Reference no: EM133814846
Assessment Task Report - Interpreting Research
Demonstrate your ability to interpret research.
Purpose
This assessment task will equip you with the critical thinking skills you will require in your future work as a health practitioner, including the ability to:
Analyse and evaluate research methodologies, identify potential limitations and assess how well results translate to real-world settings.
Draw on reliable evidence to design targeted health promotion strategies for vulnerable population groups and their needs. Get your questions answered now!
Identify and extract key evidence from qualitative and quantitative research studies and use this information to draw sound conclusions.
What unit and graduate outcomes does it relate to?
Assessment Task 3 assesses your learning in relation to:
LO1 Identify and critique the role of health research, the formal research process, the nature of health ethics, and have an introductory knowledge of qualitative, quantitative and mixed methodologies. Recognise interpret and apply calculations associated with epidemiology and understand how health and disease are measured at the population level.
LO2 Identify, access, and evaluate online resources from high quality health information and data sources.
LO3 Synthesise and critically evaluate online health information to demonstrate an understanding of peer-reviewed health literature.
LO4 Interpret findings of a study using appropriate discipline-specific academic language, structure, references and presentation style. Identify strengths and weaknesses associated with research methodologies and draw conclusions and make recommendations relevant to health practice.
LO5 Use technologies to identify and synthesise discipline, knowledge, evidence, data, and statistics and use this to problem solve and inform decision-making and best practice in a professional capacity.
GLO1: Discipline specific knowledge and capabilities
GLO2: Communication
GLO3: Digital literacy
GLO4: Critical thinking
GLO5: Problem solving
Instructions
Step 1: Respond to questions
Using the skills you developed in Week 2: Searching for online health information to locate the journal article cited below through the Deakin Library and read the articles carefully before answering Tasks 1 - 3.
Task 1: Interpreting study design and approach [ around 400 words]
What was the aim of the study?
What type of sampling was used during data collection? Why is this used in research generally, and why is it ideal for the current study? Support your response with relevant sources of evidence, including the study.
How was the data analysed? Explain the data analysis process. You should draw on scholarly sources to substantiate your response here.
What are two potential limitations of this research? Why are these potentially problematic? Please integrate evidence from credible academic sources to justify your answer.
Task 2: Identifying study methods and results [- around 400 words]
Identify and explain the study design used in this research. In your response, you must also identify and explain whether primary or secondary data was used. Please use credible academic sources to justify your answer.
Briefly explain what variables are. What variables were assessed in the current study? Support your response with relevant sources of evidence, including the study.
What was the data collection method used in this study? What are the potential limitations of this approach (in general)? Please integrate evidence from the study and other relevant scholarly sources of literature to strengthen your response here.
From the results presented in Table 1, please explain the association between Total Physical Activity (PA) and Positive Mental Health. Remember, you have to use information from the study as well as external sources to support your arguments here.
Task 3: Interpreting study methods and results [ around 400 words]
Where does a randomised control trial fit in the hierarchy of evidence? - Please support your explanation with relevant evidence.
What was the independent variable in this study? What was the main dependent variable?
Please comment on the external validity in relation to HIV prevention amongst youths in mental health treatment across the globe. How could the sampling frame be be changed to increase external validity? Provide evidence from academic sources to back up your claims here.
From the results presented in Table 1, how was ‘Odds Ratio' used in relation to sexual risk behaviours? What do the odds ratios, confidence intervals and p- values demonstrate about the participant's sexual behaviours? Please use supporting evidence from the study and other relevant scholarly sources of literature to justify your response here.
Task 4: Measuring and interpreting disease and health in populations [- around 400 words]
As a health promotion officer, you have been tasked with investigating the statistics, risk factors and burden associated with Road Traffic Accidents (RTA). The Melbourne suburb of Vincent in particular has been experiencing a concerning rise in RTAs.
However, on investigation, you also realise that a significant proportion of those hospitalised after an accident develop Mycoplasma infections. Additionally, a growing number of young drivers involved in a RTA are also being diagnosed with hypertension due to the interplay of several contributing factors, including stress.
In answering the questions, please justify your response by demonstrating the calculations with relevant formulae and appropriate steps. Answers need to be rounded to two decimal places. However, you do not need to include citations to support your answers for Questions I to VI.
What was the mortality rate in Vincent in 2023? Please note down your answer as a percentage.
What is the mortality rate for Mycoplasma pneumonia in Vincent in 2023? Please express your answer as per 10,000 population.
What was the cumulative incidence of Mycoplasma pneumonia in Vincent in 2023? Please express your answer as per 1,000 population.
What was the case-fatality rate for Mycoplasma pneumonia in Vincent in 2023? Please note down your answer as a percentage.
What was the prevalence of hypertension in Vincent in July 2023 (assume a population of 79,486 in the month of July)? Please note down your answer as a percentage.
As a health practitioner, you have been tasked with developing a health promotion program for young drivers residing in the Melbourne suburb of Vincent. However, given the limited funding you have available, you need to decide if you are going to prioritise interventions to reduce the deaths from Mycoplasma pneumonia or set up a program to help reduce deaths due to complications of hypertension.
Please explain which epidemiological calculation you would use to inform your decision.
Use the results of this calculation to justify your recommendation.
Please also provide one example of an intervention you could include in your program [drawing on supporting evidence].
Step 2: Format your assignment
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., Assessment Task 3 - Written Report: Interpreting Research). Update your name, student number, word count, and the referencing style (APA7).
Please label all responses to questions with the appropriate question number (e.g., Task 1-I, Task 1-II, Task 2-I and so on). Questions numbers do not count towards the word limit.
This assignment should be laid out in the format of the Question number followed by the answer. When you do this, please do not adjust the template or delete/ change pre-completed aspects including headings, questions or formatting.
Answers should be written with a formal scientific/ academic writing style with adherence to referencing requirements. Write concisely, using short sentences and paragraphs. Please also remember that writing in third person adds objectivity and a confident tone to your writing style.
You should use at least size 12 font and 1.5 line spacing. Please use a standard (legible) font (i.e., Arial, Calibri or Times New Roman) that your assessor can easily read.
Please include 1-inch margins on the top, bottom and both sides of the page.