For your project, using the South University Online Library or the Internet, research and select three current epidemiological studies regarding risk factors that are associated with any health problem. You can also use the following websites to search for studies as they are often used as the major sources of information for health research and often report on the most current health problems affecting the United States and global populations:
U.S. National Library of Medicine National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
World Health Organization
What were the criteria that you used to select these papers? (For example, only English language, peer reviewed articles, only a specific age group, only United States studies, etc.)
What were the types of risk factors studied in your chosen articles? (For example, environmental, socio-economic, behavioral, etc.)
Which study design was used for this study? Why do you think the researchers chose this specific study design? Provide examples from your research.
What are the proximate or underlying determinants of risk factors that are associated with any health problem for each study?
This week you will learn how research is used to enhance public health. You will learn how to critically read and analyze research studies to determine whether the methods used in the research are appropriate for program planning and development for your community. You will also learn how to obtain funding for research work and how to design and conduct your own research. As a health professional, analyzing research will be a required skill, as public health is rapidly moving towards the use of evidence-based prevention and intervention programs. Most research articles are obtained from research that has been conducted using scientific principles and published in peer-reviewed journals. You must be able to critically analyze and read research studies and, more importantly, determine if the findings are appropriate for the population you are serving. For example, a prevention and intervention program developed from a study for substance abusers, where the study subjects were college-aged students, may not work for a population consisting of adults with no more than a high school education and who are low income.
Your Learning Objectives for the Week:
Read epidemiological studies and draw conclusions.
Conduct preliminary research in current issues in public health