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Critical Analysis of Factors Affecting Public Health Promotion: A Case Study of Saudi Arabia

This research will be conducted to fulfil the study’s aim to analyse the influence of public health on health promotion intervention within the case of Saudi Arabia as a developing country. To fulfil the research’s aim and objectives, the researcher will use a qualitative approach and secondary data sources regarding public health promotion intervention in Saudi Arabia.

The researcher will examine relevant secondary sources and then present a systematic overview of the literature to understand the impact of public health on the public health promotion intervention in the region of Saudi Arabia.

Introduction

From the overview of past literature, it can be found that there is an increased interest of researchers and practitioners concerning public health and its promotion (Baum, 2016). The information and know-how regarding public health are important because public health programs and public health interventions are based on this knowledge and research (Boulware et al., 2016).

Now, several different elements tend to impact public health and programs related to public health. The governmental and health organisations have shifted their focus from removing and preventing the disease towards the socio-economic, behavioural, and environmental factors that significantly impact public health (Wiene et al., 2017).

From the research point of view, there have been very few researches in the past that have been carried out in this regard. Different countries aim to improve public health by introducing effective programs and interventions (Watts et al., 2015). The health sector continually works towards ensuring that their public health-related goals are met efficiently to make a significant mark.

The promotion of public health is undeniably an essential aspect of public health. Several types of research have been carried out in this regard (Rosenbaum, 2011). Health promotion is carried out to raise awareness among the public regarding the negative consequences of a disease or notify the public regarding living a healthy lifestyle.

Health promotion is an expression in practical terms as a source that lets the public lead a productive life regarding social, economic, and individual perspectives. Health is a source for a routine life, not an object that can be ignored easily (Anderson et al., 2005). According to WHO, public health is a fundamental human right, and all individuals should have the right to get rudimentary resources (WHO, 2018).

The interventions for the promotion of public health are carried out to ensure that public health is not at stake and that the public is aware of the importance of their health (Nutley, Smith, & Davies, 2000). Through public health intervention, the government can control several health problems.

Regarding Saudi Arabia’s public health, WHO has notified that more than 60% of the population is inactive, which is quite alarming concerning the individuals’ health (WHO, 2011). Physical activity is of great importance because it mainly decreases the many common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease.

It also prevents one of the major problems regarding health, i.e., obesity (Frohlich & Potvin, 2008). It has been established that with time, the health sector of Saudi Arabia has been experiencing growth. However, there are still specific problems faced (Almalki, FitzGerald, & Clark, 2011).

One of the major problems of the health sector of Saudi Arabia is that there is a language barrier among physicians, doctors, and patients. Although some research has been carried out in the context of public health and its impact on health promotion intervention, there is still a need for more research to evaluate public health in terms of promotion.

Yet, according to Sharaf (2010), social media platforms, particularly Twitter, have inculcated new prospects for definitely influencing audiences’ health at large. As Saudi Arabia is coined to be the country with the highest number of Twitter users, practitioners believe that Twitter can contribute to the propagation of health promotion ideas.

According to Mckenzie (2016), with the help of developing different health intervention promotion programs, public health is improving daily. The researcher needs to carry out more research to ensure that public health is impacted efficiently. The country’s major goal is to ensure that the public is provided with high-quality healthcare services.

The well-being of society is promoted. According to Peltzer (2011), the health care promotional campaigns and interventions are focused more on developed nations than developing nations. Several different factors tend to have a significant impact on the health promotion intervention. Socio-economic factors play a critical role in people’s lives, affecting each individual’s health in many ways.

Every country has its characteristics that dominate other factors compared to other places according to specific policies and particular laws. But few general ones can be easily recognised in all parts of the world.

Aim and Objectives

The present research’s main aim is to analyse the influence of public health on the health promotion intervention within the case of Saudi Arabia as a developing country. The objectives of the study are as follows,

• To study the concept and significance of public health interventions.
• To identify factors affecting health promotion interventions concerning public health in the case of Saudi Arabia.
• To analyse the influence of public health on the health promotion intervention in the case of Saudi Arabia.
• To suggest effective recommendations for improving the health promotion intervention from the influence of public health in Saudi Arabia.

Research Question

Based on the preliminary overview of the literature review on this topic, the research question that is going to be answered by this research is:

How can public health be determined through various factors affecting public health promotion in the context of Saudi Arabia?

Problem Statement

This research will be carried out to analyse the impact of public health on public health promotion intervention, specifically in Saudi Arabia. In terms of the public health of Saudi Arabia, the company is experiencing significant improvement; however, they are still lacking in providing high-quality health care advice through public health promotion intervention. One of the important problems prevalent in the region is a language barrier among physicians, doctors, and patients.

The Rationale of the Research

The study has established that certain researches have been carried out concerning public health and its impact on evaluating the health promotion intervention. This particular research is significant because it focuses on analysing how public health in the region of Saudi Arabia impacts their health promotion intervention.

There are not many academic types of research carried out on Saudi Arabia’s public health. This research will contribute positively towards the existing body of literature mainly inclined towards Western countries’ general health (Glanz & Bishop, 2010). One of the significant hindrances with the effective provision of public health to a country’s citizens is that there is no consistent framework of public health that promotes the evaluation of public health promotion intervention (Frieden, 2010).

This research is particularly significant because it will look into different factors that combine to form the public health of Saudi Arabia. Moreover, it will also address the issues faced by the country regarding the implementation and evaluation of their health campaigns. The major rationale behind this research is that there are very few research studies carried out.

Structure of the Research

The following study comprises five significant sections: introduction, literature review, methodology, findings and conclusion, and recommendations. The first chapter of the study highlights the research study’s topic, the research problem, aims and objectives of the study, rationale, and significance. It provides a brief introduction to the analysis.

The second chapter of this study was a literature review. In this chapter, the researcher identifies the study variables and includes different theories and backgrounds concerning the view and opinions of various researchers. It consists of a theoretical framework and the development of a hypothesis.

The third chapter of the study was methodology. This section identified the methods and techniques used in a research study to examine the results. Data collection methods and techniques are described in this chapter, along with ethical considerations and limitations.

The fourth chapter of the study was findings and analysis. This chapter analyses and evaluates the data obtained from different sources based on other techniques and methods. A significant portion of this section includes an analysis of results and discussion.

The last chapter of the study is the conclusion and recommendations. It concludes the entire research along with summarised findings of the study.

Literature Review

Public health intervention and promotion.

Public Health is known for inhibiting the disease, health promotions, healthily improving lifestyle, and systematised society effort.  The central focus is on the health betterment of the population and doing interventions to prevent disease. The protection, promotion, prolonging of public life, and betterment of society’s health are the main goals of public health (Brownson, 2017).

The progress in the social machinery by health promotions satisfies the people regarding maintenance and betterment of health. Better cure of advanced and severe diseases is required, specifically in developing countries. The interventions of Public health regarding the reduction in risk factors related to health are significant. The preventions are done of medicines to preserve or promote health and decrease the suffering when health is impaired (Gostin, 2016).

There are significant disciplines in which health sectors mostly perform to promote health. A healthy nutrient balances health and any disease, and reproductive health is taken care of the most because it includes mental, physical, and social health that should be healthy. In environmental health, the approach is to classify the particular biological or physical aspects that present all health risks.

It can be replaced and modified to protect people from it, like sanitisation of water, disposal of waste management, etc. (Frieden, 2010). The combination of health education and economics is beneficial for health promotions and their interventions. It helps in the substitution use of resources and their effective utilisation in the health service sector.

Many types of research have been done that focus on the distribution, frequency, biostatistics, and causes of disease. Such researches are an action to attain more information about the technical or scientific overview of public health. The health service sector management tries to work together and utilise the available resources to achieve the goal (Fleming, 2014).

Health promotion is the central part of public health, defined as the betterment of health in the population. It presents wide-ranging environmental and social conditions directed towards changing the negative aspects of such states to ease their effect on individual and public health. It enables individuals to elevate control over the factors of health and thus improve their health.

