Assignment 2 Descriptive Epidemiology Paper

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Write a descriptive epidemiology report that provides information on the frequency and
distribution of a health-related state or event in a specific population. Please use data
available from an online data source, examples can be found at the end of this
document. The report should reflect content found in Chapters 1-4 of the textbook. In
this paper, you should provide the following:
General Information to Include:
 What is the disease or condition?
 Is it a communicable or non-communicable disease?
 What are risk factors?
 How is the disease developed or transmitted?
Answer the basic questions of descriptive epidemiology:
Your report should include the incidence and/or prevalence rates*:
1. In the population overall for the most recent year available
2. By at least three person, place, and/or time variables
a. Examples:
i. By race/ethnicity, age, urban/rural in most recent year available
ii. By year (minimum of three time points), state, and gender in most
recent year available

NOTE: Depending on the health-related state/event chosen, incidence and/or
prevalence may not be available. For example, if you are interested in a health
behavior such as smoking or physical activity, incidence rates are not available.
Paper Format
 Please write in a formal narrative format
o Do not use bullet points or numerical lists
 Text should be double spaced, size 12pt font (Times New Roman)
 Page Limit: 5-7 pages, not including figures, tables, or references
 Use at least 7 credible references (including data source)



Your report should include the following sections and content, please use the bolded
words as section headings in your document to keep an easy flow to your report:
Background:
 A purpose statement
o Include:
 Name of the health state or event
 Overall population covered (i.e., your population and geographic
area of choice)
 Person, place, and time variables explored
 Data set used
o Example:
 The purpose of this report is to describe the prevalence of coronary
artery disease among adults over the age of 35 in New York from
2005-2015, and differences by race/ethnicity and gender, using
data from the PLACES: Local Data for Better Health data set.
 If a disease or condition: provide information on symptoms, diagnosis, and
natural history (i.e., natural progression if untreated)
 If a health behavior: provide information on why this behavior is important (i.e.,
what diseases/conditions is this behavior a risk factor, what are the public health
recommendations or goals in place – Healthy People 2030)

Methods
 Describe the data source
o Full name of the data set/repository
o Organization/institution that collected the data
o Frequency of data collection (yearly, monthly, etc.)
o Mode of data collection (phone, in-person interviews, mailings, etc.)
o Include citation
 Provide the case definition of your chosen health state or event
o What diagnostic criteria were used?
o What specific questions were asked?
o How were the questions scored?
o Include citation

Results
 Describe the disease distribution by place (using proportions and rates)
o Where is the disease/condition most commonly is found?
o Do prevalence and incidence rates vary by location?

o Why is it of such high concern in your chosen location?
 Describe the prevalence and/or incidence patterns of the disease or condition
during the most recent year data is available in the population overall
o Include descriptions of at least three other variables (person, place, time)
o DO NOT list every data point, instead select a subset that you think best
describes the disease or condition
 For example, if you select race/ethnicity as a descriptor of the
person variable, select a subset such as African America, Hispanic,
and White (remember, include multiple subsets, just not all subsets)
 Compare the data of each person, place, or time variable to each other and to
the overall population
o Provide the overall rate in a population (such as depression for adults over
20 years old in the United States)
o Provide the rates by your chosen subsets (such as rates of depression for
men and women over 20 years old separately)
o Compare and contrast the rates and provide a potential explanation of
their differences
 Are there different disease outcomes in different populations
(disparities)

o State how the subset rates differ from the overall population rate
 Describe the distribution by time using proportions and rates
o Does the disease vary seasonally, such as influenza? If so, what season
is it most active?
o Have the populations affected changed over time? (i.e., was the
prevalence of the disease/condition higher among younger adults 20
years ago and now older adults? Why did this change occur?)
o How have merging medical technologies (e.g., screenings, treatments,
vaccinations) affected the prevalence, morbidity, or morality of the
disease/condition?

Conclusion
 Include at least one piece of information from each of the sections (Background,
Methods, Results)
 What are some considerations for next steps in the reduction of burden?

Tables and Figures
 Use a page break to separate out tables and figures from the rest of the
document
 Include references to the specific tables or figures in-text

o Example: The prevalence of COVID-19 in the US in 2020 was higher
among African American compared to White or Hispanic populations, as
seen in Figure 1.

 Each table and figure should have a title
o Include type of measure, disease/condition, population, and time period
o Example: Figure 1 – Prevalence of COVID-19 in the US in 2020 by race
 Each table and figure should be labeled
o Tables should have a header row
o Figures should have axis labels
 While other tables and figures are allowed (with proper citation), an original figure
developed by you is required
 Original Figure:
o Should include data that illustrate differences by at least one of your
selected variables (person, place, time)
o Examples provided below

Bibliography
 Use at least 7 credible references (including data source)
 One consistent reference style is required
o APA format is recommended but not required
 References should be cited in-text
o APA format lists authors and year
o AMA format uses numerical citations