Department of Academic and Student Affairs Syllabus Online Course Name: Introduction to Public Health
Prefix & Number: PHC 4101
Section: 310 Course Reference No.: 87447 Semester: Fall, 2015
Course Description:
This course provides the student with a broad overview of public health. It will cover the basic definition of public health, analytical methods used in public health, the biomedical basis of public health, social and behavioral factors related to health interactions and environmental and medical care issues. The core functions of Public Health as they relate to the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Report will be studied, in addition to the future of public health. Credit hours: 3 Location: Online Instructor Information: Tory Peek, MPH, CPH Email: jpeek@health.usf.edu
Office Location: College of Public Health, Room 1042 Office Telephone Number: 813-974-TBD
Preferred method of contact: Email
You should receive a response to an email within 24-72 hours. If you do not receive a response during that time frame I did not receive your message and you must send it again, after verifying the email address and contact person. All emails should be sent from your USF email address. Any correspondence from non-USF email accounts will not be responded to.
Tech Assistance Use the Tech Assistance button on the course website. The Tech Assistance button links to the Technical Support page of the Office of Educational Technology & Assessment website at: http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/techsupport.html. Select from any of the available options. Students will receive a reply WITHIN 24 hours via phone or email based on student preference.
Online Course Technical Requirements:
Students in all online public health courses are expected to meet the basic technology requirements to successfully participate in their courses. Failure to meet these requirements may cause problems accessing the course materials.
It is the student's responsibility to ensure all requirements are met prior to the start of the semester. http://health.usf.edu/publichealth/eta/students_tech_requirements.htm
Required Materials:
Schneider, M. J. (2013). Introduction to public health (4th ed.). Sudbury, MA: Jones & Bartlett Inc.
ISBN 978-1-4496-9736-5
Available at the USF Health Bookstore (http://usfhsc.bkstore.com) Recommended
Materials:
N/A
Course Format: Weekly modules, recorded lectures, chapter readings, movies/media clips, group discussions, and individual assignments.
Course Learning Objectives: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. List and describe the vision, mission, and essential services of public health. 2. Discuss, from a historical perspective, the contributions and roles of public health. 3. Discuss the development of the public health field.
4. Identify factors that influence public health and determine ways in which health status is measured. 5. Identify and analyze epidemiological and biostatistical principles including concepts of rates, causation,
and disease surveillance.
6. Identify and explain determinants of health from a global perspective including environmental, social, behavioral, and biological factors in addition to access to health services.
7. Understand and evaluate issues of health care delivery addressed from a population perspective, such as quality, cost, and access as well as organization structure and their relationship to public health services. 8. Categorize and describe the programs and services comprising the field of public health and the health
system.
9. Determine the legal basis for public health in the US and identify the roles of government in serving the public’s health.
10.Identify public health’s core functions and discuss how they are translated into practice.
11.List and elaborate on the four public health infrastructure components specifically identifying initiatives to enhance workforce performance.
12.Differentiate between selected tools of disease control and health promotion including interventions such as vaccinations, screenings, counseling and education, environmental-occupational, legal and policy approaches, as well as the roles of health communications.
13.Synthesize factors related to public health emergency preparedness and response at the national, state, and local levels.
This course
meets
the following c
ompetencies for the Bachelor of Science in Public Health.Competency Learning
Objectives
Assessment Strategies 1. Identify and articulate the core functions of public health.
a. Explain the basic principles of epidemiology.
b. Assess social and behavioral interventions to improve health of populations.
c. Identify the impact of the environment and communicable diseases on health.
d. Explain the role that public health plays in disaster prevention and management and evaluate public policy issues with respect to access, quality and cost when understanding health disparities within vulnerable
populations.
2. Exhibit critical thinking and analytical abilities, including the capacities to engage in inductive and deductive thinking and quantitative reason, and to construct sound arguments. a. Identify topics pertaining to public health research.
b. Generate research questions, analyze and present data, and interpret and discuss findings.
c. Demonstrate awareness about current public health topics including an analysis of the societal attitudes that generate differences on current public health topics.
3. Communicate using effective oral skills.
a. Demonstrate an ability to contribute effectively to group discussions and presentations.
b. Apply effective public speaking skills during classroom presentations. 4. Develop effective written presentations.
a. Demonstrate the use of information literacy skills such as locating and evaluating pertinent public health information.
b. Demonstrate the ability to use library resources and scientific databases.
c. Exhibit proper referencing secondary materials in APA format.