Contribution in health promotion is vital to endure promotions’ actions and efforts (Naidoo, 2016). Health promotion is an expression in practical terms as a source which let public to lead a productive life regarding social, economic and individual prospective because health is a source for a routine life, not an object that can be ignored easily.

It emphasises the physical capabilities of a person. WHO has recognised public health as a fundamental human right, and all individuals should have the right to get rudimentary resources (Lupton, 2014). The prospective health concept applies that the organisations that rule social, physical, and economic conditions should take responsibility for their activities in terms of their effect on the public and health (Leischik, 2016).

After the research many years, health promotion is now getting in trend. It became clear that health promotion interventions should be seen in the framework of difficult interrelationships encircling the public, societies, and health care sectors (Duplaga, 2015) and (Sitko, 2016). The approaches have found out that the effective interventions and consequent promotions that are in practice.

The interventions of health promotions should be for the betterment of local practice. The advanced interventions in public health lead to many issues and challenges regarding promotions. Interventions are commonly recognised by combining factors of a supplied intervention like theory and all with factors present in the local context such as funding etc. Interventions help a lot in controlling and preventing health problems (Kok, 2012).

Overview of Saudi Arabia’s Public Health Intervention and Promotion

The WHO reports show that 60% of the overall population of Saudi Arabia is physically inactive, which is not suitable for health at all.  According to recent studies, physical activity is one of the significant health-promoting practices (Kraus, 2015). Physical activity mainly decreases the many common diseases like diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and heart disease.

It also prevents one of the major problems regarding health, i.e., obesity.  It improves an individual’s mental health by decreasing depression and anxiety, showing the inverse relation of health outcomes with the amount of physical activity performed (Alahmed, 2017).

The health sector of Saudi Arabia has ranked the growth of health care services at the overall rate of care, due to which betterment has been seen in the health range of Saudi Arabia (Almalki, 2011).  Besides such improvements, the major issue in Saudi Arabia’s health sector is the language hurdle among the physician and their patients.   Many interventions have been taken to solve this issue by health promotions using posters, leaflets, or other ways (Vyas, 2012).

After facing constant failure, alternative techniques have been applied, i.e., spreading awareness by using promotional items in health promotions, which was beneficial to give important messages to the public (Al Aboud, 2013). It succeeds whenever implemented correctly, which was also seen in TB patients (Alahmed, 2017).

Factors Affecting Public Health Promotion Intervention

Public Health revolves around the study of highlighting the issues that affect human health. It focuses on the preventive measures of diseases and prolonging humans’ lives by bringing awareness through different campaigns and promotions that could improve the public’s health. The research has been done to work on the public health sector as it is one of the significant elements that influence any country’s environment.

It is also essential to look out for the reasons that can affect the promotions and interventions to maintain public health stability. Social determinants include the status and affiliations that determine health (Shaw, 2008). In socio-economic factors, social attributes play a critical role in people’s lives, affecting each individual’s health in many ways.

The socio-economic factors are one of the major influences for public health in any country, whereas; cultural factors are based on the thoughts and behaviours shared by a group of people in any country. Culture always has a significant impact on all aspects of life. It contributes to every individual in an integrated pattern of values and morals.

In political factors, government policies and programs also profoundly affect health interventions in many ways (Mackenbach, 2014). At the same time, national health factors are about taking account of public health to local needs and includes the development level for the entire health sector.

Income is one of the main features that can affect public health promotion. It is directly proportional to individuals’ health related to the amount of money that a person is earning. When the making is high, the health is automatically influenced better, but if it is low, it can affect the quality of the food you take or the health services that are not affordable (Abel-Smith, 2016).

It can also be described as an example that not everyone can afford to see experienced doctors of sickness or other major health issues due to their high fees.  It also goes in a way that they cannot purchase better foods to remain healthy. Income also influences the location one chose to live in as the surrounding influences health at a higher level. It can be perceived as lower earnings can lead to poorer health choices and increased health risks (Stoddart, 2017).

It is a crucial element that determines people’s social and economic position related to health outcomes. Education helps learn about the positive and negative aspects of health classified as better or poor health status. It elaborates the benefits of a healthy diet, increases the knowledge, and guides in making good choices compared to those who are not well educated or more aware of effective food products (Rosen, 2015).

The factor of employment contributes to health promotion intervention to enhance social status and self-esteem, leading to community life participation by bringing more opportunities that improve health and well-being. Career also surrounds being physically active or getting exhausted and tired due to long work hours that affect an individual’s health. The nature of the job is considered in this sector that can be classified as working at a farm, factory, chemicals or radiology, sports, and a proper organisation (Garthwaite, 2014).

Social Inequalities

There can be many cultures within a society, and it differs in views and norms that affect health in various ways. One major factor that developing countries face is social inequality which means all the people do not meet human needs. The lack of food, water, shelter, and clothing influences the health of the individuals. It affects the lifestyle and causes serious health problems as well. The easy access to these factors does create a difference in human beings’ lives as these are the most critical elements to survive (Berkman, 2014).

Early Marriages

Developing countries like India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and others have some of the most disturbing factors that destroy a person’s health: early marriages. Children are forced to marry at the early stages in many rural areas in these developing countries, which is not suitable for their future health (García-Moreno, 2015). Since the people in rural areas are not so educated or aware of these things, it results in early pregnancies, labour complications, and severe infections that could lead to life-ending diseases.

Another factor that comes under the cultural environment is family. It means the number of people in a family that does make a difference at a greater rate. People in rural areas in developing countries usually have many children with very few gaps. They do not know the preventive measures or the effect of such fast pregnancies on health. Moreover, they also face financial issues due to less income, which cannot provide quality food and daily life necessities.

Poverty has been a critical factor in health determinants as it is directly linked with poor health. The less fortunate people are affected at so many levels that destroy their health. They are deprived of basic knowledge, money, and access to the services of health. Poor people cannot get treatment for diseases or see doctors due to a lack of money (Poverty and Health, 2014). Usually, only one member earns for the family that brings too much of a burden. Therefore, when everyday life’s basic needs are not easy for them to get, health is mostly the last thing to be given attention to for poor people.

Environment

The physical environment plays a great role in affecting people’s health positively or negatively. Clean air and water are two substantial means towards a healthy lifestyle. Lack of access to clean water and sanitation as well as polluted air develops major health issues. It also includes noise pollution, access to green and open space, transportation, housing, and food. Moreover, climate seasons influence the health of infants. They all are of equal importance in environmental conditions that directly affect health. Developing countries face air and noise pollution and the limited amount of clean water, which creates trouble for them, if not right away then in the future (Lü, 2015).

The living area of a person or improper untidy housing develops certain health conditions. Poor housing is associated with significant diseases like respiratory and skin infection, morbidity and mortality, and psychological effects. The overcrowded places usually do not consider a healthy lifestyle, whereas; homelessness develops sleep deprivation, mental health disorders, chronic stress, nutritional and psychic disorders.

Age and Gender

This has a significant part, like other factors, in determining health. People develop various health problems at different stages of life. For example, the diseases found in infants like pneumonia, diarrhoea, and skin rashes would not be quickly adopted by elders. In this manner, gender differences like men and women rarely have the same types of diseases. There are few common diseases found in women, like thyroid or kidney issues, whereas; men are mostly heart problems. This variance is the reason for distinctive lifestyles acquired by both of them.

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Influence of Public Health on the Health Promotion Intervention

Health Promotions has progressed a lot in the past years, but some of its procedures are limited due to the assessment methods (Peltzer, 2011). Research is much needed in the evaluation of health importance and interventions.  Health promotions focus on developing more significant results that create demanding and expensive interventions for both the physician and the patient.

