The Descriptive Epidemiology of a Selected Health Problem
The descriptive epidemiology paper should focus on the epidemiology of a specific outcome variable (disease or possibly a health problem) that impacts a population. Your topic should be selected as part of the Week Four Intervention Studies and Final Topic Selection discussion. Examples of acceptable topics include a communicable or infectious disease, a chronic disease or condition such as one of the leading causes of mortality in the United States, or a disease or condition that is of personal interest to the student. Note that this assignment should not give extensive clinical information about a health condition, but should provide a data-based focus on its distribution in the population. Your chosen topic should be defined as narrowly as possible, for example, hepatitis C. Avoid a broad topic such as stress and health or heart disease.
The Descriptive Epidemiology of a Selected Health Problem Paper
- Should describe
- the extent of the problem (e.g., mortality, morbidity, or economic impact);
- the agent of disease (e.g., bacterium, virus, or other agent);
- the physical condition (briefly describe the clinical symptoms);
- the mechanisms that are used to control the problem or spread of disease;
- the host factors that make people vulnerable to the problem (e.g., race, sex, gender, age, nativity, and marital status);
- the environmental factors (e.g., geographic location) and socioeconomic factors (e.g., income, housing, occupation, education, family structure, and cultural background) that make people vulnerable to the problem;
- the problem’s temporal variation (seasonal trends, cyclic, epidemic, endemic, or pandemic);
- the additional epidemiologic variables that pertain to your topic,
- and the gaps in knowledge about the disease (e.g., reporting gaps and insufficient knowledge of the disease). Has previous research failed to address any pressing issues regarding the disease or problem in question?
- Should also include:
- A list of transmission modes (if caused by an infectious agent);
- a summary of any current hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the observed distribution or problem;
- identification of any existing and/or proposed policies to address the issue or health problem;
- a discussion of the significance and implications of the policies identified above,
- suggested areas for further epidemiologic research.
- Must include an introduction and conclusionLinks to an external site.
- Must be 6 to 10 double-spaced pages in length (not including title and references pages) and formatted according to APA styleLinks to an external site. as outlined in the UAGC Writing CenterLinks to an external site..
- Must include a separate title pageLinks to an external site. with the following:
- Title of paper (Preferred title format: Descriptive epidemiology of X disease)
- Student’s name
- Course name and number
- Instructor’s name
- Date submitted
- Topic selection can be based on health problems given priority by your textbook, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (cdc.gov), the World Health Organization (WHO.org).
- Must use at least five scholarly sources of information (i.e., journal articles).
- The Scholarly, Peer Reviewed, and Other Credible SourcesLinks to an external site. table offers additional guidance on appropriate source types. If you have questions about whether a specific source is appropriate for this assignment, please contact your instructor. Your instructor has the final say about the appropriateness of a specific source for a particular assignment.
- Must include a separate reference pageLinks to an external site. that is formatted according to APA style as outlined as outlined hereLinks to an external site. and hereLinks to an external site..
- Must include supportive data presented in at least five charts and tables attached to the appendix of the paper. Each of these must have a citation on the item itself and a call-out in the text so that the instructor can identify them.
- Resource: Before you submit your written assignment, you are encouraged to review the The Grammarly Guide: How to Set Up & Use GrammarlyLinks to an external site. tutorial, set up a Grammarly account (if you have not already done so), and use Grammarly to review a rough draft of your assignment. Then carefully review all issues identified by Grammarly and revise your work as needed.
Carefully review the Grading RubricLinks to an external site. for the criteria that will be used to evaluate your assignment.
