Reference no: EM133781872

Health Information and Data

Assessment Task 1
Locating and evaluating health information

Purpose
Annotated bibliography helps in organising your thoughts while providing structure to your research thereby facilitating a smoother and less stressful writing process. This is key when it comes to completing assignments.

Ability to prepare an annotated bibliography is a very important task that can help you with describing, evaluating, informing and determining information which will help with future research projects, publications and/or studies.

By completing this assignment, you are not only developing your searching skills but also enhancing your ability to effectively summarise, critically analyse and evaluate published literature which is crucial for rapidly evolving fields like health promotion, public health and health sciences. While you may not put together an annotated bibliography post-graduation (i.e., unless you are in academia), the transferable skills related to information synthesis, critical analysis and effective communication remain highly relevant and valuable for your career as a health professional.

What unit and graduate outcomes does it relate to?

Assessment Task 1 assesses your learning in relation to:
LO 1: Identify, access, and evaluate online resources from high quality health information and data sources.
LO 2: Synthesise and critically evaluate online health information to demonstrate an understanding of peer-reviewed health literature.

Instructions

Background
Ozempic (semaglutide injection), a medicine used to control blood sugar and insulin levels in those suffering type 2 diabetes, has recently gained viral fame for its weight loss potential. Its off-label use, fuelled by celebrity testimonials (PDF Link) from the likes of Elon Musk and Chelsea Handler, as well as social media posts on Tik Tok, Twitter and Facebook tagged with the hashtag #ozempic as well as #ozempicjourney and #ozempicaustralia, has resulted in a surge in demand for this novel ‘miracle' weight-loss drug. This has led to shortages and limited availabilityof the drug for individuals with type 2 diabetes, while also raising safety and ethical concerns.

AT1 is an individual written assignment that requires you to draw on your ability to research and critically evaluate scholarly literature to prepare a well-structured annotated bibliography related to the weight loss potential and safety of Ozempic in non-diabetic adults aged 18 years and over.

Please find below step-by-step instructions for you to prepare the annotated bibliography:

Step 1: Understand the research hypothesis
Before diving into the process of identifying and evaluating scholarly literature, you need to clearly understand the research hypothesis. For this assignment, your research hypothesis is:

"Ozempic (semaglutide injection) is a safe and effective option for weight loss in non-diabetic adults aged 18 years and over".

You might find it helpful to identify and underline the key words (main ideas or key concepts) in this hypothesis. If there are concepts you do not understand, try defining these in your own words.

Step 2: Plan your search and search the literature (Criterion 1 and 2)
Create a search plan.
Use relevant academic databases to identify six recent (i.e., published between 2014 and 2024), peer-reviewed publications (or academic sources of literature) relevant to the research hypothesis.
Ensure you locate a range of sources, including a minimum of two quantitative journal articles.
Provide a detailed record of the search plan [as Appendix A]. Please see the provided template for further details.

Step 3: Write the annotations (Criterion 3)
Read, understand and evaluate each source in terms of its quality and relevance.
Write a single annotation (equivalent to 150 words) for each source that summarises its aim, methods, key findings and limitations, and includes a succinct statement that identifies its relevance to the research hypothesis (i.e., how the findings of the study support, challenge or provide new insights).

This naturalistic, randomised, controlled clinical trial, the first ever large-scale study of its kind, examines and evaluates the adoption, usage patterns and effects of e-cigarettes outside the traditional therapeutic settings with minimal appropriate guidance. Involving 638 smokers aged 21 years and over from 11 cities across the United States, the results highlighted a strong adoption of e-cigarettes and a significant shift towards quitting combustible smoking among the experimental group who received a four-week free supply of flavoured e-cigarette. Compared to the control group, the experimental group also exhibited higher rates of abstinence, quit attempts and significant reduction in smoking across the motivational spectrum. While there are many strengths including a large diverse sample and randomisation, the study's main limitation is the absence of biochemical verification of smoking cessation or reduction. This article equips researchers and public health professionals like me with information on how to optimise harm reduction policies and strengthen smoking cessation programs.

Step 4: Format the annotated bibliography in the APA7 style (Criterion 5)
Begin on a new page with the heading 'Annotated Bibliography' centred and bold.
Remember, an annotated bibliography has two components: Reference (citation) and Annotation.
Additional formatting guidelines can be found below:
Reference (citation)
Format and order references (citations) in the annotated bibliography in alphabetical order (as with reference lists).
Use the hanging indent (0.5 in. = 1.27 cm) paragraph style for each new reference.
Use double spacing for formatting the entries.
Annotations
Each annotation should be a new paragraph below the reference entry with a 1.27cm Indent from the left margin (the first line of the annotation should not be indented).
If the annotation spans multiple paragraphs, indent the first line of the second and any subsequent paragraphs at 1.27cm.
No in-text citations are included in the annotation because the origin of the information is clear.

Step 5: Prepare a conclusion (100 words) (Criterion 4)
Based on the evidence presented in the annotated bibliography, write an insightful conclusion on the suitability of Ozempic as a safe and effective weight loss drug in non-diabetic adults aged 18 years and over.
This conclusion should identify how the overall evidence you have collected supports, challenges or changes the research hypothesis.

Step 6: Format your assignment (Criterion 5)
Please use the provided template that includes a cover page with the name of the unit and the title of the assessment task (i.e., HBS108 - Health Information and Data, Assessment Task 1: Locating and evaluating health information), your name, student number, word count, and the referencing style (APA7) to prepare your assignment.
The 900 words (150 words each for six relevant sources of high-quality evidence) relates only to the annotations themselves. The publication details are not included in the word count, just the same as in other assignments where the list of references is not part of the word count.
In-text citations are included in the word count.
The 10% +/- rule applies, meaning you can write between 900 and 1100 words including your responses to the task requirements [e.g., the summary part (or annotation) of the annotated bibliography as well as the conclusion] and any headings, sub-headings, and in-text citations. Not included in the word count are the title/cover page, search planner and the reference list.
Please state your word count on your assignment.
You should use at least size 12 font and double spacing. Please use a standard font i.e., Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman.
Please submit your assignment as either a Word Document or PDF.
Important reminders:Please proofread your work and ensure you also check your assignment against the AT1 Rubric to ensure you have addressed the criteria.

Step 7: Submit your assignment
Submit your assignment via the AT1 Assessment Dropbox.