Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Walden University Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs-Step-By-Step Guide

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Walden University Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs 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 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Walden University Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs 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 2: Epidemiologic Designs

The introduction for the Walden University Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs 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 2: Epidemiologic Designs

After the introduction, move into the main part of the Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs 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 2: Epidemiologic Designs

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 2: Epidemiologic Designs

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 2: Epidemiologic Designs 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.

Sample Answer for Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Population health problem- Diabetes Type 2

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health-related occurrences or states such as disease and the application of this knowledge to the management of illness and other health problems (Evensen, 2019; CDC, 2019). At my practice, patients suffer from various health issues, including obesity, coronary artery disease, renal failure, and uncontrolled hypertension. Diabetes is a major issue in the US. Diabetes patients have surged from 108 million in 1980 to 488 million in 2014. Diabetes consequences such as blindness, renal damage, stroke, and heart disease should be made more widely known. Diabetes patients are mainly from the lower and middle classes (Evensen, 2019). Furthermore, it is projected that 1.5 million people die each year due to diabetes. Public awareness is encouraged to reduce the number of diabetes cases (Friis & Sellers, 2021).

According to CDC, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes, undiagnosed diabetes, and total diabetes among people aged 18 years or older in the United States from 1999 to 2016 reveals that the age-adjusted prevalence of total diabetes among adults aged 18 years or older grew considerably. In 1999–2002, the prevalence was 9.5 percent, and in 2013–2016, it was 12.0 percent. During this time, the age-adjusted prevalence of diagnosed diabetes climbed considerably. There was no discernible difference in the frequency of undiagnosed diabetes (CDC, 2020). According to rough data, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, an A1C score of 7.0 percent or above, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol are all risk factors for diabetes-related complications among US individuals aged 18 years or older with diagnosed diabetes from 2013 to 2016. According to research, controlling blood sugar can lower the risk of eye disease, renal disease, and nerve disease by 40%. Blood pressure control can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke by 33% to 50% and the deterioration in kidney function by 30% to 70%. With proper cholesterol treatment, cardiovascular problems can be reduced by 20% to 50%. Frequent eye exams and treatment can prevent up to 90% of diabetes-related blindness, while regular foot checks and patient education can prevent up to 85% of diabetes-related amputations.

Prevention can also be achieved by maintaining a healthy weight, exercising regularly, and eating a nutritious diet. According to reports, the obesity pandemic in the United States has worsened dramatically since the century. Obesity is prevalent in 40.0 percent of young adults (ages 20 to 39), 44.8 percent of middle-aged adults (ages 40 to 59), and 42.8 percent of individuals aged 60 and older. According to the data, about two out of every three adults in the United States are fat or overweight (roughly 69%), and one out of every three persons is obese (roughly 36%). (CDC, 2020). Patients with prediabetes, obesity, are at least 45 years old, have had gestational diabetes, have a family member with type 2 diabetes, and are African American, Hispanic/Latino American, Native American, or Alaska Native are also at higher risk of acquiring type 2 diabetes.

Hypothesis: Recommending healthy eating habits, providing nutrition education, encouraging physical exercise, and pushing the food and beverage sector to promote healthy practices can all assist in reducing overweight, obesity, and diabetes.

Click here to ORDER an A++ paper from our MASTERS and DOCTORATE WRITERS: Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Research questions:

Is diabetes a significant issue?
Is diabetes inherited?
Is diabetes a physical or psychological problem?
What are the societal, economic impacts of diabetes?

Epidemiologic study design: Descriptive Epidemiologic Research

Diabetes as a public health issue would be best studied using descriptive epidemiology. Descriptive epidemiology is a method of organizing and analyzing health and illness data to understand better how disease prevalence varies regionally and over time (Friis & Sellers, 2014). It also aids the researcher in comprehending how diabetes differs from person to person based on various personal variables (person, place, and time).

The five W’s of descriptive epidemiology are as follows according to CDC (2019).

What (diagnosis or health issue concern), who (person), where (place), when (time), why/how (causes, risk factors, modes of transmission).

Descriptive epidemiology will assist us in evaluating and cataloging all of the circumstances surrounding people who have diabetes, are obese, and are overweight (Friis & Sellers, 2014). Because descriptive epidemiology is a predecessor to analytical epidemiology, it provides data for analytic epidemiologists to seek trends that could indicate causation. The ultimate goal of both kinds of research is to reduce the occurrence of health events or diseases (such as diabetes) by better understanding the risk factors for the population’s health problem or event. We’ll be able to look at things like age, education, socioeconomic status, health-care access, race, and gender using descriptive epidemiology (Friis & Sellers, 2014). Individual evaluations may entail gathering information on shift work, eating, and exercise patterns because the study focuses on diabetes, obesity, and overweight people.

Descriptive epidemiology data sources

Descriptive epidemiology is a type of epidemiology that is used to describe the distribution of disease in a community. It specifies the features of illness incidence in terms of the person, place, and time. Secondary data sources often utilized in descriptive epidemiological investigations include population census records, patient medical records, illness registries, insurance claim forms and billing records, case literature, public health department case reports, and individual and household surveys (Friis & Sellers, 2014; Ross, n.d.).

