IHP 330 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric
Overview
Epidemiology is the science that allows public health practitioners to study the patterns, causes, and effects of health conditions in defined populations. Public
health practitioners rely on epidemiology to understand the risks and protective factors associated with health conditions, and to identify health disparities and
specific populations at risk for disease. Studies in epidemiology inform the development of public health policy and targeted interventions to prevent disease
and reduce health disparities.
For your final project, you will complete an epidemiological research study report based on the provided research study, “Salmonella in the Caribbean.”
Epidemiologists in the field are often tasked with developing recommendations to address specific health issues, and part of that process is analyzing what other
communities and epidemiologists have already done to address the issues. In your epidemiological research study report, you will analyze a health issue, the
population impacted, and the prevention strategies used. You will then develop a research question and determine an appropriate research design to further
investigate the issue.
The final project is divided into two milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality
final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Four and Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven.
In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:
IHP-330-01: Draw connections between health disparities within specific populations and social and behavioral determinants
IHP-330-02: Determine key epidemiological principles of disease by analyzing health research studies
IHP-330-03: Determine patterns and trends of disease causation in specific populations by analyzing health data
IHP-330-04: Differentiate between primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies for how they address key factors impacting health issues of
specific populations
IHP-330-05: Select epidemiological research designs to investigate disease and improve the quality of health for specific populations
Prompt
For your final project, you will develop an epidemiological research study report on the provided research study, “Salmonella in the Caribbean,” which
investigates a public health issue impacting a specific population. In your project, you will analyze the population impacted by the public health issue to
accomplish the following:
Make connections between social and behavioral determinants and disparities.
Analyze the health issue to determine key epidemiologic principles and identify patterns and trends.
Examine the levels of prevention used in the research study.
For the conclusion to your research study report, you will develop a research question to further investigate the public health issue and population, and to
determine an appropriate research design to investigate the research question.
Specifically, you must address the critical elements listed below. Most of the critical elements align with a particular course outcome (shown in brackets).
I. Population: In this section of your report, you will summarize key elements of the research study and analyze the population impacted by the health
issue.
A. Summarize the people, places, and times represented in the research study to provide context for your report.
B. Describe three social and behavioral determinants strongly associated with the public health issue in the research study. Be sure to cite
specific examples from the research study to support your description.
C. Describe three known disparities associated with the health of the specific population. Be sure to cite specific examples from the
research study to support your description.
D. Explain how the identified social and behavioral determinants relate to the disparities you identified, and explain your reasoning.
II. Health Issue: In this section of your final project, you will analyze the health issue in focus in the research study. You will draw conclusions about the
health issue through your review of the research study and by conducting outside research on the topic.
A. Describe the risk factors associated with the public health issue. Support your description with evidence from the research study and
your independent research.
B. Describe the mode of transmission of the public health issue. Support your description with evidence from the research study and your
independent research.
C. Determine the incidence and prevalence of the health issue using the data from the research study to perform the appropriate calculations.
D. Determine the mortality rate of the health issue using the data from the research study to perform the appropriate calculations.
E. Interpret the odds ratio to determine the strength of association between the potential sources of exposure and the disease.
F. Using your research and analysis, draw connections between the population and public health issue. Consider where you identified common
elements, what you learned about the public health issue by studying the population, and what you learned about the population by
studying the public health issue.
III. Levels of Prevention: In this section, you will describe the prevention strategies used by the epidemiologists in the research study. You will identify a
strategy for each level of prevention and differentiate between the strategies.
A. Describe a primary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the
health issue of the specific population.
B. Describe a secondary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the health
issue of the specific population.
C. Describe a tertiary prevention strategy represented in the research study, and explain how it addresses key factors impacting the health
issue of the specific population.
D. Explain how the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies differ in how they address the key factors impacting the health issue
in the research study.
IV. Conclusion: Now that you have analyzed the research study, you will develop a research question to further investigate the specific health issue and
population, select an appropriate research design, and explain the importance of the research to the field of public health.
A. Using your analysis of the research study, develop a research question to further investigate the specific public health issue and
impacted population.
B. Determine whether an observational or experimental research design would be more appropriate to investigate your research question. Be
sure to justify your determination.