1 – 14 4 – 6 6 – 10, 12 – 14 4 – 6 n/a, online course n/a, online course 1 – 14 3, 5, 6
Assessment & Grading
Assessment Strategies:
1.
Syllabus Quiz/First Day Attendance 10 points2.
Plagiarism Quiz 10 points3.
Public Health in the News 5 points4.
Quizzes 250 points (5 quizzes @ 50 pts. each)5.
Health Care Paper 100 points6.
Canvas Discussions 80 points (2 discussions @ 40 pts. each)7.
Global Health Paper 40 pointsTotal Points 495 Grading Scale: A= 100-89.5% B= 89.49-79.5% C= 79.49-69.5% D= 69.49-59.5% F = <59.5%
Assigning Grades: Assignments are graded within 14 days of final submission date. See Assignment Details for instructions and requirements for each assignment.
Assignment Feedback:
Grade explanations will be posted in Canvas. Points will be removed for failure to meet requirements and follow instructions. Point deductions can be found in each assignment’s corresponding rubric. These rubrics will be strictly adhered to when assignments are graded.
Assignment Reminders:
Instructors do not email reminders for any assignments. Students are responsible for keeping track of when all assignments are due.
Grade disputes: Please address any grade disputes immediately after you receive a grade. It is recommended that this is done within 1-2 weeks of receiving assignment feedback. The end of the semester is not an appropriate time to discuss missed assignments or poor grades earned earlier in the semester.
Late assignments: Late assignments will be penalized with a 10% point deduction per day. A documented emergency is the only situation where late points will be waived. A student must receive permission from the instructor to submit an assignment later than a week after the due date. Technical difficulties cannot be used to justify late assignments. Some due dates may fall on holidays. Every assignment can be completed early to avoid potential conflicts. Quizzes cannot be completed after the due date passes unless you provide proof of a documented emergency.
Documented emergencies:
Late assignments will be excused for unexpected emergencies when a student can provide proper documentation. These include severe illness of the student/student’s dependent(s), death in the immediate family, other crisis and severe weather conditions. Students must contact the instructor and provide documentation as soon as possible. Email is the preferred method of contact, but it is the student’s responsibility to contact the instructor via phone or in person if they are unable to utilize email. Judgment of whether a situation is an
emergency, whether documentation is sufficient and whether the student contacted the instructor in a timely fashion is entirely at the discretion of the instructor.
Extra credit: There are no extra credit opportunities in this course. Students cannot gain extra credit by revising assignments or doing extra work. All students have an equal opportunity to do well in this course by completing high quality work throughout the semester (not at the end).
S/U Grade System: This course is not eligible for an S/U grade.
Late withdrawal: Late withdrawals will not be approved after the last quiz.
Late drop: Late drop requests will not be approved after the second week of class. This is a College of Public Health Policy.
Inaccurate information:
Assignments containing inaccurate information will receive varying point deductions based on the degree and extent of the inaccuracy.
Course Policies Online Attendance &
Participation:
It is recommended that you access course materials online at least twice a week. The instructor will post announcements relevant to course material through Canvas. You are responsible for reading each announcement in its entirety.
See Institutional Policies section for Emergency Preparedness for Academic Continuity. Email Etiquette: Emailing an instructor is always a professional gesture. You are what you email. Your email
messages to your instructor help shape his/her professional opinion about you. Make sure that it is a positive one. Each email you send should include:
o Appropriate greeting – Ms./Mr./Dr. (last name of instructor)
o Necessary information – be clear and concise; avoid spelling errors.
o Professional tone – avoid being rude, disrespectful or demanding (see civility and ground rules).
o Closing – include your first and last name and the course for which you are registered; emails sent through Canvas automatically include the course. Civility & Ground
Rules:
All communication between instructor and students (including among students) must be respectful to all parties involved. Rude or disrespectful communication will not be tolerated and will be considered a disruption of the academic process (see undergraduate catalog). Permission to Use
Lectures:
All unauthorized recordings of class are prohibited. Recordings that accommodate individual student needs must be approved in advance and may be used for personal use during the semester only; redistribution is prohibited.
Instructor Expectations:
Students are expected to be responsible for their own learning in this course – you must keep up with course material and complete assignments by the stated deadlines. The instructor will post announcements relevant to course material through Canvas and send emails via your USF email account. You are responsible for reading each announcement in its entirety. Students are expected to address concerns about any portion of the course/assignments in a timely manner. The end of the semester is not an appropriate time to discuss missed assignments or poor grades earned earlier in the semester.
