Epidemiology

In this Epidemiology assignment, you will develop the beginning skills you will need as a Masters prepared nurse to identify trends in large data sets that illustrate a public health emergency affecting a particular population and the social determinants of health (SDoH) that place that population at risk.

Your team has identified a public health emergency and a related health condition. (Research the public health emergency caused by Hurricane Katrina and its impact on the mental health of adolescents after exposure.) Explore the available data to show the impact of that issue on a particular population; use the epidemiologic data to discuss the SDoH that places that population at particular risk.

1. Public Health Population-based Issue (10 pts)
2. Identify the public health emergency and a related health concern.
3. Contextualize your identification by explaining the magnitude of the problem and the population you have selected to focus on. Provide a thorough explanation of the problem’s significance to clinical practice.
4. Explain why this problem and population is important and of interest to you.
5. Interpreting the data (40 pts)
6. Explore data sources (large databases) that provide information about the population, the issue, and the SDoH (examples of these databases are listed below).
7. Present an overview of the data, including trends in populations or geographic regions over time.
8. Describe the health picture that emerges from the data. Identify how the SDoH fit into that health picture.
9. Discuss issues regarding social justice and health inequities in the population that you have selected. Explain your response and support your writing using references from the readings and additional scholarly material.
10. Create a table or figure (20pt)
11. Using the data you extracted from the databases examined, create or adapt a table or figure to illustrate the demographics of the population of interest, the incidence, prevalence, and morbidity or mortality related to the public health issue (as applicable), and data concerning at least one SDoH that places the subject population at risk for this public health issue.
12. Include the table(s) or figure(s) as an appendix, not in the body of your paper. Appendices do not count toward the page limit.
13. Trends in the data can be illustrated over time, or over geographic differences.
14. Make your table or figure easy to read: use clear labeling, colors (if appropriate) and fonts. Consult Chapter 7 in the APA Manual for requirements for formatting the title, caption and citations for the table/figure. NOTE: you must cite the original source of your data in the caption of your table/figure.
15. Epidemiologic Model (20 pts)
16. Using the supporting examples of epidemiologic models, identify a model that fits your topic well.
17. Define the model, including the concepts and the relationships among them.
18. Apply the components of the model you selected to the health problem you identified. *Include a referenced graphic figure of the model as an appendix.
19. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of this model concerning your chosen public health topic.
20. Scholarship, writing and APA (10 points)
21. Writing includes correct sentence structure, grammar, spelling, and proofreading.
22. All sections must include citations from the readings and additional scholarly literature.
23. Formatting (including writing style) adheres to APA 7th edition guidelines. Pay special attention to the formatting requirements for tables, figures, and appendices.
24. 5-page limit not inclusive of title page, references, and appendices (do not include an abstract).

Tip to write this paper:

• Use headings to break up your text (and best to use the same names for the sections as in the assignment). It will keep you on target and prevent you from leaving out any section.
• Do not copy an existing table. Instead use the data included in one, or many tables, to create your own figure or table depicting the trends in the data.
• Epidemiologic models exist to explain the causal relationships between factors that lead to a particular health outcome. The models reflect different scientific approaches or perspectives on health. The Epidemiologic Triad, for instance, represents a contagious disease approach. Others you might use include Causal Pies or the Social-Ecological model.
• Use your assigned readings, and other additional articles to support your ideas.

SUGGESTED WEB RESOURCES

FEDERAL

U.S. Census Bureau-Health

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention National Center for Health Statistics

U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Sources for Data on Social Determinants of Health

Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation State Health Facts

NEW YORK STATE

Vital statistics of NYS

Family, Community and Minority Health (this site contains legislation, program information, and epidemiology reports on specific topics)

New Jersey Center for Health Statistics and Informatics

Connecticut Department of Public Health Statistics, Reports and Fact Sheets

NEW YORK CITY

NYC Health Data (includes a link to mapping).

NYC Health Epiquery (combination of Epidemiology and Query)

INTERNATIONAL

World Health Organization Global Health Observatory