Posted: March 12th, 2023

public health

PHE 32

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Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview
In 2013, West Africa saw the beginning of one of the largest and longest lasting Ebola breakouts in history, which lasted for over two years. In 2014, the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) announced that heart disease, killing some 614,348 individuals that year, was the leading cause of death in the United

States. These examples show two different types of disease—one infectious, the other chronic—that have become focal points of public health. How do public

health professionals work to solve such issues? The key is a thorough understanding of the etiology, behavior, and transmission of diseases.

The final project for this course is a disease brief, which will require you to select a chronic or infectious disease from the provided list and write a brief analysis

of that disease to inform your health professional peers. You will cover the etiology of the disease, research the incidence and prevalence of the disease, explore

treatment and prevention, and consider how the ecological model impacts this public health issue.

This 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 Three and Five. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

 Analyze the etiology of infectious or chronic diseases to determine risk factors and modes of transmission

 Discern the role of individual, community, and governmental levels of the ecological model in addressing public health issues and in impacting an

individual’s

health

 Determine incidence and prevalence of disease among affected populations by analyzing public health data and statistics

 Distinguish prevention and treatment options for chronic or infectious diseases that can inform strategies meant to improve

public health

Prompt
Select one of the chronic or infectious diseases from the list provided to be the focus of your research. You will write a disease brief on your selected disease.

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Overview: In this section, you will introduce the disease you selected, including an overview of its current impact on public health.

A. Level of Public Health Issue: Describe the disease selected and the impact it has on public health. In other words, is this a current public

health

issue, one that may become a major issue, or one that was a public health issue in the past?

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http://snhu-media.snhu.edu/files/course_repository/undergraduate/phe/phe321/phe321_final_project_topic_list

II. Etiology: In this section, you will research the selected disease and analyze its etiology. Remember to use APA formatting for your citations.

A. Disease Progression: Based on your research, describe how the disease develops in the human body. Consider how the disease starts as well as

the process the disease goes through as it progresses.

B. Risk Factors: Explain the major risk factors for contracting or developing this disease, using your research as support.

C. Transmission: Discuss whether the disease is chronic or infectious and how it is transmitted from individual to individual.

III. Incidence and Prevalence: In this section, you will analyze what the data reveals about the disease. Review the CDC website to interpret the available

data for the chosen disease.

A. Incidence: Interpret what the available data reveals about the number of incidences of this disease, including how often individuals contract or

develop this disease in the United States.

B. Prevalence: Determine how prevalent the disease is in the United States, including the most affected populations. Support your determination

with available data.

C. Correlation With Risk Factors: Based on your interpretation of the available data and your research on risk factors, explain whether the

incidence and prevalence of the disease correlates with the major risk factors you identified.

IV. Treatment and Prevention: In this section, you will research and discuss prevention and treatment options available for the selected disease.

A. Prevention Strategies: Describe the common primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies practiced regarding the selected disease.

Support your description with specific examples.

B. Treatment: Describe common treatments used on individuals as the disease progresses and determine which may be appropriate for informing

public health strategies.

C. Public Health Applications: Illustrate how the identified prevention and treatment options might be able to inform

future strategies aimed at

improving public health. Support your discussion with specific examples.

V. The Ecological Model and Public Health: In this section, you will review the roles that individuals, communities, and governmental levels have in

addressing public health issues in general and how these can ultimately affect the health of an individual.

A. Individuals and Communities: What role do individuals and communities play in impacting public health issues? Provide examples to support

your discussion.

B. Governmental Levels: What role do governmental levels play in addressing health issues in the public arena? Provide examples from the state

and federal level to support your claims.

C. Individual’s Health: What effect do these levels have, ultimately, on the health of individuals suffering from the selected disease?

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Milestones
Milestone One

In Module Three, you will select a disease for your final project from the provided list. Once you have selected your disease you will provide a brief overview, as

well as identify resources for your chosen disease. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Etiology and Incidence and

Prevalence

In Module Five, you will write a short paper based upon the disease you chose for your final project. You will begin by identifying the risk factors for the disease.

In addition to that, you will discuss modes of transmission, incidence, and prevalence for the chosen disease. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone

Two Rubric.

Final Submission: Disease Brief

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 project. 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 disease brief must be 8 to 10 pages in length (plus a cover page and references), and must adhere to APA formatting for

formatting and citations. Use double spacing, 12-point Times New Roman font, and one-inch margins.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value

Overview: Level of

Public Health Issue

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
level of detail used in the

description demonstrates a

nuanced understanding of the

disease and its impact on public

health

Describes the disease

selected

and the impact it has on public

health

Describes the disease selected

and the impact it has on public

health, but description is

cursory or

contains inaccuracies

Does not describe the

disease

selected

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Etiology: Disease

Progression

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
level of detail used in the

description demonstrates a

sophisticated understanding of

how the disease develops in the

human

body

Describes how the disease

develops in the human body

Describes how the disease

develops in the human body,

but description is cursory or

contains inaccuracies

Does not describe how the

disease develops in the human

body

7.9

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Etiology: Risk Factors Meets “Proficient” criteria and
support provided from the

research demonstrates a

thorough understanding of the

major risk factors for

contracting or developing the

disease

Explains the major risk factors

for contracting or developing

the disease, with support from

research

Explains the risk factors for

contracting or developing the

disease, but explanation is

cursory, contains inaccuracies,

does not include all the major

risk factors, or does not use

research as support

Does not explain any risk

factors for contracting or

developing the disease

7.9

Etiology:

