Reference no: EM13657960

Global Burden and Data Interpretation

Interpreting data carefully and accurately is a critical skill of public health. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation publishes a wealth of data visualizations (figures, tables etc.). Here is the IHME website for the visualizations:

Choose one visualization on any topic of interest (limit the publication date to the prior 10 years or so).

a) In 300 words or less, accurately describe the visualization. Ensure that you cover the following: (1) time period covered by the visualization; (2) data sources that were used; (3) health indicator assessed; (4) an important take home point from the data (e.g., infant mortality has been decreasing over time; deaths from heart diseases are increasingly a leading cause of global death, increasing form Y% of deaths in 1960 to X% of deaths in 2000, etc.). AND

b) In 300 words or less, discuss how one of the findings in the visualization supports (or complicates, contradicts, etc.) any one of the "substantive topics" covered in the readings from Session 3 (Recommended Readings OK). Substantive topics covered in the readings include, but are definitely not limited to: aging in Africa, transitions in the causes of death, global burden of disease. The following questions can be used as a guide: (1) What substantive topics does the visualization address? (2) Does the data in the visualization support (complicate, refute) a position taken in the reading on this topic? If so, how? (3) What type of additional data/visualizations would be helpful to understand the topic?

It is important that you copy and paste the visualization into your assignment and cite all sources appropriately Required readings:

1. Explore the Global Burden of Disease website; try your hand at developing visualizations to understand burden of disease globally and in Sierra Leone

2. Oeppen, Jim and James W. Vaupel. 2002. "Broken limits to life expectancy" Science 296(5570):1029-1031.

3. Sepulveda and Murray. The State of Global Health in 2014. Science 345(6202): 1275- 1278.

4. Omran, A. 1971. "The Epidemiologic Transition: A Theory of Epidemiology of Population Change." Milbank Quarterly 49(4) Pt. 1: 509-538

5. Aboderin and Beard. 2014. "Older people's health in sub-Saharan Africa" The Lancet