Mental Health In Children And Adolescents - Public Health Issue - Assignment Help

Written report 40%.  

(2400 words (+/-10%))

Assessment overview

This assessment task requires you to write a report from the position of a public health advisor, writing to an educated but mainly non-scientific audience of public policy advisers at Australian national or state government level that will assist the government department in question to manage the public health issue.

Learning Outcomes

The purpose of this assessment task is for you to:

• Describe and integrate the basic principles and tools of public health practice;
• Evaluate a range of behavioural, social and cultural, environmental and political determinants of health;
• Identify and appraise methods and application of disease prevention and control at a population level;
• Define the principles of evidence-based practice and assess their implementation across public health initiatives;
• Evaluate a range of approaches and strategies involved in public health including health promotion and health policy, and;
• Identify and analyse a range of challenges to public health both locally and Internationally.

*Assessment details:

Background

The Government Department of Public Health has asked you to prepare a report on one of two pressing health issues in Australia. This includes a summary of what is known on the issue and its burden, what the risk factors are, what strategies there are and whether these have been effective or ineffective in addressing the problem, and recommendations in the form of a plan of action for further actions to address the problem.

The public health issues (of which you are to select one for your report) are:

• Mental health in children and adolescents
• Food insecurity in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples

In your report, you are to include an action plan (that you have designed) and make recommendations to the National Government about appropriate measures that might be taken by national or state governments and other relevant sectors to address the problem.

*Preparation for the report

By definition, a report is a concise piece of writing that sets out and analyses a situation or problem, often making recommendations for future actions. Where an essay focuses on arguments and reasoning, a report concentrates on the logical presentation of facts. Reports usually include headings and specific sections, and may include bullet points, figures and tables.

Remember that your report is to be written for an educated but mainly non-scientific audience. It should be written in language that the audience would understand. Avoid the use of jargon, and explain specialised terms and acronyms if you use them.

You must cite and reference all of your sources using the Vancouver referencing style.

See the next section for information about how you should structure your report, including recommended sections. 

*Structuring your report

The following contains recommendations for included sections, and layout of, your report.

Brief introduction (~200-300 words)

Briefly state the nature of the public health issue, why it is a problem, and relevant context. Concisely but clearly outline the purpose and structure of your report.

Summary of existing knowledge relating to the public health issue and existing public health interventions to address the problem (~800-1000 words)

A good action plan sets the scene by highlighting why the health issue is one of importance, as well as what has currently been done to address it. Therefore, for this section you should:

• Critically summarise and integrate the epidemiology and burden of the problem, sources of information used to identify there is a problem (e.g. surveillance data or surveys), and causes of the problem (identifying risk factors and protective factors).
• Identify current/existing interventions to address the problem, and what has worked or not worked previously and for whom. Briefly critique previous interventions and their effectiveness.
• Integrate and make some summary conclusions about the current state of knowledge on this topic, the effectiveness of interventions, and what interventions you consider to be the most suitable for implementation based on your analysis. 

Note: This section of the report is not intended to be an exhaustive literature review, but you are expected to find a selection of accurate and credible sources of scientific literature that provides an accurate summary of the existing knowledge. 

Action plan and recommendations (~1200-1400 words)

Your action plan will set out how you recommend future public health efforts be applied to address the health issue. It should be based on the learnings gained in the previous section, and should include:

• Overarching mission statement and goal of the program
• Target population
• Risk factors and determinants your action plan addresses
• Description of 3-5 recommended interventions/strategies for implementation that directly target the health issue
• You should also include a statement on any anticipated challenges 
• Summary conclusion of plan

Given the brief nature of your report (2,400 words) and the often complex nature of public health issues, your action plan and recommendations may not be exhaustive, but should think critically about what you think are the next most important steps to take and why (based on the evidence you have presented). This section of the report integrates your knowledge, evidence and action, and should be given due emphasis in your report.

This Action Plan on heart disease and stroke by the CDC is good real-world example of what plans can look like. Please do not use this as a blueprint for how your report should look (instead use the above structure to guide you), but it is good to get an idea of how these plans translate to a real-world setting.

Questions to consider when approaching readings

The amount of reading that you are expected to do at university can be daunting. However, with some preparation and using critical reading techniques, you can learn to read effectively and efficiently. Answering the following questions of the readings will help you learn to read more effectively.

• What is the main theme or point of the piece?
• What aspects does the writer focus upon, and why?
• What explanations or supportive evidence are drawn upon?
• What assumptions are being made?
• Do you find any of the ideas or information confusing or intriguing?
• What conclusions might you draw from the piece, and are they necessarily the same as the writer's conclusions?

Included in word count

Title

Introduction

All body text

Conclusions

Headings

Sub-headings

Direct quotations

In-text citations

Excluded from word count

Contents list

Abstract / Executive summary

Content of tables

Figure captions / legends

Reference list / Bibliography

Appendices

Footnotes

Statement of word count

Page numbers

Header / Footer text