Such interventions are being studied deeply using a high level of standardised protocols (McKenzie, 2016). The effectiveness of health promotions does not show the positive or negative outcomes of busy, understaffed public health clinics and huge health sectors (Baum, 2016).

The medical trend focuses on the surgical interference that gives instant outcomes. As compared to the health promotions, less research is done on their interventions. There is little research on interventions that report the population. The interventions that show adequate randomised trials results are not effective when applied to the common public (Schmidt 2015).

According to the RE-AIM model, the intellectualising is done on the general population’s health that affects the applied interventions in health promotions as five elements that include efficacy, implementation, learning, reach, and management (Ward, 2018).

When health sector interventions have been taken in health promotions, their main focus is constantly developing countries. Like in Malawi, it has been applied, and their outcome was good. Health promotions are also designed specifically for children and young people. It depends on the requirement of public health. It helps in dealing with the mortality or morbidity issue and others also (Eldredge, 2016).

Overall, developing countries show the interventions in health promotions, and their applications differ a lot according to sustainability and effectiveness. If the government supports health promotions rightfully, it puts a high level of impact on public health.

In Ethiopia, hygiene practices are very poor, and the sanitary situation is insufficient, resulting in the elevation of transmissible diseases in the population and worsen public health.  Health promotion interventions are done to spread knowledge and apply hygiene practices in rural schools of Ethiopia and improve their hygiene characteristics (Vivas, 2010).

Children were targeted for promotions because they are more approachable for adopting healthy attitudes by them it will spread among the families and community (Lopez-Quintero, 2009).

Brazil is also considered a developing country, in which health promotions have been implemented many times in the past and present. Currently, the major concern is heart diseases, hygiene, and unhealthy lifestyle issue. The health promotions did interventions for the betterment of living and unhealthy situation of people.

The infectious disease in Brazil was a high level of public health issue in the country before. Still, after many interventions regarding health promotions, including campaigns, such disease decreased from the government. Now circulatory diseases are the main reason for mortality. All of the issues needed basin sanitation awareness and health education.

The particular activities of health promotions include improving physical activity practices, reducing smoking, decreasing death and morbidity rate due to any disease or accident, reducing alcohol intake, adopting healthy habits, and inhibiting violence (Horta, 2017). Health promotion was also done in schools, leading to positive outcomes and a lot of betterment. The growth of the Brazilian Unified Health System has been influenced by Brazil’s public health sector (Ramos, 2014).

Research Methodology

Research philosophy.

Research philosophy describes the set of beliefs that the researcher has while carrying out the research. It provides the significance of how the data will be analysed and used in the research. The research philosophies are categorised into different types that can be used according to the researcher’s analysis and feasibility. The research philosophies that are commonly used in the study are positivism, interpretivism, and realism (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015)

The study in hand has used the interpretivism philosophy for conducting the research. This philosophy is based on the social sciences and focuses on the disciplines and the school of thought that the respondents carry out in the research. On the other hand, the positivism philosophy is based on realistic data and carries out the information found in reality.

The realism philosophy is commonly observed in scientific research and collects data based on experiments and scientific tests. The researcher may face problems with interpretivism philosophy because the respondents are not observed to provide justified opinions for theirs. The problems may also be faced in interpreting views carried out by the researcher (Teherani et al., 2015). Concerning the attitudes and behaviours, interpretivism philosophy is highly suitable for the research that is being observed.

The following study will use interpretivism to identify the impact of public health on health promotion interventions within Saudi Arabia because the research is purely based on qualitative analysis; therefore, interpretivism philosophy helps to understand the in-depth information about variables.

Research Approach

According to the study of Sekaran and Bougie (2016) research approach is stated as the pattern that has been selected for conducting the research. The research approaches are mainly divided into inductive and deductive approaches that provide research patterns to get significant results.

Both the approaches have their existence and vary based on the hypothesis and models used in the research. The inductive approach provides the research pattern that starts with observation and tests conducted by the researcher. It moves on to the identification of patterns used in the research and finalises the theory.

On the other hand, the deductive approach is based on the theory that has been selected. The researcher carries out the hypothesis and develops observations and tests for accepting or rejecting the idea based on the theory. The statement and tests confirm and reject the hypothesis that carries out the result of the research carried out.

For the research in hand, the approach that has been used is the deductive approach as it has used the theory that has been used before and has developed. The researcher has also conducted tests and observations to identify whether the hypothesis can be accepted or rejected. The deductive approach justifies the research carried out and is correct (Silverman, 2016). Moreover, the researcher may not lead to falsification and gets the justified results of the approaches used.

The following study will use the inductive research approach because the underlying factors of public health promotions and their impact on health promotion interventions were analysed through systematic analysis of information. The deductive approach provides a structured way of examining Saudi Arabia’s case to assess the impact.

Type of Investigation

Marshall and Rossman (2014) have identified three types of research investigation under which the research is carried out. The types of investigation methods used in the researches are exploratory, explanatory, and descriptive research. The experimental research refers to the explore the new techniques and phenomenon that has not been used before.

As the name identifies, it provides the significance of starting the research from the groundwork. Exploratory research is aimed to find something new and carry out the research in a new direction. Descriptive research tends to explore and explain the phenomenon in detail. It provides additional information regarding the topic and fills the missing part of the research. It carries out the gap analysis and gets the work done until the gap is filled (Lewis, 2015).

Another type of investigation method followed by the researchers is explanatory research. It is also known as causal research and determines the identification of cause and effect relationships. The explanatory research is determined to explain the phenomenon that has been used before in previous researches.

It explains the description of topics and determines the causes and effects of the particular topic on another (McCusker and Gunaydin, 2015). The following research is based on the cause and effect relationship, and hence the type of investigation used in the next study is explanatory research. The cause and effect relationship used in the explanatory research has provided the best fit for the relationship between the variables.

For the following study, the researcher will use the descriptive method of investigation to examine the relationship between public health and health promotion interventions. The explanatory study will provide information about how public health impacts the various health promotion activities.

Research Design

The studies of Choy, (2014) have determined the types of research design used in the following research. The design is categorised into three main types that are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods. All three types are used according to the needs and requirements of the selected topic. Qualitative research is dependent upon the collection of behavioural data.

The data is collected and analysed in the form of statements and descriptions used to carry out the results. Another commonly used research design is the quantitative method. The data is collected in numeric and numbers that are analysed using statistical tools and techniques. Another commonly used method is mixed (Merriam and Tisdell, 2015).

The following research will use qualitative research design methods to examine how public health affects health promotion intervention. Using the qualitative method, the researcher will shed light on the existing articles and journals collected by different researchers and scholars.

Data Collection Method

The identified data collection methods used in the researches are categorised into primary and secondary research. The researcher collects data from the respondents based on the primary and secondary methods of collecting data. Both the methods have their ways of collecting data. The data collection for the primary research is interviews, questionnaires, experiments, and observation.

On the other hand, is the data collected from previous studies. The research, based on secondary data, uses the information available on the internet and carries out the data analysis (Mertens, 2014).

The study in hand has used the primary method of data collection. The data has been collected based on the qualitative methods and has gathered the information from the primary sources, including questionnaire surveys, interviews, and first-hand observation of the researcher. The researcher has faced some constraints while carrying out the primary data that is limited time and cost used for the research. Respondents are not ready to provide detailed information regarding their feelings and practices (Silverman, 2016).

The data collection method selected for this study is the secondary method of data collection. The researcher will use the second method to conduct a systematic review and answer the study’s research questions. The study will also select articles from 2010 to 2018, and a health-related database will be used for examining the information.

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria

Inclusion criteria refer to the characteristics of the study’s characteristics that are included in particular research. On the other hand, exclusion criteria refer to specific characteristics or elements that disqualify the subjects from being included in the research. The inclusion criteria of this research are different studies related to public health and public health promotion.

Majorly the studies taken into account are those carried out in the region of Saudi Arabia and other parts of the Middle East. The exclusion criteria for the research are the studies that do not belong to credible journals and publishers.