Transmission

Meets “Proficient” criteria and

level of detail provided in the

discussion demonstrates a

sophisticated understanding of

the transmission of the

disease

Discusses whether the disease

is chronic or infectious and how

it is transmitted from individual

to individual

Discusses whether the disease

is chronic or infectious and how

it is transmitted from individual

to individual, but discussion is

cursory or contains inaccuracies

Does not discuss whether the

disease is chronic or infectious

or how it is transmitted from

individual to individual

7.9

Incidence and

Prevalence:

Incidence

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
demonstrates a sophisticated

ability to interpret what the

available data reveals about the

number of incidences of this

disease

Interprets what the available

data reveals about the number

of incidences of this disease,

including how often individuals

contract or develop the disease

in the

United States

Interprets what the available

data reveals about the number

of incidences of this disease,

including how often individuals

contract or develop the disease

in the United States, but

explanation is cursory or

illogical or contains inaccuracies

Does not interpret what the

available data reveals about the

number of incidences of this

disease

7.9

Incidence and

Prevalence:

Prevalence

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
makes cogent connections

between the available data and

how prevalent the disease is in

the United States among

specific populations

Determines how prevalent the

disease is in the United States,

including the most affected

populations, based on the

available

data

Determines how prevalent the

disease is in the United States,

including the most affected

populations, but determination

contains inaccuracies or is not

logical based on the available

data

Does not determine how

prevalent the disease is in the

United States

7.9

Incidence and

Prevalence:

Correlation With

Risk Factors

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
makes cogent connections

between the incidence and

prevalence of the disease and

the major risk

factors identified

Explains whether the incidence

and prevalence of the disease

correlates with the major risk

factors identified

Explains whether the incidence

and prevalence of the disease

correlates with the major risk

factors identified, but

explanation is cursory or

illogical or contains inaccuracies

Does not explain whether the

incidence and prevalence of the

disease correlates with the

major risk factors identified

7.9

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Treatment and

Prevention:

Prevention

Strategies

Meets “Proficient” criteria and

level of detail provided in the

examples demonstrates a

thorough understanding of the

common primary, secondary,

and tertiary prevention

strategies practiced regarding

the

selected disease

Describes the common primary,

secondary, and tertiary

prevention strategies practiced

regarding the selected disease

with support from specific

examples

Describes the common primary,

secondary, and tertiary

prevention strategies practiced

regarding the selected disease,

but description is cursory or

contains inaccuracies or is not

supported with specific

examples

Does not describe the common

primary, secondary, and

tertiary prevention strategies

practiced regarding the

selected disease

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Treatment and

Prevention:

Treatment

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
level of analysis in the

determination demonstrates a

thorough understanding of

common treatments used on

individuals as the disease

progresses

Illustrates how the identified

prevention and treatment

options might be able to inform

future strategies aimed at

improving public health with

support from specific relevant

examples

Illustrates how the identified

prevention and treatment

options might be able to inform

future strategies aimed at

improving public health, but

discussion is cursory or illogical

or is not supported with

specific examples relevant to

the discussion

Does not illustrate how the

identified prevention and

treatment options might be

able to inform future strategies

aimed at improving public

health

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Treatment and

Prevention: Public

Health Applications

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
examples provided illustrate a

sophisticated awareness of how

at-risk populations can be

informed of prevention and

treatment options to improve

public health

Illustrates how the identified

prevention and treatment

options might be able to inform

future strategies aimed at

improving public health with

support from specific relevant

examples

Illustrates how the identified

prevention and treatment

options might be able to inform

future strategies aimed at

improving public health, but

discussion is cursory or illogical

or is not supported with

specific examples relevant to

the discussion

Does not illustrate how the

identified prevention and

treatment options might be

able to inform future strategies

aimed at improving public

health

6

The Ecological Model

and Public Health:

Individuals and

Communities

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
examples provided illustrate

cogent connections between

the role of individuals and

communities and public health

issues

Discusses the role individuals

and communities play in

impacting public health issues,

with specific examples

Discusses the role individuals

and communities play in

impacting public health issues,

with specific examples, but

discussion is cursory or illogical,

or examples provided are not

relevant or applicable

Does not discuss the role

individuals and communities

play in impacting public health

issues

7.9

5

The Ecological Model

and Public Health:

Governmental Levels

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
examples provided illustrate

cogent connections between

the role of state and federal

governmental levels and public

health issues

Discusses the role

governmental levels play in

addressing health issues in the

public arena, with specific

examples

Discusses the role

governmental levels play in

addressing health issues in the

public arena, but discussion is

cursory or illogical, or examples

provided are not relevant or

applicable

Does not discuss the role

governmental levels play in

addressing health issues in the

public arena

7.9

The Ecological Model

and Public Health:

Individual’s Health

Meets “Proficient” criteria and
makes cogent connections

between individual,

community, and governmental

levels and the health of

individuals suffering from the

selected disease

Discusses the effects these

levels have on the health of

individuals suffering from the

selected disease

Discusses the effects these

levels have on the health of

individuals suffering from the

selected disease, but discussion

is cursory or illogical

Does not discuss the effects

these levels have on the health

of individuals suffering from the

selected disease

7.9

Articulation of

Response

Submission is free of errors

related to citations, grammar,

spelling, syntax, and

organization and is presented in

a professional and easy to read

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

4.9

Total 100%

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• PHE 321 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview

Prompt

Milestones

Milestone One

Milestone Two: Etiology and Incidence and Prevalence

Final Submission: Disease Brief

Final Project Rubric