8 Pages
Final Paper Instructions
Purpose
This assignment will address the following Health Science Learning Objectives, related to the NCHEC Health Educator Responsibilities:
1. Demonstrate understanding of key theoretical, research, and practice issues relevant to the fields of public health and health education.
2. Synthesize in-depth information from relevant sources representing various points of view/approaches for health information.
3. Written communication skills in order to serve as an effective health resource person as well as facilitate development and maintenance of collaborative relationships.
4. Critical thinking and problem-solving skills to enhance intervention development, implementation, and evaluation efforts related to priority public health issues.
5. Capacity to understand and interpret research methods and related qualitative and quantitative data to promote evidence-based practice.
6. Cultural competence necessary to work within diversity and account for contextual influences that impact health equity.
Skills
The purpose of this assignment is to help you practices the following sills that are essential to your success in completion of the research paper.
· Use the Socio-Ecological Model to discuss what current actions to reduce and/or eliminate identified risk-factors and to categorizing interventions.
· Identify interventions that work at the primary level of prevention.
· Analyze interventions to determine their level of impact: individual, relationship or organizational/community.
· Evaluating publications for evidence of intervention effectiveness.
· Evaluating sources to determine if they meet assignment parameters.
· Use of data bases and the internet to find health intervention interventions, health and population information.
· Demonstrating evidence-based writing style using APA 7th, for formatting, citations and references.
· Provide evidence to verify health disparities within communities/populations.
· Use evidence to link high-risk behavior to health outcomes and high-risk behaviors.
Knowledge
This assignment will also help you to become familiar with the following important content knowledge in Health Science:
· Data bases and internet sites that contain intervention evaluation data and epidemiological data
· The Socio-Ecological model levels
· The link between high risk behaviors with risk-factors and health outcomes
· The vocabulary of community health and epidemiology
· social and individual health behaviors impact on society.
Tasks
Write a paper using the data collected in BM # 1 & 2. Use the feedback provided in the BMs to fix sources if needed. Total paper length required 1,500-2,500 words, excluding title page, tables and references
1. Paper Outline
A. Title Page (Running header is your name—this is different than standard APA) Include word count on title page.
B. Introduction (Recommended length: 1 paragraph, should not be more than ½ a page)
1. Have an engaging opening sentence (statistics may help show there is a health disparity in your community, cite)
2. Introduce the scope of the high-risk behavior in your specific community and at least one negative health outcomes associated with the behavior evidence based (this will require citations).
3. End with a topic sentence that tells the reader what will be covered in the rest of the paper
C. Body (Recommended length: 5-6 pages):
1. Epidemiological data (size and scope). This data will most likely be found on websites such as the CDC, NIH, US Census, or WHO. Peer review articles data will most likely be out of date.
a. Size and distribution of the community within the U.S.
b. How the selected community is affected by the high-risk behavior (incidence/prevalence of the high-risk behavior within the community), provides evidence of a health disparity
c. How the selected community is affected by poor health outcome(s) due to the high-risk behavior, provides evidence of health disparity
2. Modifiable risk-factor at the Individual Level
a. Describe at least one risk-factor related to your topic occurring at the individual level that contributes to the prevalence of the behavior in your community, that was addressed by the intervention.
b. Provide an example of an intervention addressing this risk-factor.
c. Discuss if the action is effective (evaluation of the intervention). Include both the size of the effect (%) and if it was statistically significant (p).
3. Modifiable risk-factor at the Relationship Level
a. Describe at least one risk-factor related to your topic occurring at the relationship level that contributes to the prevalence of the behavior in your community.
b. Provide an example of an intervention addressing this risk-factor.
c. Discuss if the action is effective (evaluation on the intervention). Include both the size of the effect (%) and if it was statistically significant (p).
4. Modifiable risk-factor at the organizational/community level
a. Describe one risk-factor related to your topic occurring at the organizational/community level that contributes to the prevalence of the behavior in your community.
b. Provide an example of an intervention addressing this risk-factor.
c. Discuss if the action is effective (evaluation of the intervention). Include both the size of the effect (%) and if it was statistically significant (p).
