Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
Walden University Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology-Step-By-Step Guide
This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.
How to Research and Prepare for Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.
After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.
How to Write the Introduction for Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
The introduction for the Walden University Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.
How to Write the Body for Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
After the introduction, move into the main part of the Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.
Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.
How to Write the Conclusion for Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.
How to Format the References List for Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.
Stuck? Let Us Help You
Completing assignments can sometimes be overwhelming, especially with the multitude of academic and personal responsibilities you may have. If you find yourself stuck or unsure at any point in the process, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional assistance. Our assignment writing services are designed to help you achieve your academic goals with ease.
Our team of experienced writers is well-versed in academic writing and familiar with the specific requirements of the Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology assignment. We can provide you with personalized support, ensuring your assignment is well-researched, properly formatted, and thoroughly edited. Get a feel of the quality we guarantee – ORDER NOW.
NURS 8310 Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
For this week’s discussion board, the selected health problem selected is homelessness in the US. Homelessness is a public health epidemic linked to decreased patient health outcomes (Dawson, 2020). Homelessness exists when someone lacks a safe, stable place to live. Sheltered and unsheltered people are homeless. Individuals without a home usually lack access to physical and mental healthcare (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2011). Homelessness can affect all ages, races, and genders, although it is usually has a higher rate in vulnerable populations like minorities or the LGBTQ+ community. In one of our learning resources this week, Laureate Education (2012) shared that in order to determine the prevalence of homelessness one would need to look at the population for each city compared with the number of homeless individuals to determine if cities with a higher census or high cost of living could also contribute to increase rates of homelessness.
Appraise the data sources you utilized by outlining the strengths and limitations of each.
This learner practices in a large academic hospital in a downtown area. This area of town is populated with many homeless. The raw data source identified is the individual observation of all employees in the hospital concerning their interactions with the homeless while in contact with them at work. This data source is raw, not yet pulled together in a spreadsheet or modified to form conclusions. One strength of this data source is the volume and variety of staff who might come in contact with the homeless from clinical personnel, security, housekeeping, volunteers etc. This volume allows for thousands of data points and a multitude of stratification options. This could also be viewed as a limitation as it could overwhelm a researcher. Another possible limitation is personal bias of the individuals coming into contact with the homeless.
Discuss two methods you could use to collect raw data to determine the descriptive epidemiology of your health problem, Determine how these methods would influence the completeness of case identification as well as the case definition/diagnostic criteria used.
One method that could be used to collect raw data is research/participant face-to-face interviews. This method would allow researchers to tell a more holistic story of how homelessness impacts health outcomes through narrative data points. Another method that could be used to collect raw data is standardized questions that the participants enter online. In this method, no interactions would be had between researcher and participant allowing for anonymity. This method would allow the researchers to collect feedback based on predetermined criteria to solve for a specific problem versus telling a story.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2011). Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/phlp/publications/topic/resources/resources-homelessness.html
Dawson, R. C., Shehadeh, D., Hao, J., Barnard, J., Khoddam, K. L. (Ladi), Leonard, A., Clark, K., Kersey, E., Mousseau, H., Frank, J., Miller, A., Carrico, A., Schustack, A., & Cuca, Y. P. (2020). Trauma, substance use, and mental health symptoms in transitional age youth experiencing homelessness. Public Health Nursing, 37(3), 363–370.
Laureate Education (Producer). (2012). Epidemiology and population health [Interactive media]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Discussion: Descriptive Epidemiology
Health Problem Characteristics
Childhood obesity is on a rise in our country with 1 in 5 children being defined as obese (Misra et al., 2019). Childhood obesity has
been described as being “one of the greatest public health challenges internationally” (Reilly et al., 2021, p. 298). Diseases such as childhood obesity does not occur randomly (Friis & Sellers, 2021). There are patterns of childhood obesity that will reflect the underlying reasons or factors (Friis & Sellers, 2021). Three categories that disease generally fall into are person, place and time (Friis & Sellers, 2021).
The person characteristic category represents who is being affected (Friis & Sellers, 2021). Within the person category, childhood obesity is characterized first and foremost by age. For someone to fit into the population, an age requirement must be met – such as under 18. Being able to trend for age is important when you look at risk for mortality (Friis & Sellers, 2021).
A second characteristic category to consider is place. Place is often compared international, geographic, urban/rural and localized occurrence (Friis & Sellers, 2021). Looking at childhood obesity in urban vs. rural areas may reflect some type of pattern that could help find underlying causes (Friis & Sellers, 2021). For instance, do children in rural settings get more exercise than urban children? or are children in rural settings at risk for being underinsured and at greater risk for obesity?
The time characteristic category “encompass cyclic fluctuations, point epidemics, secular time trends, and clustering” (Friis & Sellers, 2021, p. 185). Secular trending can be used to determine if childhood obesity has gradually changed in frequency over a long period of time (Friis & Sellers, 2021). Being able to take raw data and put it into purposeful categories allows for better understanding of the data.
Data Sources & Collection
One way to collect raw data to utilize is to create an app that a child could use to monitor their weight and track their food intake. Most children have cell phones and are very tech savvy. Using an app would an easy way for them to enter data that could be retrieved for study. This method of tracking would have limitations based on how popular the app was and the information put into the app.
A public way to collect data on childhood obesity would be through the Centers for Disease Control (CDC). Utilizing vital statistic records, medical records and physical exam data would transmit to the CDC based on a code for childhood obesity or utilizing similar processes for collecting flu data. The CDC is a strong and reliable organization with a history of tracking multiple diseases effectively.
References
Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. (2021). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning, LLC.
Misra, S. M., Garcia, C., Swamy, P., Kumar, S., Chavez, J., & Gupta, A. (2019). Reaching uninsured overweight and obese children through the fitkids mobile lifestyle modification program: Lessons learned. Journal of Community Health, 44(2), 208–214. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10900-018-0575-0
Reilly, J., Zhu, L., Olson Hunt, M. J., Hovarter, R., & Flood, M. B. (2019). Comparison of rural childhood bmi percentiles: prevalence and trends in a midwest county, 2008–2016. The Journal of School Nursing, 37(4), 298–305. https://doi.org/10.1177/1059840519868766