According to Friis & Sellers (2014), assembling and evaluating data by time, place, and person is beneficial for the reason below:

An epidemiologist can uncover disease hotspots or groups within the population. This information leads to vital hints about the causes of the public health concern, which may then be translated into research questions.

The epidemiologist learns about the scope and trend of the public health concern under investigation, such as which months, which neighborhoods, and which populations have the most and least cases.

You’ll carefully examine the data and get to know it so that you can identify what it can and can’t reveal based on the variables provided, its limitations, and its peculiarities.
An epidemiologist develops a detailed account of a population’s health that can be expressed clearly using tables, graphs, and maps.

References

CDC. (2019). Principles of epidemiology. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/csels/dsepd/ss1978/lesson1/section1.html

‌ CDC. (2020, August 7). Prevalence of both diagnosed and undiagnosed diabetes | diabetes. https://www.cdc.gov/diabetes/data/statistics-report/diagnosed-undiagnosed-diabetes.html

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2014). Epidemiology for public health practice (6th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Ross, M. M.(n.d.). Epidemiology – Sources of epidemiological data. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/science/epidemiology/Sources-of-epidemiological-data

Sample Answer 2 for Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Childhood Obesity

The high prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents remains a serious public health concern in the U.S and in other parts of the world. Specifically, it is estimated that over 19% of American children and adolescents are at the risk of obesity and the prevalence is projected to continue rising (Nittari et al., 2020). There are various co-morbidities associated with childhood obesity that may adversely affect neurologic, musculo-skeletal, endocrine, pulmonary and cardiovascular systems resulting in diseases such as obstructive sleep apnea and type 2 diabetes (Kumar & Kelly, 2017). Childhood obesity may also have other adverse effects such as depression, anxiety and low self-esteem from the abnormal fat accumulation. As such, there is a need to study this health crisis and determine ways through which childhood obesity can be addressed. While various studies have focused on childhood obesity, the present study seeks to assess the impact of extracurricular activities on childhood obesity. As such, the leading research question or objective is to evaluate the relationship between extracurricular activities and childhood obesity.

Based on the identified research question, the appropriate epidemiologic design would be a cross-sectional observational design. The cross-sectional study design can be applied to a sample population, where their exposures to certain variables and their health outcomes can simultaneously be measured. While this epidemiologic design is easy and quick to conduct, it is also suitable to measure multiple exposures and outcomes. For instance, the cross-sectional study can be designed to evaluate various extracurricular activities in children, including the level of engagement in each activity under investigation.

In this study, data would best be derived from the sample population selected rather than from secondary data sources. In particular, the observational study would gather data from the selected participants who would be required to fill in questionnaires in addition to sharing other details such as their weight, age and gender.

References

Kumar, S., & Kelly, A. S. (2017, February). Review of childhood obesity: from epidemiology, etiology, and comorbidities to clinical assessment and treatment. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings (Vol. 92, No. 2, pp. 251-265). Elsevier.

Nittari, G., Scuri, S., Sagaro, G. G., Petrelli, F., & Grappasonni, I. (2020). Epidemiology of Obesity in Children and Adolescents. In Teamwork in Healthcare. IntechOpen.

Sample Answer 3 for Discussion 2: Epidemiologic Designs

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, especially among African Americans. Heart attacks is one of the widest spread of cardiovascular disease (Healthy People 2020, 2011). The cost of annual care of this disease along with other cardiovascular disease is expensive. It cost approximately $320.00 billion dollars annually alone with other related cost (Healthy People 2020, 2011). There are risk factors that increase cardiovascular disease. Risk factors such a, smoking, Alcohol consumption, poor dieting, hypertension, and lack of exercise. Cardiovascular risk behaviors are critically important to designing effective interventions to address disparities (White et al., 2021). In 2017 the age adjusted death rate for non-Hispanic African Americans was 1.2 times higher than that of non-Hispanic whites. African Americans in the United States are one of the groups that stricken by disparities with respect to health conditions (Friis & Sellers, 2001).

Descriptive studies are an epidemiologic study design that make use of careful measurement of patterns and disease in populations to draw a conclusion about known facts about etiology (Friis & Sellers, 2001). This study will demonstrate changes in mortality over time, as well as trends. The strengths are exposure data often only available at area level and difference in exposure between areas may be bigger than at the individual level. Case reports and case series are that they have no comparison, and prone to publication bias (Friis & Sellers, 2001). Limitations are of ecological study are that potential for systemic differences between areas in recording disease frequency. For example, there may be difference in disease coding and classification, diagnosis, and completeness of reporting between different countries. I will not use an experimental study because the results are highly subjective due to possibility of human error.

References

Friis, R. H., & Sellers, T. A. (2001). Epidemiology for public health practice (6^th ed.).

Jones & Bartiett.

Healthy People 2020. (2011). Topics & objectives index. Retrieved from

http://healthy.people.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/default.aspx

White, M. J., Holliday, K. M., Hoover, S., Robinson-Ezekwe, N., Corbie-Smith, G.,

Williams, A., Bess, K., & Frerichs, L. (2021). The significant places of african american

adults and their perceived influence on cardiovascular disease risk behaviors.

BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-021-12022-x