Population and Health:

No more than 3500 words, plus graphs, tables and references.

Task:

The aim of this mini-project is for you to prepare a report to the Minister for Health in a country of your choice relating to a linked health risk and outcome in their country. You should select at least one health risk and one health outcome which are in the top 10 of the recent Global Burden of Disease study for the region that your country is from, or for a particular age group. The risk factors and outcome must be linked, such as high BMI (risk factor) and ischemic heart disease (outcome). You may select a reproductive health outcome if you wish;

You should include a one page summary at the start of the report (which is the sheet that will be read by the Minister - the rest is likely to be read by the advisors, who will want references and academic writing). This one page summary does NOT count towards the 3500 words.

Report should include a range of aspects, including:

- Levels of the risk factor and outcome in the country, if known. If not known then a discussion of the importance is required;

- Inequalities in risk or outcome between population groups;

- Current health systems responses and health coverage (i.e. how many of those who are needing treatment are actually getting it and what is being done in the country to improve health);

- Quality of the data you are using as evidence;

- How the risk and outcome links in with the risk transition, the epidemiological transition and the nutrition transition, if appropriate;

- Links to the environment (both causes and effects);

- Any health campaigns which have been implemented to improve health or reduce the risk factor(s);

- Recommendations for improving health with reference to the outcome you have chosen.

The country you choose can be from anywhere in the world, but there must be evidence available for you to use. You can focus on a particular group of individuals for this - you do not need to focus on the whole life course.

Tips:

- The aim of this report is to be an evidence based examination of risk and outcome. Therefore you need evidence! This may take different forms. If you choose a DHS country for instance there is not much information about health outcomes (although there is about reproductive health outcomes). If you can't find information about the specific country, but can for the region it is from, then you can use this;

- You can select a communicable, non-communicable or injury/accident health outcome;

- If you wanted to compare two countries, highlighting to the minister what has been done elsewhere to improve health and what they can learn from each other then I am open to this;

- You will have to bring in international comparisons - showing how well the country is doing or poorly it is coping with a specific health issue;

- Really I am expecting you to get under the skin of risk and outcome in a specific country, with the marking based on the strength of the argument and the breadth of the areas investigated.