Sampling Method, Technique, and Sample Size

Sampling is an integral part of the research and determines the population selected for carrying out the research. The selected population for collecting the data is known as the sample. The sampling method is further divided into non-probability and probability sampling. Probability sampling provides an equal chance to all the sample population for getting the responses. On the other hand is the non-probability sampling does not provide an equal chance to all the respondents (Silverman, 2016).

The following study is based on non-probability sampling. The technique that has been used in the study is convenience sampling. The researcher has carried out the respondents’ information based on convenience for gathering data through a systematic review of articles and journals.  From 2010 to 2018, the articles will be selected for obtaining information about health promotions and interventions therefore, an article out from this domain will not be used.

Data Analysis Method

According to Smith, (2015), data analysis is a critical stage of the research process. The tool that has been used in the following research is thematic analysis because the study is based on qualitative techniques. The interviews gathered by the researcher and the observations have been analysed using the method of thematic analysis.

The thematic analysis is based on the pinpointing and examination of the patterns within the data that has been collected. On the other hand, the tool for quantitative analysis is SPSS. As the study is qualitative, so the data has been analysed using themes and defining them according to the research. The researcher will use content analysis to analyse the information obtained from different sources and critically examine the data about health promotion interventions, particularly in Saudi Arabia.

The researcher will conduct a systematic review through existing studies and with the help of a descriptive approach. A systematic literature review is going to be carried out in five steps (Khan et al. 2003). The research question has been framed in the first step, after which relevant publications regarding the research questions are identified. The next step covers the assessment of the quality of the study. The next step is related to summarising the evidence that has been collected. Lastly, the findings collected from different relevant articles are interpreted.

Ethical Considerations

It is an integral part of the research and identifies the researcher’s ethical considerations while carrying out the research. For the following research, the researcher has ensured the respondents that the data collected is valid and authentic. The confidentiality of the respondent’s information has been considered. The researcher has avoided any sort of unethical activity while carrying out the research.

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Khan, K. S., Kunz, R., Kleijnen, J., & Antes, G. (2003). Five steps to conducting a systematic review. Journal of the royal society of medicine, 96(3), 118-121.

Kok, M. O., Vaandrager, L., Bal, R., & Schuit, J. (2012). Practitioner opinions on health promotion interventions that work: Opening the ‘black box of a linear evidence-based approach.  Social science & medicine ,  74 (5), 715-723.

Kraus, W. E., Bittner, V., Appel, L., Blair, S. N., Church, T., Després, J. P., … & Vafiadis, D. K. (2015). American Heart Association Physical Activity Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Metabolic Health, Council on Clinical Cardiology, Council on Hypertension, and Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing. The National Physical Activity Plan: a call to action from the American Heart Association: a science advisory.  Circulation ,  131 (21), 1932-40.

Leischik, R., Dworrak, B., Strauss, M., Przybylek, B., Schöne, D., Horlitz, M., Mügge, A. and Dworrak, T., 2016. Plasticity of health.  German Journal of Medicine ,  1 , pp.1-17.

Lewis, S., 2015. Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches. Health promotion practice, 16(4), pp.473-475.

Lopez-Quintero, C., Freeman, P., & Neumark, Y. (2009). Hand washing among school children in Bogota, Colombia.  American Journal of Public Health ,  99 (1), 94-101.

Lü, J., Liang, L., Feng, Y., Li, R., & Liu, Y. (2015). Air pollution exposure and physical activity in China: current knowledge, public health implications, and future research needs.  International journal of environmental research and public health ,  12 (11), 14887-14897.

Lupton, D. (2014). Health promotion in the digital era: a critical commentary.  Health promotion international ,  30 (1), 174-183.

Macfarlane, A. (2005). What are the main factors that influence disease prevention and health promotion programmes in children and adolescents?  Copenhagen, WHO Regional Office for Europe (Health Evidence Network report .

Mackenbach, J. P. (2014). Political determinants of health.

Mackey, A. and Gass, S.M., 2015. Second language research: Methodology and design. Routledge.

Marshall, C. and Rossman, G.B., 2014. Designing qualitative research. Sage publications.

McCusker, K. and Gunaydin, S., 2015. Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion, 30(7), pp.537-542.

McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Thackeray, R. (2016). Planning, implementing & evaluating health promotion programs: A primer. Pearson.

McKenzie, J. F., Neiger, B. L., & Thackeray, R. (2016).  Planning, implementing & evaluating health promotion programs: A primer . Pearson.

Merriam, S.B. and Tisdell, E.J., 2015. Qualitative research: A guide to design and implementation. John Wiley & Sons.

Mertens, D.M., 2014. Research and evaluation in education and psychology: Integrating diversity with quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods. Sage publications.

Ministry of Health. Survey of Health Information in Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 2013.

Naidoo, J., & Wills, J. (2016).  Foundations for Health Promotion-E-Book . Elsevier Health Sciences.

Peltzer, K., & Pengpid, S. (2011). Health Behaviuor Interventions In Developing Countries.  Malawi Medical Journal ,  26 (2), 50-50.

Poverty and Health, (2014). Retrieved from <http://www.worldbank.org/en/topic/health/brief/poverty-health> (Accessed on 19/04/2018)

Ramos, L. R., Malta, D. C., Gomes, G. A. D. O., Bracco, M. M., Florindo, A. A., Mielke, G. I., … & Hallal, P. C. (2014). Prevalence of health promotion programs in primary health care units in Brazil.  Revista de saude publica ,  48 (5), 837-844.

Rosen, G. (2015).  A history of public health . JHU Press.

Rosenbaum, S. (2011). The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act: implications for public health policy and practice.  Public health reports ,  126 (1), 130-135.

Schmidt, H., Gostin, L. O., & Emanuel, E. J. (2015). Public health, universal health coverage, and Sustainable Development Goals: can they coexist?.

Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill-building approach. John Wiley & Sons.

Sharaf, F. (2010). Impact of health education on compliance among patients of chronic diseases in Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia.  International journal of health sciences, 4(2),  139.

Shaw, D. (2008). Social determinants of health.  Clinical Medicine ,  8 (2), 225-226.

Silverman, D. ed., 2016. Qualitative research. Sage.

Sitko, S. J., Kowalska-Bobko, I., Mokrzycka, A., Zabdyr-Jamróz, M., Domagała, A., Magnavita, N., … & Golinowska, S. (2016). Institutional analysis of health promotion for older people in Europe-concept and research tool.  BMC health services research ,  16 (5), 327.

Smith, J.A. ed., 2015. Qualitative psychology: A practical guide to research methods. Sage.

Stoddart, G. L., & Evans, R. G. (2017). Producing health, consuming health care. In  Why are some people healthy and others not?  (pp. 27-64). Routledge.

Taylor, S.J., Bogdan, R. and DeVault, M., 2015. Introduction to qualitative research methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.

Teherani, A., Martimianakis, T., Stenfors-Hayes, T., Wadhwa, A. and Varpio, L., 2015. Choosing a qualitative research approach. Journal of graduate medical education, 7(4), pp.669-670.

Vivas, A., Gelaye, B., Aboset, N., Kumie, A., Berhane, Y., & Williams, M. A. (2010). Knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) of hygiene among school children in Angolela, Ethiopia.  Journal of preventive medicine and hygiene ,  51 (2), 73.

Vyas, A. N., Landry, M., Schnider, M., Rojas, A. M., & Wood, S. F. (2012). Public health interventions: reaching Latino adolescents via short message service and social media.  Journal of medical Internet research ,  14 (4).

Ward, S., Chow, A. F., Humbert, M. L., Bélanger, M., Muhajarine, N., Vatanparast, H., & Leis, A. (2018). Promoting physical activity, healthy eating and gross motor skills development among preschoolers attending childcare centres: Process evaluation of the Healthy Start-Départ Santé intervention using the RE-AIM framework.  Evaluation and program planning ,  68 , 90-98.