Incomplete Policy: COPH policy: http://publichealth.usf.edu/academicaffairs/academic_procedures.html Schedule Change
Policy:
This syllabus is a preliminary plan for the class and from time to time the class schedule may need to be adjusted by the instructor. If necessary, some components of this syllabus may change. However, any such changes will be announced to the students in class or by Canvas. The student is responsible for any such announced change.
INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES & STUDENT RESOURCES
Course Calendar Week/
Date
Topics Assignments Due
Wk 1 8/24
What is Public Health? – 1 Powers/Responsibilities Government – 3
Syllabus Quiz: Due Thursday, 8/27, 11pm (counts for 1st day attendance) Wk 2
8/31
The Medical System – 26 The Medical System Reform – 27
Plagiarism Quiz: Due Tuesday, 9/1, 11pm Wk 3
9/7
The Aging Population - 29 Healthy Diet Discussion 1st & 2nd Post: Due Tuesday, 9/8, 11pm Quiz 1: Chapters 1, , 3, 26, 27, 29
Available Friday, 9/11, 8am – Monday, 9/14, 8pm Wk 4
9/14
Statistics – 7
The Role of Data in Public Health – 8
Healthy Diet 3rd Post: Due Tuesday, 9/15, 11pm Wk 5
9/21
Epidemiology Parts 1 & 2 – 4, 5 Wk 6
9/28
Epidemiology Part 3 – 6 Quiz 2: Chapters 4-8
Available Friday, 10/2, 8am – Monday, 10/5, 8pm Wk 7
10/05
Conquest of Infectious Diseases – 9 Chronic Disease – 11
Health Care Paper: Due Thursday, 10/8, 11pm Wk 8
10/12
People Choose Health? – 13 Psychosocial Factors – 14
Climate Change 1st & 2nd Post: Due Tuesday, 10/13, 11pm Wk 9
10/19
Mental Health – 19 Climate Change 3rd Post: Due Tuesday, 10/20, 11pm Quiz 3: Chapters 9, 11, 13, 14, 19
Available Friday, 10/23, 8am – Monday, 10/26, 8pm Wk 10
10/26
Tobacco – 15
Poor Diet & Physical Inactivity – 16 Wk 11
11/2
Population – 25
Injuries Are Not Accidents - 17 Wk 12
11/9
Maternal and Child Health – 18 Quiz 4: Chapters 15, 16, 17, 18, 25 Available Friday, 11/6, 8am – Monday, 11/9, 8pm Wk 13
11/16
Clean Air – 21 Clean Water – 22
Global Health Paper Due: Due Tuesday, 11/17, 11pm
Wk 14 11/23
Safe Food & Drugs – 24
Emergency Preparedness, Post 9/11 – 30
Public Health in the News: Tuesday, 11/24, 11pm Wk 15
11/30
Public Health in the 21st Century – 31 Wk 16
12/7
Quiz 5: Chapters 21, 22, 24, 30, 31
Available Tuesday, 12/8, 8am – Friday, 12/11, 8pm Saturday, October 31st –
Assignment Details:
Syllabus Quiz/First Day Attendance (10 points)
The purpose of the First Day Attendance policy is to ensure that all students have the maximum opportunity to enroll in classes where demand exceeds availability of seats. Students are required to complete the syllabus quiz by 11 pm on Thursday, 8/27, to prevent being dropped from the class. If you do not complete the quiz by this deadline you will be dropped from the course. The quiz will remain open until Monday, 8/31, at 11pm to accommodate students who add the course after the Thursday deadline. Students having extenuating circumstances beyond their control and who are unable to take the syllabus quiz must notify the instructor before the deadline passes. If you do not intend on taking the class be sure that you drop or have been dropped to avoid fee liability and academic penalty.
See below for important information:
It is located in Canvas under quizzes.
It is “open notes”, meaning you should use your syllabus while you take the quiz.
It consists of 20 questions.
It is timed and must be completed within 40 minutes. The quiz will automatically close if you exceed this time limit or due date time.
Plagiarism Quiz (10 points)
The purpose of the plagiarism quiz is to familiarize you with the definition, details and consequences associated with plagiarism. Students will first view a tutorial by going to the following link:
http://davon.etg.usf.edu/share/plagiarism/story.html. Afterwards, students will complete a plagiarism quiz on Canvas. See below for important information:
It is located in Canvas under Quizzes.
