This assessment involves 1) writing a short paper (maximum 1000 words, which includes in-text references but excludes the reference list; it also excludes the scenario that you cut and paste as your paper’s introduction) and 2) self-assessing your assignment against marking criteria 1-3 (maximum 50 words). Your mark will be based on your written paper and marker’s feedback will include dialogue with your self-assessment of the paper.
PURPOSE & AUDIENCE:
The purpose of this assignment is to practice communicating with an interdisciplinary team about two foundational concepts of social change that can inform public health interventions. You are asked to practice explaining these two concepts of social change; discuss their implications for public health practice; and develop your own position on the relative merits of one of these concepts for informing the development of a public health intervention on a specific health issue. Your audience are public health practitioners who are committed to developing effective interventions and to avoiding exacerbating social and health inequities.
This assessment addresses the following Course Learning Outcomes:
1. Analyse the implicit and explicit concepts of social change used in public health.
2. Evaluate how fundamental social science concepts enable and constrain public health research and practice
ROLE & SCENARIO:
You are asked to adopt the role of someone working in a health promotion unit. Your team is going to develop a social change intervention for a specific health issue (see below). First – and the focus of this assignment – before you develop the intervention, you are going to commission research to fill gaps in your knowledge.
· You already know that there are some marked differences between social groups and the patterning of this health issue in one group is significantly different to other groups (see below).
· You already have good research on the relevant social determinants of health shaping this patterning (see below) You have a limited budget to commission one research project. What kind of knowledge would be most useful to your team now? Your paper is going to inform a decision about what research your team most needs.
Senario:
Nambula Public Health Unit’s Health Promotion Team is responsible for developing programs for the prevention of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Our team is developing a program to target physical activity among young people (aged 12-24). We are basing this work on the following local context and epidemiological analysis:
· Nambula has a suburban population on the outskirts of a major Australian city. Until the 2000s most of the area was farmland with area of social housing that was built in the 1970s, and a small population who has been in the area for some generations. Since being rezoned for housing 20 years ago, Nambula has become home to many young families who have moved into new housing estates. Public transport systems, schools and other services have not caught up with the fast increase in local population. Residents tend to commute long distances by car to work or schools. Four fast-food outlets surround the one local public high school. These are open 24-hours and the carpark is a lively place where young people congregate in the evenings.
· Epidemiological analyses of linked local GP and hospital admissions data, and national census and local council statistics have identified a significantly higher prevalence of diabetes among 30-39 years olds in our local population, compared with the national population.
Before developing our program to improve physical activity among young people, we will commission one research project to address some gaps in our knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to inform our decision as to whether we should commission research that will add to our understanding of either 1) individual knowledge, beliefs, choices and/or behaviour, or 2) research that will add to our understanding of some of the social practices and collective meaning-making involved. Hence, this paper explains and examines differences between two distinct approaches to understanding social change (using individualistic or social practice concepts). The paper goes on to analyse the potential implications of each approach for informing our team’s work. Finally, the paper makes the case for why our team should commission research that takes one of these approaches.
TASK:
Draw on the course resources and readings from weeks 1-3 (you can use additional references from your own research or prior experience, but you are being assessed on your use of course material so do not neglect it). Write a short paper for your team leader, who wants to ensure that the decision about what research to fund is informed by a clear understanding of the differences between:
· Research that examines individual knowledge, beliefs, choices and/or behaviour (i.e., implicit or explicit individualistic explanations of social change), and
· Research that seeks to understand the social practices and collective meaning-making involved (i.e., implicit or explicit explanations that involve concepts of social practice and take account of people’s “agency” and “collective-meaning making”).
Additionally, your team leader wants clarity on:
· Distinguishing knowledge about social practices from knowledge about the structural aspects of the social determinants of health, and
· The relative merits of one approach to understanding social change for informing the development of an effective health intervention into the particular health issue you are working on, and for informing an intervention that is designed to that attend to social and health inequities.
FORMAT:
Use the template provided to upload one document in the A1 Turnitin space on Moodle that comprises of:
1) A short, written paper – following the template (maximum 1000 words, which includes in-text references but excludes the reference list). Use the template headings to ensure that you clearly cover the two concepts, their implications, and your own position.
2) Your self-assessment: Using the template, assess your written paper against marking criteria 1-3. Assign a grade range to each criterion (by marking or highlighting the appropriate box in the assessment template given). Then write a comment identifying the most significant improvement that could be made to your paper (maximum 50 words)
MARKING CRITERIA for A1 PHCM9012, 2023
1. Two concepts: Are you giving an accurate account of each of the 2 conceptual approaches and identifying significant differences, with reference to the health issue you are working on? [6]
2. Implications: Do you give a sound analysis of the potential implications of each approach for informing public health practice (with reference to the health issue you are working on) and for informing work on social and health inequities? [6]
3. Your position: Do you present a clear position on the most apt conceptual approach for your team’s purposes; is the rationale for your position well substantiated and making sound use of relevant course material? [12, note relatively higher weighting]
4. Writing & Coherence: Have you presented a paper that is well written, well referenced and coherent? [6]