For this Assignment, you will identify a public health issue (topic) and a target population from within your community. (Topic I’ve chose is: Addressing Substance Use Disorder Among Youth in American Samoa)
The specific community health issue and target population selected for this intervention must be a verifiable health topic and target in your specific community. Then, using any of the theories/models discussed in this course, you will create an intervention to address this public health issue. The constructs of the theory/model chosen must be used in the creation of the intervention to address the selected population health issue. The resulting intervention must attempt to impact health behaviors or threats to the health and well-being of the selected target population.
This Assignment is about being creative and innovative, within the confines of evidence-based theory and producing an intervention. Your intervention can be either a one-time shot or a long-term program that could be of value in addressing the specific need within the community in which you reside. Budget is not necessarily a concern here, so go wild if you like! Grading for this Assignment will consider the following:
Understanding of the theory/model chosen
Feasibility of the intervention created based on the theory/model constructs
Level of creativity in addressing an identified community issue
To prepare:
Consider why you chose the particular public health issue within your community. (Examples might be alcohol use reduction for teens at prom; anti-smoking campaigns for construction workers; HIV/AIDS education programs for elementary students; disease prevention and health promotion for seniors at a long-term care facility; or increasing diagnostic testing participation for colonoscopies with middle-class women over 60 years of age.)
The specific topic and target population must be selected from your community and must be a verifiable issue. To be verifiable, it must have been a newspaper story, a health department memo or newsletter, a city proclamation, or any issue for which you can provide actual documentation to verify that the issue you chose was one currently—or recently occurring—in your community. That documentation must be provided with your response.
Choose a specific theory or model, and then consider why you are using this one in creating an intervention to address this public health issue. Your intervention must use the constructs of the theory/model and must be specific to the target group, for that topic, in your community. For example, the social ecological model (SEM), which was introduced in Module 4, is composed of levels, namely interpersonal, intrapersonal, institutional, community, and societal. It is based on the belief that change within the physical and social environments will also influence health behavior within individuals. Consequently, if one chose the SEM as their theory/model, emphasis on the five levels would be critical. If, on the other hand, the social capital theory was chosen, it is based on networks and relationships, with the two important factors being trust and reciprocity. So, your intervention most certainly would address cooperation, working together, and building strong bonds for healthy relationships and communities.
The Assignment
Write an 8- to 9-page paper (not including title page and references) that includes the following:
Title page
Introduction of public health issue and target population with documentation and brief explanation
Theory/model to be employed in addressing issue (explain why you chose this theory/model)
Identify the constructs of the theory/model and explain how they apply to your community issue
At least 1 paragraph specifically describing your intervention for each construct
Evaluation of intervention
Conclusion
APA formatted references
Note: Be sure to cite the sources within your text where you refer to them using APA format. Include peer-reviewed journal articles that establish the evidence-based research for your responses.
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