C. Explain the importance of further research for improving the quality of health in the specific population. What is the potential benefit?
Milestones
Milestone One: Health Issue
In Module Three, you will analyze the health issue in focus in the provided research study. You will draw conclusions about the health issue through your
review of the research study and by conducting outside research on the topic. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.
Milestone Two: Population
In Module Five, you will summarize the key elements of the research study and analyze the population impacted by the health issue. This milestone will be
graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.
Final Submission: Epidemiological Research Study Analysis
In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should
reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.
Final Project Rubric
Guidelines for Submission: Your final project should be 4–6 pages, double spaced, with one-inch margins, 12-point Times New Roman font, and APA formatting
and citations.
Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value
Population:
Summarize
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
summary demonstrates a
sophisticated awareness of the
epidemiologic principles in the
research study
Summarizes the people, places,
and times represented in the
research study to provide
context for the report
Summarizes the people, places,
and times represented in the
research study to provide
context for the report, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, accuracy, or support
Does not summarize the people,
places, and times represented in
the research study to provide
context for the report
6.4
Population: Social
and Behavioral
Determinants
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight into
social and behavioral
determinants of public health
issues
Describes three social and
behavioral determinants
strongly associated with the
public health issue in the
research study
Describes three social and
behavioral determinants
strongly associated with the
public health issue in the
research study, but response is
missing one or more
determinants or has gaps in
detail, clarity, accuracy, or
support
Does not describe three social
and behavioral determinants
strongly associated with the
public health issue in the
research study
6.4
Population:
Disparities
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates keen insight into
the disparities associated with
public health issues
Describes three known
disparities associated with the
health of the specific
population
Describes three known
disparities associated with the
health of the specific
population, but response is
missing one or more disparities
or has gaps in detail, clarity,
accuracy, or support
Does not describe three known
disparities associated with the
health of the specific population
6.4
Population:
Determinants Relate
to the Disparities
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
draws insightful connections
between social and behavioral
determinants and known
disparities
Explains how the social and
behavioral determinants relate
to the disparities identified
with reasoning
Explains how the social and
behavioral determinants relate
to the disparities identified
with reasoning, but response
has gaps in detail, clarity,
accuracy, or support
Does not explain how the social
and behavioral determinants
relate to the disparities identified
with reasoning
6.4
Health Issue: Risk
Factors
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
support demonstrates keen
insight into the risk factors
associated with public health
issues
Describes the risk factors
associated with the public
health issue, supporting
description with evidence from
the research study and from
independent research
Describes the risk factors
associated with the public
health issue, supporting
description with evidence from
the research study and from
independent research, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, accuracy, or support
Does not describe the risk factors
associated with the public health
issue
6.4
Health Issue: Mode of
Transmission
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
support demonstrates keen
insight into the mode of
transmission of public health
issues
Describes the mode of
transmission of the public
health issue, supporting
description with evidence from
the research study and from
independent research
Describes the mode of
transmission of the public
health issue, supporting
description with evidence from
the research study and from
independent research, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, accuracy, or support
Does not describe the mode of
transmission of the public health
issue
6.4
Health Issue:
Incidence and
Prevalence
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
response demonstrates
complex grasp of how to
determine the incidence and
prevalence of a disease by
analyzing health data
Determines the incidence and
prevalence of the health issue
using the data from the
research study and performing
the appropriate calculations
Determines the incidence and
prevalence of the health issue
using the data from the
research study and performing
calculations, but calculations
are inappropriate, or
determination has gaps in
detail, clarity, or logic
Does not determine the
incidence and prevalence of the
health issue using the data from
the research study
4.8
Health Issue:
Mortality
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
response demonstrates
complex grasp of how to
determine the mortality rate of
a disease by analyzing health
data
Determines the mortality rate
of the health issue using the
data from the research study
and performing the
appropriate calculations
Determines the mortality rate
of the health issue using the
data from the research study
and performing calculations,
but calculations are
inappropriate, or
determination has gaps in
detail, clarity, or logic
Does not determine the mortality
rate of the health issue using the
data from the research study
4.8
Health Issue: Odds
Ratio
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
determination demonstrates
keen insight into interpreting
trends and patterns of disease
causation