It consists of 10 questions.
It is timed and must be completed within 20 minutes. The quiz will automatically close if you exceed this time limit or due date time.
Students are expected to know and understand plagiarism risks and concerns. Any student who commits plagiarism will be subject to penalties outlined by the USF Undergraduate Catalog.
Public Health in the News (5 points)
Students will find a current (from this semester) news article pertaining to public health. The article should be from a credible online or paper news source (i.e., no Cosmo or Men’s Health). Students will upload a copy of the article to their group discussion board labeled “Public health in the news” and submit one paragraph describing the article (at least 5 sentences) and how it relates to public health (at least 3 sentences). Be sure to review the articles that your peers submit because no two students can present the same article (the first person to submit an article will receive credit). Students can complete this assignment at any point in the semester, once assignment groups are formed (week 2 of class) until Thursday, July 9th at 11pm. No late submissions will be accepted for this assignment = late
submissions will result in a zero on the assignment.
2 points – submission of article
2 points – paragraph describing the article (5 sentences minimum)
Quizzes (5 quizzes, 50 points each, 250 points total)
Each quiz is non-cumulative and comprised of questions covering the power point lectures and/or assigned readings from the textbook (see course schedule).
Each quiz will consist of 25 multiple choice or true/false questions.
Each quiz is available for 4 days. Students must take the quiz during the scheduled quiz time.
Each quiz is timed and must be completed within 50 consecutive minutes. The quiz will automatically close if you exceed this time limit or due date time. For example, if you log in to complete the quiz at 7:50pm you will have only 10 minutes to complete the quiz because the quiz closes at 8:00pm.
The quizzes are open book/notes, but they are designed so that you must study/read the material before each quiz. You will not have enough time to look up each question. To do well on the quizzes and complete them within the allotted time, you must listen to the lectures, study the notes and read the book before each quiz.
You will find the quizzes in Canvas under the Quizzes link.
Quizzes may only be taken once.
You are responsible for taking the quizzes during the scheduled time. Permission to take a quiz on an alternate date will be made on a case by case basis. This permission may be allowed or declined entirely at the discretion of the instructor. Students must notify the instructor and provide proper documentation as soon as possible, and no later than five (5) days prior to the quiz time/date. A documented emergency will be the only situation where a student can take a quiz after the scheduled date and time.
No review sheets are provided for quizzes.
Quizzes are graded automatically and your score will appear in the grade center after successful submission. Academic integrity and quizzes: To ensure the integrity of the academic process, quizzes will not be returned to the student. Students are encouraged to meet with the instructor to review their quizzes to identify missed questions. This allows students to apply the correct information to their continued education.
Health Care Paper (100 points)
The purpose of this assignment is to evaluate health care in the United States and in other countries. To write this paper you must be familiar with information in the book/notes. You will watch Frontline’s series Sick around the world (see Canvas). This series of 5 videos (8-15 minutes each) examines the health care systems of other advanced capitalist democracies. You will also watch the Kaiser Family Foundation’s video (~7 minutes) on health care reform (see Canvas). After viewing both videos and reviewing sources describing the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act you will complete the paper as described below.
Technical Requirements:
900-1300 words (does not include in-text citations or reference page)
Double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1” margins, essay format
Less than 20% of the word count should be direct quotes
Submit to the correct link in Assignments. This uploads your paper to TurnItIn, a plagiarism detection device. See plagiarism information under Institutional Policies.
Correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
All information must be accurate
Use APA referencing style. Must cite all videos and websites. See APA Style Citation Guide in Canvas. You do not need to include APA formatting (for example, title page, running head, or abstract)
All information must be from reputable and reliable, academic sources.
Content Requirements:
Include an introduction paragraph that introduces the topic and describes the main ideas of the paper. This paragraph should be at least 4 sentences in length.
o The last sentence of this paragraph should be your thesis statement. A thesis statement clearly states what your paper will cover and gives an overview of the points you will make. Hint: Write your thesis sentence last. That way you can focus on the flow of information within the body of your paper and then make your thesis sentence match you topics at the end of your writing process.
