 years (Denny et al., 2019). Children aged one to four are at highest risk, and for them the usual place is a pool at home, often during a brief lapse in supervision when the child was not expected to be near the water. For every child who dies, others survive a near-drowning with brain injury. In Arizona, where backyard and apartment pools are common and the swimming season is long, drowning prevention is a recurring public health message every spring.
In ZIP code 85031, the conditions for this problem are present: about 2,200 children under five, many homes with pools, and limited affordable swim lessons for young children, as the scavenger hunt found.
The Audience
The audience is parents, grandparents and other caregivers of children under five living in 85031. Census estimates describe a mostly Hispanic area where close to two thirds of homes speak Spanish and roughly 12% of homes have no adult fluent in English (U.S. Census Bureau, 2025). Many families include grandparents who provide child care while parents work. The education must therefore be available in Spanish and English and reach caregivers who may not be the children's parents. Reaching families where they already gather, such as WIC appointments, a church family night or a community center, will matter more than asking them to come to a special event.
What the Evidence Supports
Evidence on drowning prevention supports several layers of protection rather than a single measure. A Cochrane review of case-control studies found that pool fencing reduced the risk of drowning or near-drowning, and that four-sided isolation fencing, which separates the pool from the house, was far more protective than three-sided fencing that leaves the house open to the pool (Thompson & Rivara, 1998). A case-control study found that children aged one to four who had taken formal swimming lessons had a markedly lower risk of drowning, although the estimate was imprecise (Brenner et al., 2009). The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends combining these measures with close, constant and capable supervision, removing toys from the pool area, and caregiver training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation (Denny et al., 2019). No single layer is enough, because each can fail.
Health Literacy Needs
Health literacy is the ability of people to find, understand and use information to make health decisions, and organizational health literacy is the degree to which programs make that easy. The CDC health literacy module for this course emphasizes plain language, a small number of key messages, and checking understanding. For this audience, several needs follow. Materials should be in Spanish and English, written in plain language at about a fifth-grade level, and built around pictures, such as a drawing of a four-sided fence. Messages should be few and actionable: fence the pool on four sides, keep the gate latched, assign a "water watcher" who does nothing else, enroll children in swim lessons, and learn CPR. Teaching should use teach-back, in which caregivers explain the steps in their own words. Because some caregivers may have limited reading skills in either language, demonstration and discussion should carry most of the message.
Learning Need Statement
Parents and caregivers of children under five in ZIP code 85031 need knowledge and practical skills to apply layers of protection against drowning, including four-sided pool fencing with self-latching gates, constant designated supervision, swim lessons for young children and caregiver CPR, delivered in Spanish and English through plain-language, picture-based teaching at places families already visit.
Strengths the Community Brings
Assessment should include strengths as well as risks. The windshield survey and scavenger hunt found several. Families gather regularly at churches, youth sports and the supermarket, which offer natural places to reach caregivers. Many households include grandparents who care for young children and are respected sources of advice in the family. A community health center and a WIC clinic already serve the area with Spanish-speaking staff, and the city offers low-cost swim lessons in summer. A project that builds on these strengths, rather than treating the community only as a set of problems, is more likely to be welcomed and to last.
Next Steps
Part 2 will set measurable objectives for this audience, choose a teaching setting and methods, and plan how learning will be evaluated. Before then, I plan to check with the community health center and a WIC site about whether a short session during waiting times would be possible, since these are places where caregivers of young children already gather.
References
Brenner, R. A., Taneja, G. S., Haynie, D. L., Trumble, A. C., Qian, C., Klinger, R. M., & Klebanoff, M. A. (2009). Association between swimming lessons and drowning in childhood: A case-control study. Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, 163(3), 203-210. https://doi.org/10.1001/archpediatrics.2008.563
Denny, S. A., Quan, L., Gilchrist, J., McCallin, T., Shenoi, R., Yusuf, S., Hoffman, B., Weiss, J., & Council on Injury, Violence, and Poison Prevention. (2019). Prevention of drowning. Pediatrics, 143(5), e20190850. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0850
Thompson, D. C., & Rivara, F. P. (1998). Pool fencing for preventing drowning in children. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 1998(1), CD001047. https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD001047
U.S. Census Bureau. (2025). American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates: ZCTA5 85031 and Phoenix city, Arizona [Data set; tables B01003, B03003, B09001, B17001, B19013, C16002]. Retrieved October 4, 2026, from https://censusreporter.org/profiles/86000US85031-85031/
What the NUR 440 Module 3 instructions ask for
In the current NUR 440 syllabus, Module 3 combines community assessment with health literacy, and its clinical practice experience activity is Part 1 of the Community Health Education Project, completed alongside a CDC module on health literacy. Readings cover health education principles applied to communities, groups and families, building a culture of health, and child and adolescent health. Part 1 typically asks you to select a health topic for the population identified earlier, describe the problem and the audience with data, summarize the evidence, assess health literacy needs and state the learning need. Check Canvas for the required sections, length and any template, since later parts of the project build directly on this one.
How the NUR 440 Module 3 example is put together
The paper connects to the windshield survey in its first sentence, then gives one section to each required element. The problem section uses a national figure from a pediatric policy statement and explains why the age group is at risk. The audience section uses census language data to justify bilingual teaching and reaching grandparents. The evidence section summarizes a Cochrane review, a case-control study and national recommendations, noting imprecision where it exists. The health literacy section turns principles from the CDC module into specific design choices. A single-sentence learning need statement and next steps close the paper. The audience and evidence sections set up the objectives that Part 2 will write.
Reading the NUR 440 Module 3 grading rubric
Points for Part 1 usually go to a clearly defined health problem supported by data, a well-described audience, accurate summary of evidence, a health literacy assessment applied to the audience, and a learning need statement that the later parts can build on. Graders also check that the topic fits the population identified in the windshield survey and that every source is recent and listed in APA style. A Part 1 that chooses a topic too broad to teach, such as healthy living, makes later parts harder and often loses points on focus. Clear headings that match the prompt's elements help the grader find each part. Instructors often comment on Part 1 in detail, since weak choices here carry into the rest of the project.
NUR 440 Module 3 help with common mistakes
Students sometimes choose a topic because it interests them rather than because the community data point to it. Tie your topic to your survey. Another mistake is describing health literacy in general without applying it to your audience. List concrete choices, such as language, reading level and pictures. Make sure the learning need statement names who, what and how. Avoid promising an event you cannot arrange; describe the setting as planned. Keep statistics accurate and sourced. If you want help with Part 1 for your own community and topic, send the prompt and your survey notes. Ask a classmate or colleague who knows the community whether your audience description rings true.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More NUR 440 and RN to BSN sample papers
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NUR 440 Module 3 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 440 Module 3 sample paper?
Part 1 of a community health education project is on this page in full: drowning prevention for parents of young children in Phoenix ZIP 85031, with the problem, audience, evidence, health literacy needs and learning need.
How do I choose a topic for the NUR 440 education project?
Choose a problem that your windshield survey and community data point to, that education can address, and that fits a specific audience you can reach.
What is a learning need statement in NUR 440?
It is one sentence stating who needs to learn what, and in what form, based on your assessment. It guides the objectives you write in Part 2.
How do I apply health literacy in the NUR 440 project?
Plan plain language, a few key messages, pictures, the audience's languages and teach-back, and explain why each fits your audience.
Does the NUR 440 Part 1 need evidence?
Yes. Summarize current evidence or guidelines on what prevents the problem, so your teaching content is based on what works.