IHP 330 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview Epidemiology is the science that allows public health practitioners to study the patterns, causes, and effects of health conditions in defined populations. Public health practitioners rely on epidemiology to understand the risks and protective factors associated with health conditions, and to identify health disparities and specific populations at risk for disease. Studies in epidemiology inform the development of public health policy and targeted interventions to prevent disease and reduce health disparities.
For your final project, you will complete an epidemiological research study report based on the provided research study, “Salmonella in the Caribbean.” Epidemiologists in the field are often tasked with developing recommendations to address specific health issues, and part of that process is analyzing what other communities and epidemiologists have already done to address the issues. In your epidemiological research study report, you will analyze a health issue, the population impacted, and the prevention strategies used. You will then develop a research question and determine an appropriate research design to further investigate the issue.
The final project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Four and Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven. In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
IHP-330-01: Draw connections between health disparities within specific populations and social and behavioral determinants IHP-330-02: Determine key epidemiological principles of disease by analyzing health research studies IHP-330-03: Determine patterns and trends of disease causation in specific populations by analyzing health data IHP-330-04: Differentiate between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies for how they address key factors impacting health issues of
specific populations IHP-330-05: Select epidemiological research designs to investigate disease and improve the quality of health for specific populations
Prompt For your final project, you will develop an epidemiological research study report on the provided research study, “Salmonella in the Caribbean,” which investigates a public health issue impacting a specific population. In your project, you will analyze the population impacted by the public health issue to accomplish the following:
Make connections between social and behavioral determinants and disparities. Analyze the health issue to determine key epidemiologic principles and identify patterns and trends. Examine the levels of prevention used in the research study.
For the conclusion to your research study report, you will develop a research question to further investigate the public health issue and population, and to determine an appropriate research design to investigate the research question.
Specifically, you must address the critical elements listed below. Most of the critical elements align with a particular course outcome (shown in brackets).
I. Population: In this section of your report, you will summarize key elements of the research study and analyze the population impacted by the health issue.
A. Summarize the people, places, and times represented in the research study to provide context for your report. [IHP-330-02] B. Describe three social and behavioral determinants strongly associated with the public health issue in the research study. Be sure to cite
specific examples from the research study to support your description. [IHP-330-01] C. Describe three known disparities associated with the health of the specific population. Be sure to cite specific examples from the
research study to support your description. [IHP-330-01] D. Explain how the identified social and behavioral determinants relate to the disparities you identified, and explain your reasoning. [IHP-330-
01]
II. Health Issue: In this section of your final project, you will analyze the health issue in focus in the research study. You will draw conclusions about the health issue through your review of the research study and by conducting outside research on the topic.
A. Describe the risk factors associated with the public health issue. Support your description with evidence from the research study and your independent research. [IHP-330-02]
B. Describe the mode of transmission of the public health issue. Support your description with evidence from the research study and your independent research. [IHP-330-02]
C. Determine the incidence and prevalence of the health issue using the data from the research study to perform the appropriate calculations. [IHP-330-03]
D. Determine the mortality rate of the health issue using the data from the research study to perform the appropriate calculations. [IHP-330- 03]
E. Interpret the odds ratio to determine the strength of association between the potential sources of exposure and the disease. [IHP-330-03] F. Using your research and analysis, draw connections between the population and public health issue. Consider where you identified common
elements, what you learned about the public health issue by studying the population, and what you learned about the population by studying the public health issue. [IHP-330-03]
III. Levels of Prevention: In this section, you will describe the prevention strategies used by the epidemiologists in the research study. You will identify a strategy for each level of prevention and differentiate between the strategies.
A. Describe a primary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the health issue of the specific population. [IHP-330-04]
B. Describe a secondary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the health issue of the specific population. [IHP-330-04]
C. Describe a tertiary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the health
issue of the specific population. [IHP-330-04] D. Explain how the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies differ in how they address the key factors impacting the health issue
in the research study. [IHP-330-04]
IV. Conclusion: Now that you have analyzed the research study, you will develop a research question to further investigate the specific health issue and population, select an appropriate research design, and explain the importance of the research to the field of public health.