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Public Health Dissertations

Dissertations from 2024 2024.

Distinguishing Collaboration From Other Forms of Group Work to Build and Pilot a New Collaboration Assessment Tool For More Informed and Effective Collaboration , Leigh Alderman

Improving Understanding of Overdose Trends in the United States Using Multiple Surveillance Data Sources , Shannon Casillas

One in Two: Lived Experiences of HIV Seroconversions among Black Sexual Minority Men in the HIV Workforce , Daniel Driffin

Understanding the Role of Mindfulness for Physical Activity Among Black/African American Women with Arthritis , Elizabeth Fallon

Participatory Community-Academic Research Partnerships for Health Equity , Michelle Marcus

A Comprehensive Policy Analysis to Address the Public Health Dilemma of Systemic Ableism and Patient Distress Following Prenatal Screening for Disabilities , Stephanie Meredith

Risk and Protective Factors in the Caregiving Context for Violence Exposure Outside of the Home, HIV Risk, and HIV Infection Among Youth Ages 13 to 24 in Lesotho , Elizabeth Perry

Arrested Mobility™: Policy Grounded Health Equity Solutions and Actions for Georgia , Tony Price

Mathematical Modeling to Support Public Health Officials with Evaluating Immunization and Non-pharmaceutical Intervention Strategies During and Outside Periods of Outbreak Response , Gabriel Rainisch

The Place-Based Impacts of Social Determinants of Health: An Examination of Social and Structural Influences , Nikita Rao

COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy Among Women with a Live Birth: Findings from The Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, 25 US Jurisdictions, 2021. , Beatriz Salvesen von Essen

Nicotine, Tobacco, Marijuana Use Typologies among Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Youth and Young Adults in the United States , Michael Brandon Talley

Novel Tools to Measure Latent Tuberculosis Infection Among Populations at Higher Risk in the United States , Laura A. Vonnahme

Dissertations from 2023 2023

Relationships between Body Mass Index, Adiposity Distribution and Treatment Outcomes among Patients with Tuberculosis from the Country of Georgia , Tsira Chakhaia

Application of epidemiologic methods to investigate the heterogenous impact of COVID-19 , Sushma Dahal

Racial/Ethnic Disparities in Tobacco Use, Tobacco Advertising Exposure and Its Effects on Subsequent Tobacco Use Among U.S. Youth , Vuong Van Do

Pandemics, Epidemics, and Public Health Crises– Oh My! An Examination of Tobacco Use During Public Health Emergencies , Robert T. Fairman

Buprenorphine Treatment for Opioid Use Disorder: An Examination of Benefits and Barriers. , Olivia K. Golan

Food Insecurity and Chronic Disease Among Working-Age US Adults , Kiara Maddox

Community Engagement in the International Emergency Response to Ebola, 2014-2016 , Daniel W. Martin

Examing how Nurses' Personal Experiences with Mental Illness Relate to Stigma and Discrimination against People with Mental Illness in Rural Northern Uganda. , Connie Olwit

Patterns of Tobacco Product Use in the US Population using the Population Assessment of Tobacco and Health Study , Wellington C. Onyenwe

Unintended Pregnancies Among Adult Mothers Who Have Not Graduated High School: Family Planning Intentions, Birth Control Practices, and Optimal Interpregnancy Intervals , Alexandria L. Parham

Using Community-Based Participatory Research to Assess the Service Needs of Youth Experiencing Homelessness in Atlanta , Jasmine Rockwell Heard

Virtual Delivery in Home Visiting: A Qualitative Exploration of SafeCare® Provider Experiences During the COVID-19 Pandemic , Ashley E N Watson

Dissertations from 2022 2022

Understanding the Role of Preemption in the United States and the Relationship between State-level Preemption Policies and Vulnerability and Mortality during the COVID-19 Pandemic , Maeh Al-Shawaf

Exploring Issues of Substance Use Among Special Populations , Victoria Churchill

Postpartum Social Support Experiences of Black Mothers with Depression during COVID , Brooke DiPetrillo

Factors Affecting Healthcare Access Among Diverse Populations: Implications for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Beyond , Michelle Mavreles Ogrodnick

Measuring Progress Toward Epidemic Control in a High-Prevalence District: Comparison of Alternate Methods of Incidence Estimation, Trends in HIV Incidence, and Impact of Misclassification on Outcome Estimates in the Chókwè Health and Demographic Surveillance System , Robert Nelson

Analyzing and Contextualizing Experiences of Sexual Violence Among Sexual and Gender Minority Populations , Zainab G. Nizam

A Longitudinal Examination of the Sociality of Cardiovascular Disease and its Most Common Risk Factor, Hypertension , Brenda Parker

Assessing for Social and Economic Inequities in Vocational Rehabilitation Services among Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities , Bridgette M. Schram

Comparative Assessment of Methodology to Forecast and Assess the Transmission Potential of Epidemics/Pandemics , Amna Tariq

Role of Anti-tobacco Campaign and Tobacco Marketing in Tobacco Use Behaviors among the US Population , Yu Wang

Public Health and Economic Implications of Non-pharmaceutical Interventions in the State of Georgia , Renee White

Dissertations from 2021 2021

Water Quality in the Chattahoochee River Watershed, 2010-2019: An Analysis of Spatiotemporal Variations of Total Coliforms, Escherichia Coli, Turbidity, and Optical Brighteners along Surface Waters , Sarah N. Anderson

Examining the Relationship between Perceived Neighborhood Context on Sexual Risk Behaviors among Black Men who Have Sex with Men in the South , Terrika Barham

Leveraging Federal Policies to Prevent and Respond to Communicable Disease Outbreaks , Samuel Clasp

Use of Cigarette and Non-cigarette Combustible Tobacco Products Among African Americans: An Examination of Risk Factors and Protective Factors , Cherell Cottrell-Daniels

Longitudinal Analyses Of Frailty Trajectories Among European Older Adults , Linh Dinh

Differences in the Association between Use of Electronic Vaping Products and Subsequent Tobacco and Marijuana Use among US Youth , Zongshuan Duan

Optimizing Personal Protective Equipment Use and Infection Prevention Behaviors to Protect Healthcare Workers , Kimberly Erukunuakpor

HIV and HCV Outcomes Among People Who Inject Drugs: Identifying those at most risk for transmission and opportunities for prevention , Kimberly N. Evans

Making The Case to Improve the Availability and Reliability of Public Health Spending Data: An Examination of Preventive Care Expenditures among High-Income Countries from 2000 to 2019 , Kristy Hayes

Violence against Children and Youth, Adverse Childhood Experiences, and Their Associated Health Outcomes: Global Perspectives from Nigeria, Zambia, and a Systematic Scoping Review , NaeHyung Lee

A Longitudinal Analysis of Trajectories and Predictors of Fidelity Using the SafeCare Parenting Model , Matthew J. Lyons

Epidemiology of Malaria and Other Diseases of Public Health Importance and Implications for Interventions in High Transmission Settings in Sub-Saharan Africa , Leah Moriarty

Expanding U.S. Unintentional Drug Overdose Surveillance Using Novel Data Sources and Analyses , Desiree Mustaquim

Correlates and Contexts of High-Risk Sexual Behaviors Among Youth in the Slums of Kampala: Implications for HIV Prevention and Program Development , Jane B. Palmier

Post-Tuberculosis Metabolic Disease and Mortality Among Patients Treated for Tuberculosis , Argita Salindri

Characterizing Household Preparedness and Emergency Supply Kit Possession in the United States -- 2020-2021 , Amy Helene Schnall

Local Health Department activities to address health disparities: What do public health practitioners view as impactful? , Shaunda Scruggs DrPH

Hypoglycemia in the Hospital and in the U.S. Population , Payal Suresh Shah

Population-level Characterization of Nocardiosis in the United States , Rita M. Traxler

