module 8: descriptive epidemiology paper

Requirements

The Descriptive Epidemiology Paper will be graded on use of citations, use of Standard English grammar, sentence structure, and overall organization based on the required components as summarized in the directions and grading criteria and rubric. Create your exercise using Microsoft Word (a part of Microsoft Office), which is the required format for all Chamberlain University documents. You can tell that the document is saved as a MS Word document because it will end in .docx. Follow the directions and grading criteria closely. Any questions about your assignment may be posted under the Q & A Forum. The length of the exercise is to be no less than five pages and no greater than six pages excluding title page and reference pages. APA format is required with both a title page and reference page. Use the required components of the review as Level 1 headings (upper and lower case, centered, boldface):

Note: Introduction—Write an introduction but do not use "Introduction" as a heading in accordance with the rules put forth in the Publication manual of the American Psychological Association.

Preparing Your Descriptive Epidemiology Paper

For the purpose of this exercise

Select a health problem to explore in detail by using a descriptive epidemiologic approach. For examples of health problems or diseases that might be studied, refer to the lists below.

• Search for data on the health problem from one or more of the following sources.
  • Morbidity and mortality reports (vital statistics): World Health Organization and international reports; U.S. federal, state, and local annual and periodic reports
  • Current literature on the selected health problem
  • Reports of special surveys

• Assess the problem. Briefly evaluate the agent and the condition. Examine the sources noted above for data on morbidity and mortality in the selected health problem.

• Summarize these data on the distribution of the selected health problem according to the following factors using tables, graphs, or other illustrations pertaining to quantitative and qualitative data.
  • Host characteristics such as age, gender, marital status, and ethnic group
  • Environmental attributes such as geographic areas, social and economic factors, occupation, and education
  • Any additional characteristics that contributes to an epidemiologic description of the disease, including biostatistical data.
• Summarize any current hypotheses that have been proposed to explain the observed distribution. List the principal gaps in knowledge about the distribution of the health problem.

• Propose areas for further epidemiologic research, and critically appraise the data as a whole.

Communicable Diseases

• AIDS
• Botulism
• Cholera
• Dengue fever
• Encephalitis, anthropod-borne
• Hepatitis A, B, or C
• Influenza
• Malaria
• Moningococcal meningitis
• Mononucleosis
• Pneumonia
• Respiratory streptococcal infection
• Rubella
• Tetanus
• Tuberculosis
• Typhoid
• Sexually transmitted diseases
• Whooping cough (pertussis)

Chronic and Other Conditions

• Alcoholism
• Asthma
• Cancer (breast, cervical, prostate)
• Cerebrovascular disease (stroke)
• Diabetes mellitus: Type I or Type II
• Emphysema, bronchitis
• Essential hypertension
• Multiple sclerosis
• Obesity epidemic
• Rheumatoid arthritis
• Schizophrenia
• Sickle cell anemia
• Sudden infant death syndrome
• Suicides