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Socialworkpaper123.rtfSocial Determinants of Health and Community Well-Being Essay Assignment
Rather than solely focusing on individual casual factors, structural, systemic, and community-level factors play a powerful socializing role in the well-being of community members. The purpose of this assignment is to help you consider how myriad upstream factors contribute to the development of socially just communities. For the purpose of this assignment, health is being defined very broadly to be inclusive of mental, emotional, behavioral, and physical health outcomes. In this paper, you will need to identify one health outcome of interest and describe how historical, socio-political, features of the built environment, legislative policies, and structural and systemic factors have contributed to the embodiment of this issue at the individual-level. Your paper should conclude with a discussion of how addressing this health disparity is consistent with the Social Work Code of ethics. Provide recommendations or strategies for addressing this issue that have been informed by national and international conversations on health disparities.
Possible topics for investigation include disparities in African American’s female-identified individuals’ rates of premature births, LGBTQI individuals’ experiences of social isolation in older adulthood, or high rates of opioid abuse in low-income individuals in rural mid-western communities. This assignment is intended to be a starting place for thinking about the interconnectedness between the structural and the personal and to center the importance of community-level strategies to achieve health equity and social justice.
Paper Format: Present a graduate-level paper that has an introduction, brief description of your health outcome including the population impacted, presentation of at least three upstream determinants of this issue, and a conclusion that describes tangible strategies to effect change at the community-level. It is critical that you connect these strategies to your personal conceptualizations of social justice and the Social Work code of ethics. Throughout the paper, please demonstrate (and reference where appropriate) your knowledge of the required readings, lectures, and discussions.
Length: 3-4 pages, double spaced (excluding the reference page and figure), typed, using a 12-point font size and one-inch margins.
Referencing Style: Follow the formatting style as described in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association.
Sample Outline (this is a guide, you are not required to follow this)
Introduction: (1 page)
- Define the health outcome including the incidence and prevalence of this issue
- Define the population or demographic group you are discussing
- Present data on disparities between health outcomes among various demographic groups noting when there may be gaps in available data or challenges in measuring the scope of an issue. For example, there may be limited data on marginalized populations such as transgendered populations or underrepresented tribal communities.
- Provide a paper roadmap which presents 3 possible reasons for these disparities/inequities
Drivers of Health Outcomes (1-1.5 pages)
- Identify 3 possible upstream drivers or determinants of the disparity. This can include a specific policy, element of the built environment, or structural factor. Describe specifically the processes or pathways by which these factor impacts health and drives inequality. For example, it is not adequate to identify racism as a causal factor; you need to describe the processes by which experiences of racism impact health (i.e., mechanisms like toxic stress or social isolation, etc.).
- Create a path model that illustrates the linkages between these various factors.
Conclusion (1 page)
- Summarize all claims made
- Present an argument for why this issue is relevant to social work practice and is in alignment with the social work code of ethics
- Provide potential strategies for addressing some of these issues. These strategies should be informed by national and international change agendas (such as Health People 2020 or the Prevention Institute). It is also acceptable to identify gaps in these frameworks and identify alternate evidence-informed approaches.
Helpful resources:
Healthy People 2020
https://www.healthypeople.gov/
The Prevention Institute
https://www.preventioninstitute.org/
Louisville Center for Health Equity
https://louisvilleky.gov/government/center-health-equity/health-equity-report
SW 641
Social Determinants of Health Paper
20 points total
1-2
3-4
5-6
Introduction to Social Issue/ Problem Definition
5 points
The health or social justice outcome is vague or overly broad. There is an inadequate description of who is impacted and how they are impacted. Claims may not be as thoroughly substantiated and or rely on a small handful of sources.
The health or social justice outcome has been framed in an overly-simplified or cursory way. There is a general description of who is impacted and how they are impacted. All claims have been substantiated with course and/or external readings and the same sources (at least 3) have been cited numerous times.
The health or social justice outcome has been framed in a comprehensive and sophisticated way. This includes providing a description of the health inequity, identifying who is impacted (i.e., the population), specifically how they are impacted. All claims have been substantiated with course and/or external readings and multiple sources have been provided (more than 5).
1-2
4-5
5-6
Identification of Upstream Causal Factors
5 points
Three factors have been presented but they may conflate individual-level and upstream factors. There is a limited discussion of how these factors contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Work indicates an underdeveloped. understanding of how these causal factors are interrelated and reinforce social injustice at the community-level. Arguments may be overly simplified or have gaps in logic.
At least three upstream factors have been identified including mezzo, macro and societal level factors. Each factor is presented, and some evidence is provided for how these factors have contributed to disparities in health outcomes. Work demonstrates an emerging understanding of how these causal factors are interrelated and reinforce social injustice at the community-level. Arguments may be overly simplified.
At least three upstream factors have been identified including mezzo, macro and societal level factors. Each factor is clearly presented, and ample evidence is provided for how these factors have contributed to disparities in health outcomes. Work demonstrates a sophisticated understanding of how these causal factors are interrelated and reinforce social injustice at the community-level.
1-2
3-4
5
Conclusion/Implications for Practice
5 points
An overly general conclusion is provided that summarizes the content of the paper but does not provide comprehensive implications for practice.
The paper identifies why addressing this issue is important to promoting social justice and is in alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics.
Feasible structural and systemic strategies to address this issue have been identified.
The paper provides a sophisticate synopsis of this issue. Significant efforts have been made to describe how addressing this issue is imperative to achieving social justice and is in alignment with the NASW Code of Ethics.
Feasible structural and systemic strategies that are consistent with international and national efforts to address this issue have been identified.
1
2
3
Mechanics/APA /Cohesiveness
2 points
Frequent APA and stylistic errors have been made. The paper is poorly structured and is missing one or more of the following elements: topic sentences, subject headings, clear transitions between paragraphs and a clear thesis/paper roadmap. The paper does not exceed the page limit by more than two pages
An effort has been made to consistently use APA, although some errors may be evident. Paper is well structured but may be missing one of the following elements: topic sentences, subject headings, clear transitions between paragraphs and a clear thesis/paper roadmap. There may be some stylistic/mechanical errors. The paper is cohesive with clear transitions between paragraphs. The paper does not exceed the page limit by more than one page.
Clear use of APA and followed for each citation chosen. Paper is well structured and coherent with the use of topic sentences, subject headings, and a clear thesis/paper roadmap. Free of stylistic/mechanical errors. The paper is cohesive with clear transitions between paragraphs. The paper does not exceed the page limit.
TOTAL