Interprets the odds ratio to
determine the strength of
association between the
potential sources of exposure
and the disease
Interprets the odds ratio to
determine the strength of
association between the
potential sources of exposure
and the disease, but response
has gaps in detail, clarity, or
accuracy
Does not interpret the odds ratio
to determine the strength of
association between the
potential sources of exposure
and the disease
4.8
Health Issue:
Connections
Meets “Proficient” criteria and
uses research and analysis to
make especially cogent
connections between the
population and public health
issue
Draws connections between
the population and public
health issue based on research
and analysis
Draws connections between
the population and public
health issue based on research
and analysis, but response has
gaps in detail, clarity, accuracy,
or support
Does not draw connections
between the population and
public health issue
4.8
Levels of Prevention:
Primary Prevention
Strategy
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation demonstrates
keen insight into how primary
prevention strategies address
key factors impacting health
issues of specific populations
Describes a primary prevention
strategy represented in the
research study, explaining how
it addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population
Describes a primary prevention
strategy represented in the
research study, explaining how
it addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, or accuracy
Does not describe a primary
prevention strategy represented
in the research study
4.8
Levels of Prevention:
Secondary Prevention
Strategy
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation demonstrates
keen insight into how
secondary prevention
strategies address key factors
impacting health issues of
specific populations
Describes a secondary
prevention strategy
represented in the research
study, explaining how it
addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population
Describes a secondary
prevention strategy
represented in the research
study, explaining how it
addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, or accuracy
Does not describe a secondary
prevention strategy represented
in the research study
4.8
Levels of Prevention:
Tertiary Prevention
Strategy
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation demonstrates
keen insight into how tertiary
prevention strategies address
key factors impacting health
issues of specific populations
Describes a tertiary prevention
strategy represented in the
research study, explaining how
it addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population
Describes a tertiary prevention
strategy represented in the
research study, explaining how
it addresses key factors
impacting the health issue of
the specific population, but
response has gaps in detail,
clarity, or accuracy
Does not describe a tertiary
prevention strategy represented
in the research study
4.8
Levels of Prevention:
Prevention Strategies
Differ
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation demonstrates
keen insight into how different
prevention strategies address
key factors impacting health
issues of specific populations
Explains how the primary,
secondary, and tertiary
prevention strategies differ in
how they address the key
factors impacting the health
issues in the research study
Explains how the primary,
secondary, and tertiary
prevention strategies differ in
how they address the key
factors impacting the health
issues in the research study,
but with gaps in detail, clarity,
or accuracy
Does not explain how the
primary, secondary, and tertiary
prevention strategies differ in
how they address the key factors
impacting the health issues in the
research study
4.8
Conclusion: Research
Question
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
research question is especially
well-crafted for examining the
specific public health issue and
impacted population
Develops a research question
to further investigate the
specific public health issue and
impacted population based on
analysis of research study
Develops a research question
to further investigate the
specific public health issue and
impacted population, but
question is illogical or not
based on analysis of research
study
Does not develop a research
question to further investigate
the specific public health issue
and impacted population
6.4
Conclusion: Research
Design
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
justification demonstrates
keen insight into the
appropriate use of research
designs to investigate disease
for improving the quality of
health
Determines whether an
observational or experimental
research design would be more
appropriate to investigate the
research questions, justifying
determination
Determines whether an
observational or experimental
research design would be more
appropriate to investigate the
research questions, justifying
determination, but response
has gaps in detail, clarity,
accuracy, or support
Does not determine whether an
observational or experimental
research design would be more
appropriate to investigate the
research questions
6.4
Conclusion:
Importance
Meets “Proficient” criteria, and
explanation demonstrates
keen insight into how the
investigation of disease can
improve the quality of health
for specific populations
Explains the importance of
further research for improving
the quality of health in the
specific population
Explains the importance of
further research for improving
the quality of health in the
specific population, but with
gaps in logic or detail
Does not explain the importance
of further research for improving
the quality of health in the
specific population
6.4
Articulation of
Response
Submission is free of errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, and
organization and is presented
in a professional and easy-toread format
Submission has no major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
Submission has major errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that negatively impact
readability and articulation of
main ideas
Submission has critical errors
related to citations, grammar,
spelling, syntax, or organization
that prevent understanding of
ideas
4
Total 100%