Pick out 1 best and 1 worst component from EACH country’s health care system from Sick around the world.
o In other words, for EACH country’s health care system you will choose 1 component you think is the best and 1 component you think is the worst (or most problematic) component. This requirement should only take up 1 paragraph within your paper. Include no more than 1-2 sentences per country. Do NOT summarize each country’s health care system. Only include what you feel represents the best and the worst component of each system.
Discuss previous problems with the U.S. health care system from the health care reform video posted in Canvas. Choose what you think were the 2 biggest problems with our health care system before the Affordable Care Act was passed. For EACH problem include:
o 1 sentence stating what the problem was
o Another 3 sentences describing the problem in more detail
Pick out 1 best and 1 worst component of the Affordable Care Act. For EACH component:
o State what the component is in 1 sentence
o Devote another 3 sentences to further describing the component
o Include who benefits and who may not benefit in your description
o Find and cite this information from reliable, unbiased sources. A list of good sources is available in Canvas.
Sick around the world that is currently being integrated into the American health care system. Answer the following three questions in your discussion:
o How is the United States integrating this component into health care reform efforts?
o What is your personal opinion of the implications of using this component as a solution in America?
o What are potential barriers to using this component as a solution in America?
o This section should include a minimum of 200 words in length.
Include a conclusion paragraph that states your opinion of the current direction of health care reform in the U.S. This paragraph should be a minimum of 4 sentences.
Health Care Paper Grading Point Structure 5 points – Technical requirements (excluding grammar and APA)
0 points – Included 2 or more technical requirement errors
2.5 points – Included 1 technical requirement error
5 points – Adhered to all technical requirements
10 points – Correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
0 points – frequent errors that interfere with communication
3 points – frequent errors, but they do not interfere with communication
7 points – some errors, but they do not interfere with communication
10 points – very few or no grammatical, spelling or sentence structure errors
5 points – Introduction paragraph
0 points – Fewer than 4 sentences AND does not contain a thesis sentence that covers the paper’s main points
2.5 points – Fewer than 4 sentences OR does not contain a thesis sentence that covers the paper’s main points
5 points – Includes at least 4 sentences AND contains a thesis sentence that covers the paper’s main points
5 points - APA style: In-text citations and reference page
0 points – No APA used for either in text citations OR reference page
2.5 points – Incorrect use of APA (at least 2 types of errors)
5 points – APA style used correctly (only 1 type of error)
10 points – Sick around the world: Best and worst components of each system
0 points – Absent OR missing 2 or more countries OR summarized health care systems rather than picking 1best and 1 worst component
5 points – Missing two components (either best or worst) for one or two countries
8 points – Missing 1 country OR missing a component (best or worst) for one country
10 points – 1 best and 1 worst component for each country
10 points – Biggest U.S. health care problems before the Affordable Care Act
0 points – Absent
5 points – Included just 1 major problem, but lacked 3 substantive sentences OR included 2 problems, but both lacked 3 substantive sentences
8 points – Included 2 problems, but 1 problem lacked 3 substantive sentences OR included just 1 major problem that had 3 substantive sentences
10 points – Fully discussed 2 major problems with U.S. health care; discussion included at least 3 substantive sentences for each problem
10 points – Best and worst components of the Affordable Care Act
0 points – Missing 1 best AND 1 worst component
5 points – Missing 1 best OR 1 worst component
10 points – Included 1 best and 1 worst component
10 points – Thoroughness of best and worst components of the Affordable Care Act
0 points – Best component AND worst component lacked at least 3 substantive sentences each
5 points – Either best component OR worst component lacked at least 3 substantive sentences
10 points – Discussion of best and worst components each included at least 3 substantive sentences 10 points – Integration of Sick around the world in the United States: Content (see details on previous page)
0 points – Absent
5 points – Completely answered one question in the discussion
7 points – Completely answered two questions in the discussion
10 points – Completely answered all three questions in the discussion
5 points – Integration of Sick around the world in the United States: Length (see details on previous page)
0 points – Less than 200 words
5 points – Included a minimum of 200 words
10 points – Accuracy of information
0 points – 4 or more pieces of inaccurate information
5 points – 2-3 pieces of inaccurate information
10 points – 0-1 pieces of inaccurate information
10 points – Conclusion paragraph
0 points – Fewer than 4 sentences AND does not include personal opinion of health care reform
5 points – Fewer than 4 sentences OR does not include personal opinion of health care reform
10 points – Completely stated and explained your opinion of the current direction of health care reform in the U.S.
