You will be exploring a health problem in detail using a descriptive epidemiologic approach. The final product is a paper as outlined in Appendix 4 (p XXXXXXXXXX: #1-8) in your textbook. The model for the organization of the project and paper is as follows:
Model for organization of paper – You may use bulleted and/or paragraph formats; use tables/graphs /illustrations where appropriate.
1. Define the problem (nature, extent, significance, etc.)
2. Describe the agent.
3. Describe the condition (briefly)
4. Examine sources for data on morbidity and mortality for the selected problem
5. Summarize these data on the distribution of the selected health problem according to the following factors, using tables, graphs, or other illustration whenever possible:
A. Host characteristics
1. Age
2. Sex
3. Nativity
4. Marital status
5. Ethnic group
B. Environmental attributes
1. Geographical areas
2. Social and economic factors
3.
a. Income
b. Housing
4. Occupation
5. Education
C. Temporal variation
1. Secular
2. Cyclic
3. Seasonal
4. Epidemic
D. Any additional characteristics that contribute to an epidemiologic description of the disease/health problem
6. Summarize any current hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the observed distribution.
7. List any principal gaps in knowledge about the distribution of the health problem.
8. Suggest areas for further epidemiological research.
[Taken & Modified from Appendix 4: XXXXXXXXXX]
Include citations and reference list using APA style.
Upload your final paper by Saturday. Once you have submitted your paper, please post an executive summary of your project as well as a final reflection regarding insight you gained, key concepts you would like to share with the group, frustrations, etc. regarding the project to the discussion board.
References
Friis, R. & Sellers, T. (2014). Epidemiology for public health practice, 5th. ed. Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Publishing.
Q1. Go to theCUNE Library, and select an academic article from Promed or a similar source that addressed a research question related to public health using one of the study designs discussed in this week.
After your review of the article, post your answers to the discussion board:
1. What was the research question or questions investigated by the researchers?
2. What was the study design used? Do you agree with the study design chosen? Please explain.
3. If you were interested in investigating the same research question, would you choose the same study design? Please explain why.
4. What were the main findings from the study?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the strengths and limitations noted by the researchers of the study. Please explain why? Would you include other strengths and limitations, if so which?
6. How would you use the knowledge gained from this study when studying other health problems or this health problem?
Q3. Once you have submitted your Descriptive Epidemiology Paper, please post the following:
1. An executive summary (no more than two paragraphs) of your Descriptive Epidemiology project
2. A final reflection regarding insight you gained, key concepts you would like to share with the group, frustrations, etc. regarding the project.
Note: An Executive Summary is a brief but comprehensive synopsis of your paper, similar to an abstract.
Q4. Submit Assignment: Article Review
This assignment is the same as what you posted on the Discussion Board with the addition of a citationand summary. This is simply where you will submit it for grading and feedback. Remember, although you don't have to submit the assignment until Saturday, you still must post it to the Discussion Board by Thursday.
Go to theCUNE Library, and select an academic article from Promed or a similar source that addressed a research question related to public health using one of the study designs discussed in this week.
Include in your review the following:
a. Article Citation (APA)
b. Summary of the article/research study
c. Responses to the following questions: [This section will be posted on the Discussion Board also]
1. What was the research question or questions investigated by the researchers?
2. What was the study design used? Do you agree with the study design chosen? Please explain.
3. If you were interested in investigating the same research question, would you choose the same study design? Please explain why.
4. What were the main findings from the study?
5. Do you agree or disagree with the strengths and limitations noted by the researchers of the study. Please explain why? Would you include other strengths and limitations, if so which?
6. How would you use the knowledge gained from this study when studying other health problems or this health problem?
Chapter Questions
Note: For Questions 1 & 2 – these are case-control studies (Ch 6)
1. Use the following information to answer the questions below
A large medical center’s oncology program reported an increased number of cases of pancreatic cancer during a certain month. The hospital’s epidemiologist decided to research the problem. Tumor registry records were searched to identify all cases of pancreatic cancer during a five-year period; cancer patients were matched with patients treated for other diseases during the same five-year period. All subjects in the study were questioned about lifestyle factors including alcohol, tea, and coffee consumption. The resulting data are as follows:
| DATA |
| | Cancer Patients | Other Patients |
| | Men | Women | Men | Women |
| LIFESTYLE VARIABLE | |
| Alcohol | 185 | 120 | 270 | 260 |
| Tea Drinking | 140 | 110 | 230 | 225 |
| Coffee Drinking | 190 | 140 | 270 | 240 |
Note: Total number of male cancer patients = 200.
Total number of female cancer patients = 150.
Total number of male patients (other diseases) = 300.
Total number of female patients (other diseases) = 300.
Prior to answering the following questions be sure to construct a 2 x 2 table from the data above.
a. What is the cancer risk associated with alcohol drinking among males? Please calculate the Odds Ratio (OR).
b. What is the cancer risk associated with alcohol drinking among females? Calculate the OR.
c. What is the cancer risk associated with tea drinking among males? Calculate the OR.
d. What is the cancer risk associated with tea drinking among females? Calculate the OR.
e. What is the cancer risk associated with coffee drinking among males? Calculate the OR.
f. What is the cancer risk associated with coffee drinking among females?Calculate the OR.
g. What factor had the strongest association with cancer for both men and women?
h. Which if any factor(s) acted as a protective factor for either males or females?
2. The association between job-related exposure to welding fumes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) was explored in a case-control study. The following data were reported for 399 COPD patients: 42 currently employed as welders; the remainder had no occupational exposure. Among the 700 controls, 47 were employed as welders. Set up a 2 by 2 table and calculate the OR.
3. Complete the following questions in your text book:
a. Ch 6: #11
b. Ch 6: #12
c. Ch 7: #7
Note: Questions 4& 5 refer to a cohort study (Ch 7)
4. As an epidemiologist you are going to investigate the effect of a drug suspected of causing malformations in newborn infants when the drug in question is taken by pregnant women during the course of their pregnancies. As your sample you will use the next 200 single births occurring in a given hospital. For each birth a medication history will be taken from the new mother and from her doctor; in addition, you will review medical records to verify use of the drug. [N.B.: These mothers are considered to have been followed prospectively during the entire course of their pregnancies, because a complete and accurate record of drug use was maintained during pregnancy.]
The resultant data are:Forty mothers have taken the suspected drug during their pregnancies. Of these mothers, 35 have delivered malformed infants. In addition, 10 other infants are born with malfunctions.
Create a 2 x 2 table with the given data and then determine:
a. The relative risk between exposure to the drug and malformation
5. Suppose for #4 that a relative risk of 0.5 had been found. Which interpretation might follow?
a. The risk of congenital malformations is half as high among users of the drug as among non-users.
b. The risk of congenital malformations is equal among users and non-users of the drug.
c. The risk of congenital malformations is twice as high among users of the drug as among non-users of the drug.
d. Use of the drug is a protective factor for congenital malformations.
e. A and D