Understanding and Enhancing the Beliefs and Practices of Parent Educators and the Use of Corporal Punishment by Caregivers , Jyll Walsh

Dissertations from 2020 2020

Characterization of Men with Hemophilia B and Factors Associated with Treatment Practices, Participating in the Community Counts Registry from 2014 to 2018. , Fiona M. Bethea

Justice Involvement and Stress in U.S. Adult Women , Joy Burns

Associations of Chronic Infectious and Non-infectious Disease Comorbidities with HIV Clinical Outcomes , Nang Kyaw

Comparative Assessment of Epidemiological Models for Analyzing and Forecasting Infectious Disease Outbreaks , Kimberlyn Roosa

Predictors of Late Stage Cervical Cancer Diagnoses and Disparities in the U.S. (A Closer Look at the Interactions Between Characteristics of Access, Women & Place) , Yamisha Rutherford

Dissertations from 2019 2019

An Epidemiology of Adolescent Obesity in Latin America and the Caribbean , Lynnette A. Ametewee

An Examination of Family and Provider Factors Predicting Behavior Change in Real-World Implementations of a Behavioral Parenting Model , Jessica Brown

The Impact of Child Maltreatment on Suicidal Ideation, Polysubstance Use, and Sexual Risk Behaviors , Rachel Culbreth

Examining the Relationships between Early Sexual Debut and Social Norms, Sexual Behaviors, and Sexual Violence in Nigerian Girls and Young Women , Natasha Deveauuse-Brown

Encouraging Action During Overdose Events – the Good, the Bad, and the Barriers , Thomas Griner

Race, Discrimination, and Substance Use , Dina Jones

Transgender Women's Health: HIV/AIDS and Beyond... , Krishna Kiran Kota

Dissertations from 2018 2018

Social Media Marketing to Encourage HIV Testing among Young Black College Men , Jamal Jones

Factors Associated with Adults’ Perceptions of Nicotine and Nicotine e-Liquid Harm to Young Children and Associations with Nicotine Handling Behaviors in the Home , Catherine Blanchard Kemp

Measuring Parent Engagement in a Group-based Parent-focused Prevention Program (Legacy for Children TM) to Improve Child Development Outcomes , Akilah Heggs Lee

Differences in Exposure to Perfluorocarbons and Renal and Liver Function among Foreign-Born U.S. Residents , Reynolds A. Morrison

Child Maltreatment Victimization and Adolescent Weapon Carrying: Exploring the Role of In-Home Firearm Access and Parent-Child Relationships , Melissa Osborne

Evaluating Racial and Geospatial Disparities and Contextual Factors in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer among Women with Breast Cancer , Lia Scott

Beyond an Epidemic: Examining the Syndemic Relationship between Alcohol, Violence and HIV among Youth Living in the Slums of Kampala , Malikah Waajid

The Impact of Medical Home on Outcomes for Children with Special Health Care Needs , Rebecca Wells

Child Maltreatment-Related Homicides: Examining Characteristics and Circumstances in the Context of Victim-Perpetrator Relationship , Rebecca Wilson

Opioid Misuse Among Students Pursuing Higher Education , Heather A. Zesiger PhD

Dissertations from 2017 2017

Bicycling for Transportation: Health and Destination, Results of a survey of students and employees from a southern urban university , Joseph M. Bryan

An Examination of the Gender Disparities in Receiving Diabetes-specific Healthcare Services , Matthew Jackson

The Concurrent and Longitudinal Associations of Bullying Perpetration, Acceptance of Partner Violence, and Adolescent Dating Violence Perpetration , Alana M. Vivolo-Kantor

The Connection between Marijuana, Cigarette Smoking and Metabolic Syndrome among Adults in the United States , Barbara Yankey

Dissertations from 2016 2016

Machine Learning Approaches for Assessing Moderate-To-Severe Diarrhea in Children , Tracy L. Ayers

Health Literacy in High-Risk Populations , Iris Feinberg

Evidence-based Child Maltreatment Prevention: An Examination of Risk and Novel Approaches , Katelyn Guastaferro

Quality Improvement in Stroke Care and Its Impact: the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry Experience , Moges Ido

Combined Environmental and Social Stressors in Northwest Atlanta's Proctor Creek Watershed: An Exploration of Expert Data and Local Knowledge , Na'Taki Osborne Jelks

Syndromic Surveillance using Poison Center Data: An Examination of Novel Approaches , Kai Yee Law

The Influence of Caregiver Mental Health On Parenting Focused Intervention Service Utilization and Parenting Behavior Change , Tia McGill Rogers

Effects of an Evidence-Based Parenting Program on Physiological Markers of Stress among at-risk Parents for Child Maltreatment , Ashwini Tiwari

Examination of Latin American Community-Based Interventions to Promote Physical Activity in Public Spaces: Analyzing Effectiveness, Applicability and Transferability Across National Contexts , Andrea D. Torres

Access To Care and Social/Community Characteristics and for People Diagnosed and Living with HIV in California, 2014 , William H. Wheeler

Dissertations from 2015 2015

Psychosocial and Oxidative Stress and Health of Adults , Francis Annor

Electronic Cigarettes: Associated Beliefs and Reasons for Use among US Adults , Ban A. Majeed

Exploring Leading Causes of Childhood Morbidity using the Global Enterics Multicenter Study (GEMS), Rural Western Kenya, 2008-2012 , Katharine A. Schilling

Chronic Disease and County Economic Status: Does It Matter Where You Live? , Kate M. Shaw

Arthritis Impact on Employment Participation among U.S. Adults: A Population-based Perspective , Kristina A. Theis

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Unicaf: MSc Public Health for Sept 2022: Research Project 2: Proposal Design and Dissemination

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Welcome to your Research Project 2: Proposal Design and Dissemination  Reading and Resource List. Here you will find your essential and recommended reading, as well as suggested Journals and Online Resources. 

Please be advised that not all of your essential and recommended reading is available through the University of Suffolk. 

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Digital Commons @ USF > College of Public Health > Public Health Practice > Theses and Dissertations

Public Health Theses and Dissertations

Theses/dissertations from 2023 2023.

Needs Assessment for a Web-Based Support Resource for Patients with a Pathogenic Variant in LMNA , Dylan M. Allen

Evaluation of a Story-telling Approach to Educate Minority Populations About Inherited Cancer , Celestyn B. Angot

Using the Genetic Counseling Skills Checklist to Characterize Prenatal Genetic Counseling , David A. Cline

Reframing Resistance, Resilience, and Racial Equity in Maternal Health: A Mixed Methods Exploration of Paternal Involvement and the Racial Disparity in Severe Maternal Morbidity , Marshara G. Fross

Student Perceptions of the Nonmedical Use of Prescription Stimulants and Preferences for Health Education , Ana Gutierrez

Relationships between Leading and Trailing Indicators at Construction Sites in Yanbu Industrial City, Saudi Arabia , Anas H. Halloul

Variability of Air Sampling Results Using Air-O-Cell Cassettes , Christina M. Haworth

Use of Silica Dust and Lunar Simulants for Assessing Lunar Regolith Exposure , Layzamarie Irizarry-Colon

The Aging Workforce: How it Relates to Incident Rates within a Distribution Warehouse and a Chemical Manufacturing Building , Elisabeth V. Jones

Fuzzy KC Clustering Imputation for Missing Not At Random Data , Markku A. Malmi Jr.

