8-1 Discussion: Evidence-Based Public Health Decisions

For this discussion, you will obtain monitoring data analyzed within a Healthy People objective, and then interpret this information for its influence on the decision-making process.

• Step 1—Healthy People Data Visualization: Visit the DATA2020 database for Healthy People (i.e., the Data Search tab on www.HealthyPeople.gov ). From the Topic Area drop-down menu, select any area of interest. Click the Search button to review search results. On the results page, scroll through the entries and select one (1) Healthy People Objective that has a View Chart button. This will open a new page that depicts a visual representation of this Healthy People objective’s data. Take a screenshot of this data visualization (you will insert this into your initial post).
• Step 2—Public Health Research, Policy, or Practice: Use the Shapiro Library and identify a peer-reviewed journal article pertaining to the topic area you selected in Step 1. The article should be published in a public-health specific (i.e., nonmedical) journal and should involve research, policy, or practice within the topic area. Download the full text of this article and review it carefully.
• Using the data visualization (from Step 1) and the journal article (from Step 2), please proceed with your initial discussion post.

In your discussion post, please address the following:

• Part 1—Explanation of Topic Area and Data Visualization (100 words): First, summarize the topic area and indicate the selected Healthy People Objective. Interpret the findings/trends from the data visualization. Is progress being made towards the desired outcome? Please explain your rationale for interpreting the data in this manner. Include a screenshot of the visual with your submission.
• Part 2—Summary of Journal Article (100 words): Discuss the public health research, policy, or practice and its relationship to the Healthy People Objective identified in Part 1.
• Part 3—Connecting Data Trends and Decision Making (100 words): Imagine that you are a health professional who (co)authored the selected journal article. How would the Healthy People data visualization inform the decisions you make? What would you have done differently compared to the actual author(s)? Please explain your rationale and provide examples.