The purpose of this assignment is to complete the health status portion (second half) of your health assessment and present a profile of your selected health problem and the health status of your target population. You should prepare this assignment for presentation to a lay audience, therefore focus on using clear simple language. Please organize your document by including the letter headings of A and B below, but (as for the previous assignment) it should read as text, not in outline form. All references are to be in AMA format. Be sure that you: a) include everything that the assignment requests; b) try to maintain an objective tone when describing your data; and c) attempt to be as specific as possible in your written description and use your data as examples to make your points.
Assignemnt #1 has been uploaded to the file. Please use as a reference (“Lancaster vs Chesterediteded”dox)
A. Describe the Health Problem (One to two pages)
Using the health problem that you selected in Assignment #1, address the following:
1. Describe the health problem based on a brief review of published literature and CDC data (https://www.cdc.gov/datastatistics/index.htmlLinks to an external site.). Data used in this section should be national (the best source is CDC). Provide a brief description (3-5 paragraphs) of the health problem as follows:
a. Describe the health problem and its consequences;
b. Describe its magnitude (incidence/prevalence) and any trends over time;
c.Describe any disparities for subgroups;
d. Describe at least 4 changeable risk factors and state if they are behavioral or environmental;
Lastly, explain why you think that this health problem is important (1 short paragraph).
B. Describe the Health Status of the Target Population (3-4 pages)
1. Search for health data for your specific health problem in your target area and the larger group to which it belongs (e.g., a county or city in a state or an NYC borough compared to NYC as a whole) or another comparison group which you chose for Assignment 1. Preference should be given to information that is available for your specific community or for a geographical group that is as close as possible to your community.
2. Identify at least 6 health variables that you feel are relevant to your health problem (e.g., two variables related to type 2 diabetes could be obesity rates and consumption of fruits and vegetables) and are available in existing data sources. Explain why you selected these variables (i.e., what is their relevance to your health problem).
3. Present these data in a table for your target and larger/other comparison area (or the next highest geographic level for which you can find data).
4. Using one health variable, present the data for this health variable in a graph (referred to as a figure).
5. Describe (in words) the patterns that the data in your table reflect (be sure to refer to your table and figure in the text). Your reader should come away with a good understanding of whether the target community or broader geographic area is at higher risk for this health problem.
Be sure to follow principles for good design for your table and figure (see “Best Practices Checklist Download Best Practices Checklist
(uploaded in the file)If your data come in different formats (e.g., percentage, rate per 1,000, rate per 10,000, etc.), be sure to label everything clearly. This assignment is to be 4-5 pages of double-spaced text minimum. A list of references should begin on a new page and follow the text (AMA style again). The References page should be followed by the table and figure in that order (each beginning a new page). The emphasis should be on presenting a brief, clear, user-friendly picture of your health problem and the health status of your target population. Remember that this document is intended for your stakeholders and perhaps potential funders.
*Examples of health variables might be: the prevalence of risk factors (e.g., smoking, alcohol consumption, unprotected sex, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption), the prevalence of health conditions (e.g., obesity, diabetes, asthma), consequences of the health problem (e.g., ED use or hospitalization for asthma, diabetic retinopathy, cardiovascular disease). You do not need to include demographic variables in section B as that was included in Assignment 1.