A. Using your analysis of the research study, develop a research question to further investigate the specific public health issue and
impacted population. [IHP-330-05] B. Determine whether an observational or experimental research design would be more appropriate to investigate your research question. Be
sure to justify your determination. [IHP-330-05] C. Explain the importance of further research for improving the quality of health in the specific population. What is the potential benefit? [IHP-
330-05]
Milestones Milestone One: Health Issue In Module Three, you will analyze the health issue in focus in the provided research study. You will draw conclusions about the health issue through your review of the research study and by conducting outside research on the topic. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Population In Module Five, you will summarize the key elements of the research study and analyze the population impacted by the health issue. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Epidemiological Research Study Analysis In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your final project should be 4–6 pages, double spaced, with one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and APA formatting and citations.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Population: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Summarizes the people, places, Summarizes the people, places, Does not summarize the people, 6.4 Summarize summary demonstrates a and times represented in the and times represented in the places, and times represented in
[IHP-330-02] sophisticated awareness of the research study to provide research study to provide the research study to provide epidemiologic principles in the context for the report context for the report, but context for the report research study response has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Population: Social Meets “Proficient” criteria and Describes three social and Describes three social and Does not describe three social 6.4 and Behavioral demonstrates keen insight into behavioral determinants behavioral determinants and behavioral determinants Determinants social and behavioral strongly associated with the strongly associated with the strongly associated with the [IHP-330-01] determinants of public health public health issue in the public health issue in the public health issue in the
issues research study research study, but response is research study missing one or more determinants or has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Population: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Describes three known Describes three known Does not describe three known 6.4 Disparities demonstrates keen insight into disparities associated with the disparities associated with the disparities associated with the
[IHP-330-01] the disparities associated with health of the specific health of the specific health of the specific population public health issues population population, but response is missing one or more disparities or has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Population: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Explains how the social and Explains how the social and Does not explain how the social 6.4 Determinants Relate draws insightful connections behavioral determinants relate behavioral determinants relate and behavioral determinants
to the Disparities between social and behavioral to the disparities identified to the disparities identified relate to the disparities identified [IHP-330-01] determinants and known with reasoning with reasoning, but response with reasoning
disparities has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Health Issue: Risk Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Describes the risk factors Describes the risk factors Does not describe the risk factors 6.4 Factors support demonstrates keen associated with the public associated with the public associated with the public health
[IHP-330-02] insight into the risk factors health issue, supporting health issue, supporting issue associated with public health description with evidence from description with evidence from issues the research study and from the research study and from independent research independent research, but response has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Health Issue: Mode of Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Describes the mode of Describes the mode of Does not describe the mode of 6.4
Transmission support demonstrates keen transmission of the public transmission of the public transmission of the public health [IHP-330-02] insight into the mode of health issue, supporting health issue, supporting issue
transmission of public health description with evidence from description with evidence from issues the research study and from the research study and from independent research independent research, but response has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Health Issue: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Determines the incidence and Determines the incidence and Does not determine the 4.8 Incidence and response demonstrates prevalence of the health issue prevalence of the health issue incidence and prevalence of the
Prevalence complex grasp of how to using the data from the using the data from the health issue using the data from [IHP-330-03] determine the incidence and research study and performing research study and performing the research study
prevalence of a disease by the appropriate calculations calculations, but calculations analyzing health data are inappropriate, or determination has gaps in detail, clarity, or logic
Health Issue: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Determines the mortality rate Determines the mortality rate Does not determine the mortality 4.8
Mortality response demonstrates of the health issue using the of the health issue using the rate of the health issue using the [IHP-330-03] complex grasp of how to data from the research study data from the research study data from the research study
determine the mortality rate of and performing the and performing calculations, a disease by analyzing health appropriate calculations but calculations are data inappropriate, or determination has gaps in detail, clarity, or logic
Health Issue: Odds Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Interprets the odds ratio to Interprets the odds ratio to Does not interpret the odds ratio 4.8