Piloting a Spanish-language Web-based Tool for Hereditary Cancer Genetic Testing , Gretter Manso

Development of a ddPCR Multiplex to Measure the Immune Response to Borrelia burgdorferi. , Kailey Marie McCain

A Healthcare Claims Investigation of Parasomnia Epidemiology, Associations with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, and REM Sleep Behavior Disorder Correlates , Anh Thy Ha Nguyen

Diet and Salivary Microbiome on Cardiovascular Risk and Glycemic Control in Participants with and without Type 1 Diabetes: The CACTI Study , Tiantian Pang

Evaluation of Two Methods to Estimate Wet Bulb Globe Temperature from Heat Index , Stephi Pofanl

Intimate Conversations: A Mixed-Methods Study of African American Father-Adolescent Sexual Risk Communication , Shanda A. Vereen

Assessment of ISO Heart Rate Method to Estimate Metabolic Rate , Karl Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Outcomes of a Periodic Exposure Assessment of Workers at a University Campus , Logan M. Armagast

Evaluating the Effect of Public Health Governance Structure and Public Opinion on COVID-19 Disease Control Interventions , Daniel Chacreton

Alpha Synuclein: A therapeutic target and biomarker for Parkinson’s Disease , Max Chase

A Study of Noise Exposures for Amusement Park Employees by Positions and Ride Categories , Danielle M. Dao

Bayesian Network-based Diagnostic Support Tool with Limited Point-of-Care Ultrasound for Work-related Elbow Injuries , Cristina Maria Franceschini Sánchez

Host-Pathogen Coevolution Between Tasmanian Devils (Sarcophilus harrisii) and Devil Facial Tumor Disease , Dylan Garret Gallinson

Measurements of Generalizability and Adjustment for Bias in Clinical Trials , Yuanyuan Lu

Examining the Relationship between Racial Respect among Black Early Childhood Professionals and their Perceptions of Black Children , Kayla Nembhard

Etiology of sterile intra-amniotic inflammation: An exploratory study , Zoe M. Taylor

Evaluating and Improving a Novel Toolkit for Implementation and Optimization of Lynch Syndrome Universal Tumor Screening , Tara M. Wolfinger

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

Exploring Adult Attachment in Intimate Relationships among Women who Were Exposed to Intimate Partner Violence in Childhood: A Convergent Mixed Methods Approach , Ngozichukwuka C. Agu

Comparison of the Effectiveness of Disinfectant-Impregnated Wipes Versus Detergent Wipes for Surface Decontamination , Jacob Amadin

Limited Point of Care Ultrasound Clinical Decision Support Model for Work-related Injuries of the Shoulder Utilizing Bayesian Network , Gwen Marie Ayers

Synthesis of a Multimodal Ecological Model for Scalable, High-Resolution Arboviral Risk Prediction in Florida , Sean P. Beeman

Feasibility of a Virtual Group Nutrition Intervention for Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder , Acadia W. Buro

Defining Codes Based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research in the Context of the Implementing Universal Lynch Syndrome Screening , Jasmine A. Burton-Akright

Americans’ Familiarity, Interest, and Actions with Direct-to-Consumer Genetic Testing , Riley L. Carroll

Does Better A1C Control Worsen Osteoarthritis? An Electronic Health Record Cross-Sectional Study , Sarah C. Cattaneo

Analysis of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Gene Expression Profiles in a Prospective, Community-based Cohort , Jan Dahrendorff

Differential Privacy for Regression Modeling in Health: An Evaluation of Algorithms , Joseph Ficek

Does Time-Weighted Averaging for WBGT and Metabolic Rate Work for Work-Recovery Cycles? , John W. Flach

Screening of Pregnant Women with Opioid Use Disorder: Identifying Factors Impacting Implementation of Screening Recommendations Using the Theoretical Domains Framework , Tara R. Foti

Epigenetic Potential in an Introduced Passerine , Haley E. Hanson

Face Mask Use to Protect Against COVID-19; Importance of Substrate, Fit, and User Tendencies , Evelyn Kassel

Novel Educational Material for Patients with a Variant of Uncertain Significance (VUS) in a Cancer Risk Gene , Meghan E. Kelley

Mechanisms and Mitigation: Effects of Light Pollution on West Nile Virus Dynamics , Meredith E. Kernbach

Seasonality in Competence to Transmit West Nile Virus for a Widespread Reservoir , Kyle L. Koller

Mealtimes in Early Childhood Education Centers During COVID-19: A Mixed-Methods Assessment of Responsibilities, Interactions, and Best Practices , Joanna Mackie

Development and Validation of an Isothermal Amplification Assay for Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus , Mikayla D. Maddison

Evaluating the Development and Implementation of Campus-based Sexual and Interpersonal Violence Prevention Programming , Robyn Manning-Samuels

Bait-and-Kill: Targeting a Novel Heme Biochemical Pathway in Hundreds of Cancers , Christopher G. Marinescu

Acclimatization Protocols and Their Outcomes , Ayub M. Odera

Promoting HPV vaccination with vaccine-hesitant parents using social media: a formative research mixed-method study , Silvia Sommariva

Sleep Diagnoses and Low Back Pain in U.S. Military Veterans , Kenneth A. Taylor

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

Journey Mapping the Minority Student’s Path Toward Genetic Counseling: A Holistic Picture , Tatiana E. Alvarado-Wing

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Distal Upper Extremity Musculoskeletal Disorders , Zachariah T. Brandes-Powell

Do Similar Exposure Groups (SEG) differ from Air Force base to Air Force base? A Combat Arms Training and Maintenance (CATM) noise exposure comparison of Moody AFB and MacDill AFB. , Miriam F. Escobar

Predictors of Premature Discontinuation from Behavioral Health Services: A Mixed Methods Study Guided by the Andersen & Newman Model of Health Care Utilization , Shawna M. Green

Non-invasive Sex Determination and Genotyping of Transgenic Brugia malayi Larvae , Santiago E. Hernandez Bojorge

Does Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Increases the Risk of Preeclampsia Among Primigravid Women? , Astha Kakkad

Evaluating Effects of Cancer Genetic Counseling on Several Brief Patient Impact Measures , Alyson Kneusel

Impact of Heat-Related Illness and Natural Environments on Behavioral Health Related Emergency and Hospital Utilization in Florida , Natasha Kurji

The Quantification of Heavy Metals in Infant Formulas Offered by the Florida WIC Program , Naya Martin

Differences in Knowledge Acquisition, Perceived Engagement and Self-Efficacy in Latino Promotores Delivering the Heart Disease Prevention Program Su Corazόn, Su Vida , Samuel Matos-Bastidas

Spatial and Temporal Determinants Associated with Eastern Equine Encephalitis Virus Activity in Florida , Kristi M. Miley

Using Observations from the UAW-Ford Ergonomic Assessment Tool to Predict Low Back Musculoskeletal Disorders , Colins Nwafor

On the Importance of Context: Examining the Applicability of Infertility Insurance Mandates in the United States Using a Mixed-Methods Study Design , Nathanael B. Stanley

Exploration of Factors Associated with Perceptions of Community Safety among Youth in Hillsborough County, Florida: A Convergent Parallel Mixed-Methods Approach , Yingwei Yang

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

The Ability of the U.S. Military’s WBGT-based Flag System to Recommend Safe Heat Stress Exposures , David R. Almario

The Relationship between Continuous Glucose Monitor (CGM) Derived Metrics and Indices of Glycemic Control , Ryan Bailey

“Man plans but ultimately, God decides”: A Phenomenological Investigation of the Contextual Family Planning Beliefs of Recently Resettled Congolese Refugee Women in West Central Florida. , Linda Bomboka Wilson

‘If He Hits Me, Is That Love? I Don’t Think So’: An Ethnographic Investigation of the Multi-Level Influences Shaping Indigenous Women’s Decision-Making Around Intimate Partner Violence in the Rural Peruvian Andes , Isabella Li Chan

An Assessment of the Role of Florida Pharmacists in the Administration of Inactivated Influenza Vaccine to Pregnant Women , Oluyemisi O. Falope

Epidemiological Analysis of Malaria Decrease in El Salvador from 1955 until 2017 , Tatiana I. Gardellini Guevara

Self-Collected Sampling Methods for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Screening Among College Women: Exploring Patient-Centered Intervention Characteristics , Stacey B. Griner

The Relationship Between Hand and Wrist Musculoskeletal Disorders and Hand Activity and Posture , Warren M. Henry

