Prior to completing the full project, you will submit a preliminary proposal of your topic, justify briefly why it is important (your rationale) and describe how you will organize your paper. Review the Final Project Overview to become familiar with what will be expected.
Submit this information in two to three paragraphs.
Final Project: Application of Theory to Practice
Scenario:For this project, let’s imagine that you are a public health practitioner in your community. In recent years, there has been intense interest in the social determinants of health as a means to assess and improve health outcomes in your region. Your public health organization is going to apply for a national grant with a goal to improve health outcomes on the local to national level. Potential impact on one or more social determinants of health is the framework by which all proposals will be evaluated. A major criterion on the grant proposal evaluation rubric is theory to practice.
Your regional public health director is aware that you are taking this course. The director is also acutely aware that health behaviors seldom occur in a vacuum. People are situated in communities, workplaces, schools, and environments that support or deter healthy behaviors and health outcomes. The director has charged you to come up with a proposal to address a pressing health behavior issue in your community that is related to one or more social determinants of health. Your director wants you to present your proposal in a month. Your proposal must include the following components:
Focus on a specific theory with application to your planned intervention
Use of data and best practice literature to support your planned intervention
An intervention for a health behavior (to start a healthy behavior or stop an unhealthy one) that
fosters inclusion and access to health care and
directly addresses one or more social determinants of health as defined by the U.S. Healthy People 2030 and the World Health Organization. You may find this article on the links between the health behaviors of people and their environments helpful in framing your project.
Pick two of the above-listed behaviors and describe at least three factors that, in your experience and/or opinion, influence people to participate in that behavior. You should think about a wide array of characteristics or situations that may play a role in that behavior.
Resources: Short, S. E., & Mollborn, S. (2015). Social Determinants and Health Behaviors: Conceptual Frames and Empirical AdvancesLinks to an external site.. Current opinion in psychology, 5, 78–84.
U.S. Healthy People 2030. Social Determinants of HealthLinks to an external site..
World Health Organization. Social Determinants of HealthLinks to an external site..
Topic Proposal – Module 2: Prior to completing the full proposal, you will submit a preliminary proposal of your paper topic including your chosen health behavior, the social determinant of health your chosen health behavior aligns to, and two theories you are considering. You will also provide a short rationale for your choices. This proposal is due at the end of Module 2. However, if you wish to submit earlier than that so that you can start working earlier, you are welcome to.