Ratio determination demonstrates determine the strength of determine the strength of to determine the strength of [IHP-330-03] keen insight into interpreting association between the association between the association between the
trends and patterns of disease potential sources of exposure potential sources of exposure potential sources of exposure causation and the disease and the disease, but response and the disease has gaps in detail, clarity, or accuracy
Health Issue: Meets “Proficient” criteria and Draws connections between Draws connections between Does not draw connections 4.8 Connections uses research and analysis to the population and public the population and public between the population and [IHP-330-03] make especially cogent health issue based on research health issue based on research public health issue
connections between the and analysis and analysis, but response has population and public health gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, issue or support
Levels of Prevention: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Describes a primary prevention Describes a primary prevention Does not describe a primary 4.8 Primary Prevention explanation demonstrates strategy represented in the strategy represented in the prevention strategy represented
Strategy keen insight into how primary research study, explaining how research study, explaining how in the research study [IHP-330-04] prevention strategies address it addresses key factors it addresses key factors
key factors impacting health impacting the health issue of impacting the health issue of issues of specific populations the specific population the specific population, but response has gaps in detail, clarity, or accuracy
Levels of Prevention: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Describes a secondary Describes a secondary Does not describe a secondary 4.8 Secondary Prevention explanation demonstrates prevention strategy prevention strategy prevention strategy represented
Strategy keen insight into how represented in the research represented in the research in the research study [IHP-330-04] secondary prevention study, explaining how it study, explaining how it
strategies address key factors addresses key factors addresses key factors impacting health issues of impacting the health issue of impacting the health issue of specific populations the specific population the specific population, but response has gaps in detail, clarity, or accuracy
Levels of Prevention: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Describes a tertiary prevention Describes a tertiary prevention Does not describe a tertiary 4.8 Tertiary Prevention explanation demonstrates strategy represented in the strategy represented in the prevention strategy represented
Strategy keen insight into how tertiary research study, explaining how research study, explaining how in the research study [IHP-330-04] prevention strategies address it addresses key factors it addresses key factors
key factors impacting health impacting the health issue of impacting the health issue of issues of specific populations the specific population the specific population, but response has gaps in detail, clarity, or accuracy
Levels of Prevention: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Explains how the primary, Explains how the primary, Does not explain how the 4.8 Prevention Strategies explanation demonstrates secondary, and tertiary secondary, and tertiary primary, secondary, and tertiary
Differ keen insight into how different prevention strategies differ in prevention strategies differ in prevention strategies differ in [IHP-330-04] prevention strategies address how they address the key how they address the key how they address the key factors
key factors impacting health factors impacting the health factors impacting the health impacting the health issues in the issues of specific populations issues in the research study issues in the research study, research study but with gaps in detail, clarity, or accuracy
Conclusion: Research Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Develops a research question Develops a research question Does not develop a research 6.4 Question research question is especially to further investigate the to further investigate the question to further investigate
[IHP-330-05] well-crafted for examining the specific public health issue and specific public health issue and the specific public health issue specific public health issue and impacted population based on impacted population, but and impacted population impacted population analysis of research study question is illogical or not based on analysis of research study
Conclusion: Research Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Determines whether an Determines whether an Does not determine whether an 6.4
Design justification demonstrates observational or experimental observational or experimental observational or experimental [IHP-330-05] keen insight into the research design would be more research design would be more research design would be more
appropriate use of research appropriate to investigate the appropriate to investigate the appropriate to investigate the designs to investigate disease research questions, justifying research questions, justifying research questions for improving the quality of determination determination, but response health has gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy, or support
Conclusion: Meets “Proficient” criteria, and Explains the importance of Explains the importance of Does not explain the importance 6.4 Importance explanation demonstrates further research for improving further research for improving of further research for improving [IHP-330-05] keen insight into how the the quality of health in the the quality of health in the the quality of health in the
investigation of disease can specific population specific population, but with specific population improve the quality of health gaps in logic or detail for specific populations
Articulation of Submission is free of errors Submission has no major errors Submission has major errors Submission has critical errors 4
Response related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization spelling, syntax, or organization organization and is presented that negatively impact that prevent understanding of in a professional and easy-to- readability and articulation of ideas read format main ideas
