Project Preparation & Urbanization and Epidemiological Transition

Discussion 1:

Topic: Project Preparation - Getting Started

Choose a Region, Topic, and Interviewee

For this project you will be adapting the response to the urban problem to be appropriate for a rural setting. This response can be something that has already occurred (as in an outbreak that happened in the past) or an ongoing program such as a public health promotion program for a non-communicable disease. To get started on the project:

1. Identify a health topic in which there has been an urban outbreak. Begin to research journal articles on this topic from the Capella library. Additionally, you may find valuable information from the sites you explored in units 1 and 2 (WHO, CDC, NIH, World Bank, UNICEF, USAID). Some examples of health topics include infectious conditions such as HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, and influenza. You can also choose non-infectious outbreaks of conditions such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and so forth.

2. Choose a rural area in which a similar outbreak to the aforementioned urban area could occur. For example, if there is an outbreak of obesity in Atlanta, Georgia, you could select a rural county in Georgia.

3. Begin brainstorming about potential individuals that could be contacted. You will need to communicate with a member of a public health organization for a portion of this project.

QUESTION1: ONE PAGE

Select an outbreak topic that has occurred in an urban area. You will also need to select a rural area that the outbreak response can be adapted.

Discussion 2:

Topic: Urbanization and Epidemiological Transition

Gomes, Damasceno, Azevedo, Prista, Silva-Matos, Saranga, and Lunet's 2010 article, "Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in Mozambique: Urban/Rural Gap During Epidemiological Transition," in Obesity Reviews, volume 11, issue 9, pages 627-634.

QUESTION 2: ONE PAGE

After reading the article "Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference in Mozambique: Urban/Rural Gap During Epidemiological Transition";

Define "epidemiological transition" and discuss how urbanization impacts this phenomenon. Cite specific examples from the article. Is this same trend that was seen in Mozambique true in the United States? Provide support for these similarities or differences.