Canvas Discussions (2 discussion topics, 40 points each, 80 points total)
Appropriate/Inappropriate content: Please reserve the online discussions for topics relevant to this assignment. Curse words, disrespectful language, and rude comments will not be tolerated, and could result in points being removed from your grade or a 0 in the assignment.
Healthy Diet Discussion
Watch the movie Fed up OR Forks over knives (see details in Canvas). You will discuss public health information from one of these movies and the Nutrition Source website (http://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/). The Nutrition Source, provided by the Harvard School of Public Health, contains recommendations based on the latest research in nutrition science.
Climate Change Discussion
Watch the movie An inconvenient truth OR The Eleventh hour OR Everything’s cool (see details in Canvas). You will discuss information on climate change from one of these movies and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) website.
Requirements: First post deadline: All students are required to reply to another student’s post. This deadline ensures your group members will have a post to read and respond to well before the assignment deadline. Only the first post is due by the first post deadline. Posts two and three are due by the final deadline.
1st post: Compare factual information presented in the movie and on the website.
o Pick TWO different health topics that were covered in both the movie and website. Choose topics that you think represent the most important information covered.
o For EACH topic, discuss the similarities or differences in the information presented in both the movie & website.
o Length: This post must be at least 200 words
2nd post: State your opinion on this information/topic and explain why you feel this way. This may include:
o Your experiences with the topic
o Evidence that backs up your reasoning
o Length: This post must be at least 100 words.
3rd post: Respond to another student’s opinion post. Discuss your reaction to or feedback on their opinion.
o Length: This post must be at least 100 words.
Discussion Grading Point Structure 5 points - Number of posts
0 points – Submitted 1 post
2.5 points – Submitted 2 posts
5 points - Submitted 3 or more posts
5 points – Type of posts
0 points – Missing 2 or more: factual post, opinion post or response post
2.5 points – Missing 1: factual post, opinion post or response post
5 points – Included a factual, opinion, and response post
0 points – 2 or more posts fail to meet length requirement OR missing 2 posts
2.5 points – 1 post fails to meet length requirement OR missing 1 post
5 points – All posts meet length requirements
5 points – First post topics
0 points – Absent
2.5 points – Discussed 1 health topic in first post
5 points – Discussed 2 health topics in first post
10 points – Comparison of information from movie & website
0 points – Failed to compare information from movie & website for 2 topics
5 points - Discussed 1 health topics but compared information from movie & website for that topic
7 points – Discussed 2 health topics but failed to compare information from movie & website for 1 topic
10 points – Compared information from movie & website for 2 health topics
5 points – Opinion post
0 points – Absent
2.5 points – Incomplete or briefly stated
5 points – Completely stated and explained
5 points – Response post
0 points – Absent
2.5 points – Incomplete or briefly stated
5 points – Completely stated and explained
Global Health Paper (40 points)
The purpose of this assignment is to gain global health perspective of public health topics and to learn how to write a goal statement. Students will be randomly assigned a country and corresponding health problem. Students will then write a brief paper fulfilling all of the requirements below.
Technical Requirements:
400 – 600 words (not including in text citations or reference list)
Double-spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font, 1” margins, essay format
Less than 20% of the word count should be direct quotes
Submit to the correct link in assignments. This uploads your paper to TurnItIn a plagiarism detection device. See plagiarism information under Institutional Policies.
Correct spelling, grammar, and sentence structure
Use APA referencing style. Must cite all sources of information. See APA Style Citation Guide in Canvas. o Do not need to include APA formatting (for example, title page, running head, or abstract)
All information must be accurate
Use current (within 10 years), peer-reviewed journal articles or non-partisan data (example: World Health Organization). Be wary of non-credible sources or biased sources.
1 reference must be a peer-reviewed journal article published within the past 10 years
All information must be from reputable and reliable academic sources
Note: Governmental publications, such as the MMWR, are credible but do not qualify as peer-reviewed journal articles. Peer-reviewed journal articles are externally reviewed for accuracy and content.
Content Requirements:
Background information about the country in 1 paragraph o Include at least 3 different pieces of background information that are relevant to your topic.
o Some examples may include access to health services, population distribution by age, human rights and/or political issues, economic issues such as poverty, urban or rural distribution of population, social, religious, or cultural norms as it pertains to your topic. The connection to your topic should be made obvious.
o This section should not deal directly with your health problem. It should help the reader understand your country from an outsider’s perspective, yet be relevant to the health problem.