D. Conclusion (Recommended length: 1 page) (may include additional sources/evidence)
1. Summary of findings—brief pull together findings not just list.
2. Cultural Competence/Sensitivity—Specific considerations for working with this population—types of interventions that may or may not be effective (may use bonus source from BM#2 or draw out from the interventions reviewed).
3. Provide a critical analysis of current actions being used in the chosen community to address/reduce the high-risk behavior you examined (which of the three interventions was most effective, most pragmatic, and why).
4. Provide two examples of recommended actions and why you think these actions are needed (still in third person). These should follow from the evidence provided in the body of the paper.
E. References starts on new page in APA (not included in word count provided on title page)
2. Paper Formatting and Writing Style Requirements & Expectations
· Be 1,500-2,500 words (NOT counting title page, abstract, graphics/tables, and references) Word count included on Title Page (required minimum word count to receive a C)
· Have a title page, and references section, use APA template on BeachBoard to help with APA 7th edition document formatting.
· Have page numbers & running headers (include your name)
· Subject headings in APA format
· headers should be indicative of everything that is under them, use them to organize your paper, if not related to header it should not be in that section. Only the introduction and conclusion should repeat themes from other parts of the paper.
· should be specific to selected topic as well as indicate the part of the paper. NOT: “Epidemiology”, rather: “Epidemiology of African American Teen Smoking in the United States”
· Use Times New Roman 12 font, double-spaced and have 1-inch margins (reference page included)
· Be written in the third person (i.e. No “I” or “we”) and use scientific tone
· Avoid generalizations & exaggerations: “all”, “most” (requires evidence), “proof” (1 study is not proof it is evidence)
· Have proper grammar and spelling
· Cite resources throughout the paper, including introduction and conclusion as needed.
· Use APA for citations and references. Reminder all citations with the text must have a 1 to 1 correspondence with the reference list and the first word must match.
· Use of authors (student) voice: paraphrasing is preferred, and quotes kept to a minimum (not to exceed 10% of paper, excluding references). Only use quotes for definitions and when there is no other way to say it, this is different from plagiarism, which is not percent based but rather failure to give full credit to other authors for their words and information.
3. Paper Referencing Requirements
You must use a minimum of eight academic sources , (i.e. academic journals, books, professional websites, and other professional sources such as government documents). All sources must have an author and a date. Minimum sources required to receive a grade of C:
· You must have at least two peer reviewed academic journals (journal articles cited as web pages will not count, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure proper citation to receive credit)
· You must have at least two sources that are NOT peer-reviewed academic journals .
· Make sure internet sources are current, academic/professional and legitimate (NO WIKIPEDIA). All sources must have an author and a date; and be published within the last 10 years (see BM#1 for limited exception). Check with instructor if you are unsure of a source.
4. Submission: (see below for rough draft submission)
Submitted to Final Paper BeachBoard Drop Box as a .docx [see syllabus for submission to Turnitin and proper way to name file (LastName_FirstName_Paper.docx)]. All submissions must be checked that they have cleared Turnitin before it is due, all submissions are considered final ½ hour after submission.
Criteria for Success:
1. Correctly identify the sources for the data required, meet the source requirements
2. Correctly extract information from the source
3. Correctly use APA for formatting, citations and references
4. Use good grammar, 3rd person, and write a well-organized paper that addresses all content areas, in the order that they paper outline dictates.
5. See Paper Rubric below, point breakdown (Total Points 200)
RESEARCH PAPER INSTRUCTIONS 3
·
Rev 12/20
· Introduction (10)
· Epidemiological data & description of population (10)
· Individual Risk-factor & Intervention (20)
· Relationship Risk-factor & Intervention (20)
· Community Risk-factor & Intervention (20)
· Conclusion: Summary (10)
· Conclusion: Recommended Actions (10)
· Cultural Competence / Sensitivity (10)
· Style & Tone (Scientific, 3rd person) (10)
· Syntax & Mechanics (10)
· Organization (10)
· Formatting: font, headers, margins (10)
· APA In Text Citations (15)
· Sources & Evidence (20)
· Reference list APA (15)
