Public Health

Context
This assignment assesses the learning outcomes around students’ knowledge and ability to analyse a critical public health issues using life-course approach taking physical, social, psychological, emotional and cultural factors into account. Students will examine a critical health issue from the perspective of health promotion interventions and population level prevention approaches to address the public health issue. Students will demonstrate key understanding of the sociocultural factors influencing health and development through a briefing paper providing evidence-based recommendations to address the critical health issue in a particular health promoting setting. This assignment will enable student to put evidence into the practice and enhance their professional writing skills require as a public health practitioner.
A statement may be needed here about what specific skills are developed from this assignment which may be transferrable to industry such as skills in research and critical appraisal of evidence and health advocacy.

Instructions
Student will choose one of the following public health issues in a particular community context or setting to complete this assignment.
1. Childhood obesity (PLEASE WORK ON THIS)
2. Sexual and reproductive health of adolescence
3. Depression during middle years
4. Dementia during later years
Student will complete this assignment in four sections.
Section 1: Introduction (200 words)
Describe the chosen critical health issue using textbooks and evidence based literature, in relation to casual factors, populations most at risk and key contributing factors to the health issue. Your introduction should include a statement about what the briefing paper will address (what is the purpose of the brief).
Problem Description (200 words)
Students will also provide the global, national and regional prevalence of the issue and identify any trends in the incidents of the problem with a clear justification as to why it is a significant public health issue for the chosen population age group.

Section 2: Current evidence-based health promotion interventions and approaches
(600 words)
Students will review contemporary research evidence (5-7 years) to identify health promotion interventions and approaches designed to address the chosen health issue. Investigate the effectiveness of the interventions and approaches through a critical and comparative analysis, considering limitations of the evidence you review.
Section 3: Existing gaps in policy, programs and practice (400 words)
Based on your review of the health promotion interventions and approaches (minimum 2), identify possible gaps in the evidence you have analysed and your understanding of the health issue and prevention approaches to the issue which may inform practice in your chosen setting.

Section 4: Evidence-based recommendations and conclusions (600 words)
Recommendations: 450 words
Based on your research, understanding of the problem and intervention approaches, consider potential barriers to implementation or confounding factors and recommend strategies for effective interventions with a rationale supported by your reviewed literature and other text.
Conclusion: 150 words
Conclude the assignment by restating the purpose of the briefing paper, issue and summary of recommendations for effective programmatic interventions or implications for further research.

General writing guidelines
o Provide a clear introduction
o Demonstrate evidence of reading beyond the required readings
o Justify conclusions reached with well-formed arguments and evidence
o Use a minimum of 10 peer reviewed journal articles (not older than 10 years), 2
referred text books and 2 authentic websites.
o Correctly use academic writing, presentation and grammar:

 Comply with academic standards of legibility, referencing and bibliographical details (including reference list)
 Write clearly. Employ accurate formatting, spelling and grammar as well as proper sentence and paragraph construction
 Use appropriate APA style for citing and referencing research