Brief description of the health problem in 1 - 2 paragraphs
o Include risk factors and consequences
o Include at least 2 pieces of epidemiologic data published within the past 10 years, which may include incidence rates, prevalence rates, and/or death rates
o At least one reference for this section must be from a peer-reviewed journal article published within the last 10 years.
Create an original goal statement (1-2 sentences) that addresses a way to improve the health problem/improve health. It must follow the structure as described below by being concise, measureable, specific, and realistic. In addition, it must include the following:
o Who is the target population? All citizens of country does not represent a specific target population.
o What is the health problem? Choose just one problem to address in your one population.
o How much change (represented by a percent) do you anticipate? Tip: A 10% change within 10 years is a realistic goal.
o By when will the change occur? This should be represented by a specific end date.
o Realistic (if you are unsure about a goal’s realism, I recommend you review goal statements from Healthy People 2020: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/)
Goal statements must be:
• Concise – 1 to 2 sentences
• Contain 4 components: who, what, how much, and by when (see below for example)
• Measurable – we should be able to determine if a goal has been met
• Specific – a goal statement should include one problem and one population (all citizens of a country are not a specific population. You should narrow down your population to a group with similar characteristics, see example below)
• Realistic (if you are unsure about a goal’s realism, I recommend you review goal statements from Healthy People 2020: http://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topicsobjectives2020/)
Example problem: Hearing loss among German elderly adults leading to social isolation.
Example goal statement: Our goal is to improve the identification of hearing loss by providing hearing screenings to elderly adults. Hearing screenings (what) among German elderly adults between the ages of 70 – 85 (who) will increase by 10% (how much) within the next 10 years (by when). Notice the goal statement includes the 4 required components: who, what, how much, and by when and is realistic.
Global Health Paper Grading Point Structure
5points – Technical requirements (excluding grammar and APA)
0 points – Included 2 or more technical requirement errors
2.5 points – Included 1 technical requirement error
5 points – Adhered to all technical requirements
6points – Correct grammar, spelling, sentence structure, etc.
0 points – frequent errors that interfere with communication
2 points – frequent errors, but they do not interfere with communication
4 points – some errors, but they do not interfere with communication
6 points – very few or no grammatical, spelling or sentence structure errors
4points - APA style: In-text citations and reference page
0 points – No APA used for either in text citations OR reference page
2 points – Incorrect use of APA (at least 2 types of errors)
4 points – APA style used correctly (only 1 type of error)
5points – Data Collection
0 points – Missing both of the following: Used only reliable data sources AND included at least 1 peer reviewed journal article published within 10 years
2.5 points – Missing 1 of the following: Used only reliable data sources AND included at least 1 peer reviewed journal article published within 10 years
5 points – Included both of the following: Used only reliable data sources AND included at least 1 peer reviewed journal article published within 10 years
5 points – Country Background Information
0 points – Fewer than 2 pieces of background information OR it is not clear how the information is relevant to health problem OR information deals with describing the health problem
2.5 points – Includes 2 pieces of background information that are relevant to the health problem
5 points – Includes 3 pieces of background information that are relevant to the health problem
5 points – Public Health Problem Description
0 points – Does not include at least TWO of the following 1) 2 pieces of epidemiologic data from the past 10 years, 2) risk factors or 3) consequences
2.5 points – Does not include ONE of the following: 1) 2 pieces of epidemiologic data from the past 10 years, 2) risk factors or 3) consequences
5 points – Includes 2 pieces of epidemiologic data from the past 10 years, risk factors, and consequences 5 points – Presence of a Goal Statement
0 points – Missing 2 or more of the 4 content requirements or no goal statement (who, what, how much and by when)
2.5 points – Missing 1 of the 4 content requirements in a goal statement (who, what, how much and by when)
5 points – Complete goal statement including all 4 content requirements (who, what, how much and by when)
5 points – Goal Statement quality
0 points – Unrealistic goal. This goal is unattainable within the timeframe, population (chose all people in a country), or specific health problem OR unable to determine a goal’s realism because the goal statement was absent or incomplete OR was not an original goal statement
2.5 points – Slightly unreasonable goal. This goal has some merit but is still slightly unrealistic in amount of change, time frame, or population. For example: the goal assumes a large amount of change in a short time frame for a resource poor population OR goal was not concise.
5 points – The goal realistically addresses the health problem unique to this country. The population, amount of change, and time frame are all appropriate. The goal is creative and concise.
