Principles of Public Health Practice/Analysis of a Public Health Issue

Australian Census 2011 demographic map - Australia by SLA - BCP field 7488 Health care and social assistance Occupation Community and personal service workers

This assignment is a 500-word piece from each team member, and comprises 20% of your overall mark.

This is a group assessment. With your group, you will develop and submit an analysis of a public health issue that:

1. illustrates the main concerns and highlights both the extent and likely impact of the issue
2. identifies key stakeholders and their roles (noting the potential for conflict and power politics
3. considers the various types of policies, legislation, regulations or treaties that may influence the issue positively or negatively, and
4. outlines how the health system may or may not be appropriately used to address the issue.

It would be best to pick an issue relating to one of the practice domains of

1. protection,
2. prevention, and
3. promotion.

Consider what information sources may be available through surveillance and monitoring programs, e.g. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, World Health Organization and the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

This assignment comprises 20% of your overall mark. Each person in your group will contribute an equivalent of 500 words to the overall report. Since different groups will have different numbers of members, the overall length of each report will vary.

Due date: 9am, 5 May 2014.

Criteria for the assessment:

1. Formatting is of a high quality following APA Referencing and using 12 point font in the New Times Roman family. Check out the various reports associated with the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. Use dot points and lists sparingly and ensure that you use proper paragraphing for a narrative approach (e.g., not just a series of tables, charts, figures, bare facts and lists). You may use headings and subheadings; however, do not fall into the trap of letting these speak for themselves. They only indicate what the reader is to find in your narrative of the issue and its significance.
2. Accurate depiction of the facts relating to the issue with substantive evidence to back assertions or claims. This is a critical analysis of the issue and not just an opinion piece.
3. Adequate treatment of the issue given the constraints of the word count and the group size. This is not a book or an encyclopaedia article. However, it is to be an adequate, but brief analysis of the the issue and a discussion of why and how it is a public health issue.
4. Coherent unfolding of the issue to be related in the analysis and the evaluation of the issue as it relates to the public and entry-level public health practitioners. The various parts of the analysis should fit together into a seamless whole both visually (formatting) and verbally (argument or treatment of the issue).
5. Cogent argumentation regarding the various dimensions of the issue and their treatment. In other words, you should make a compelling case as to why we should consider this a public health issue of significance to a variety of stakeholders. The reader should be left with no doubt about the significance of the issue for the public and for public health practitioners in particular.

These criteria are of roughly equal significance in terms of your overall mark. You should also realise that they are interrelated. A serious failure in one criteria is likely to influence the others. This is the case in the 'real-world' and will be the case with this assessment.

Typical format of written analysis (your topic may be better reported upon by some adjustment or reordering of the specific points; this is fine as long as you cover the points):

1. Coversheet with Subject, Tutor, Author, and Topic information.
2. Brief synopsis (overview) of the public health issue. You should specify how and why this is a public health issue. You should also briefly indicate the significance for entry-level public health practitioners. (Like an introduction to an essay; however may be two or three paragraphs long.)
3. Scope, prevalence, mortality and burden of disease (do not forget things such as DALYs) related to the public health issue (you will probably want to narrow your scope down to specific areas to answer some of these questions; but, give the some indication of the issue from overall, as well as the more limited scope).
4. Characteristics of the population most at risk or affected by the issue either primarily or secondarily (e.g., mental health affects people directly when you are experiencing the systems and secondarily when you are a family member caring for someone).
5. Typical means of engaging with the issue beyond the health care system where people live, work and play. What are the participation and equity issues (do not forget about affordability, accessibility and acceptability)? While the issue may fit under one category very well, such as protection, be sure that you consider the other two domains (e.g., prevention and promotion).
6. The role of the health care system with regards to the issue and what surveillance and monitoring systems might be involved or needed?
7. What are the typical financial and other resource costs or burdens to the affected group and a country in terms of the issue. What are the cost/benefit, and effectiveness/efficiency issues?
8. What are the policies (and/or frameworks), regulations, legislative acts and treaties relating to this public health issue.
9. Concluding summary and reflection on salience of the public health issue for entry-level practitioners (how are you likely to to be involved with this issue working as a relatively new practitioner or on placement before you graduate).