Practicum: Epidemiology: Define Your Population and Selected Problem
POPULATION AND PROBLEM I CHOOSE PREVENTION OF DM IN AFRICAN AMERICAN WHO ARE
OBESE AGE GROUP ABOVE 35
Overview: This week, you will further refine your population and problem and compare your suspicions
about this problem to local, state, and national data on the topic. Your practicum project should come into
clear focus as you continue to analyze related health data, and you should consider how you, as the nurse,
might help them avoid development of the problem in the first place (primary prevention measures).
Practicum Discussion: This week your assignment is to collect and then refine health data about the issue
that affects your population group. You will use scholarly professional literature to support your ideas about
the population at risk. If data is not available for your population on a local level, then use county or state
data. Some examples of health data that you might consider gathering are epidemiologic information
related to health conditions, reproductive outcomes, causes of death, vital statistics, socioeconomic data
including poverty and/or educational levels, quality of life issues, and/or lack of access to health care due to
lack of health insurance or access to providers. You will want to compare local data with state and national
trends to fully understand the extent of the selected problem in your community.
Please address the following points in your Practicum Discussion:
Required Content
1. Refined population and selected health problem locally, comparing to state and national data with initial
consideration as to how the problem might be avoided.
2. Describe the specific health problem and population you have selected.
3.What data did you find to support your decision? Help each other further refine and clarify the problem
and population.
4 What useful health data and public health websites did you locate to support your position?
5.What other evidence did you find? You can include scholarly articles in this discussion.