Speeding Diagnosis and Saving Money Using Point of Care Ultrasound Rather Than MRI for Work-related MSK Injuries , Jared A. Jeffries

Mitigating Barriers to Chronic Disease Risk Factor Prevention and Management in Disadvantaged Communities , Krys M. Johnson

Comparing Family Sharing Behaviors in BRCA Carriers with PALB2 Carriers , Joy E. Kechik

Investigating Air Pollution and Equity Impacts of a Proposed Transportation Improvement Program for Tampa , Talha Kemal Kocak

Exploring Young Women’s Choice to Initiate Use of Long-acting Reversible Contraception: A Mixed Methods Approach , Helen Mahony

Evaluation of Clinical Practices and Needs about Variants of Uncertain Significance Results in Inherited Cardiac Arrhythmia and Inherited Cardiomyopathy Genes , Reka D. Muller

Effects of Medications with Anticholinergic Properties and Opioids on Cognitive Function and Neural Volumetric Changes in Elderly Australians , Malinee Neelamegam

Sundaas Story: A Mixed-Methods Study of Household Sanitation Provisioning in Urban Informal Housing in India , Sarita Vijay Panchang

A Retrospective Study of the Opioid Epidemic and Fentanyl Related Overdose Fatality Cases in a Florida West Coast Medical Examiner District Population , Anne Terese Powell

Using Predicted Heat Strain to Evaluate Sustainable Exposures , Samantha L. Thacker

Isokinetic Sampling Efficiency Differences for Blunt Edge vs Sharp Edge Sampling Probes , Cory A. Treloar

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Investigate Daily Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (emtricitabine/tenofovir DF) Implementation via Community-based HIV Testing Sites in Florida , Deanne E. Turner

“We can learn some things from them, but they can learn some things from us too”: Intergenerational Perceptions of Shared Infant Feeding Information , Alexis L. Woods Barr

Theses/Dissertations from 2018 2018

Comparison of Modeled and Measured Pesticide Concentrations in Air , Trenell Davis Boggans

Effectiveness of Biocide Substitution and Management Plan Implementation for the Control of , Adelmarie Bones

Design, Construction, and Characterization of the University of South Florida Wind Tunnel , Jason S. Garcia

Characterization of Scanning Mobility Particle Sizers For Use With Nanoaerosols , Michael R. Henderson

Validation of the Thermal Work Limit (TWL) Against Known Heat Stress Exposures , Danielle L. Kapanowski

Validation of a New Concept for Measuring Respirable Dusts , Xiao Liu

Occupational Noise Exposure Evaluation of Airline Ramp Workers , Adekunle Ogunyemi

Reduction in Needlestick Injuries Using a Novel Package of Interventions , Kamal Thakor Patel

Ability of the ISO Predicted Heat Strain Method to Predict a Limiting Heat Stress Exposure , Edgar Prieto

Developing the Evidence Base for Mental Health Policy and Services: Inquiries into Epidemiology, Cost-Benefits, and Utilization , Joseph L. Smith

Occupational Sharps Injuries in Medical Trainees at the University of South Florida: A Follow-up Study , Kourtni L. Starkey

Particles in Welding Fumes , Rebecca T. Williams

Theses/Dissertations from 2017 2017

The Effects of Maternal Folate on Fetal Brain and Body Size among Smoking Mothers , Korede K. Adegoke

The Influence of Tropical Forests and Climate Change on the Fates of Select Organic Pollutants in a Jamaican Watershed , Kayon Barrett

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MSc thesis proposal

Master’s thesis proposal checklist, master’s thesis proposal defence, sphs policy on absent committee members for master’s proposal defences, master’s thesis proposal decisions, master’s thesis final defence, sphs policy on absent committee members for msc thesis defence, decision categories for master’s thesis defences.

Once you and your supervisor agree that the written proposal is ready for presentation, there are several steps to follow:

• Contact all members of the thesis committee to determine possible dates and times for the presentation.
• Book a room for a two-hour period (or book a remote videoconference if this option is available) and inform all committee members of the date, time and room booking. The Faculty of Health receptionist can assist with room bookings. The receptionist can also advise you on which rooms are typically booked for proposal presentations. Ultimately, you are responsible for confirming that the room contains all necessary AV equipment for your presentation. If not, then you must book this equipment in advance or change rooms. Please note, IT support is not normally available for remote videoconferencing.
• Complete the MSc Thesis Proposal Notification Form (available on LEARN in the SPHS Research Grad Community Group) and submit it to the graduate coordinator a minimum of three weeks in advance of the proposal. Note: the information provided in the MSc Thesis Proposal Notification Form will be used to draft a LEARN announcement and the thesis proposal paperwork.
• Provide each member of the committee, as well as the graduate coordinator, with a copy of the proposal at least three weeks in advance of the presentation. A PDF is recommended to retain your formatting, although individual committee members may request their copy in Word format.

The graduate coordinator will provide the supervisor with the decision form and a set of guidelines for conducting the defense at least one day before the scheduled defense date. The thesis supervisor chairs the thesis proposal defence, which consists of a 20 minute presentation, followed by two rounds of questions wherein each committee member has a maximum of 15 minutes to ask questions in the first round and a maximum of 10 minutes to ask questions in the second round. Between the first and second round of questions, the student may elect to take a brief break (five minutes maximum). After the question rounds are completed, the student leaves the room or videoconference, and the thesis committee deliberates to reach a decision. Following deliberations, the supervisor will share the decision with the student and indicate the committee’s decision to the graduate research coordinator immediately. If the decision is anything other than Accepted (see below), the supervisor must submit a list of required changes, or reasons for rejections as stipulated for each category above. The supervisor must re-submit the thesis proposal form to the research graduate coordinator once all the changes have been made. The coordinator does not process the form until all changes to the thesis have been made.

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The master's thesis proposal usually outlines the rationale for the research, including a brief review of relevant background, research questions and/or objectives and plans, and a description of the proposed research design, methods, and analysis. Supervisors may have specific content they wish their students to include in the proposals. Please see the LEARN site for the document entitled MSc and PhD Thesis Proposal Guidelines for further information on how the thesis proposal should be formatted. Please note that the page limit for the proposal itself, excluding title page, abstract, work plan, and references, is a maximum of 10 to 12 full pages (single spaced, size 12 font, normal margins). Double-spacing is permitted, in which case the page limit doubles to 20 to 24 full pages. You may add appendices with additional tables, figures, or details.

Both the thesis proposal and final thesis will be defended in oral examinations. The MSc thesis committee (sometimes called the advisory committee) consists of a minimum of three faculty members and includes the student's thesis supervisor and at least one other faculty member from the School of Public Health Sciences (SPHS), which includes faculty who are joint- or cross appointed to the school). One of the three committee members may be from outside the school. A fourth committee member may also be from outside the school if the thesis topic is highly specialized and no current faculty members in SPHS have the requisite expertise.

If a committee member does not have a regular appointment with the University of Waterloo, then they will need to have an adjunct appointment with SPHS to serve on a thesis committee. To obtain adjunct status, the supervisor must provide a written request to the school director, indicating the reason for requesting status, the contributions the adjunct candidate will make to the thesis committee composition/school, and append the adjunct candidate’s CV. These documents will be reviewed by the SPHS executive committee for approval. SPHS adjunct faculty are considered as school members for the purpose of determining the composition of MSc thesis committees.

Students with two supervisors (‘co-supervisors’) will have at least four faculty members on their thesis committees because co-supervisors count as one vote in thesis deliberations.

Master’s theses previously published by SPHS graduates are available online at UW Space .

The thesis supervisor will chair the proposal presentation, questioning period and deliberations.

All committee members are expected to make every attempt to be present at the proposal presentation. ‘Being present’ for in-person defences is defined as being physically present or connecting via videoconference. The defence cannot take place unless at least two committee members, one of whom must be the supervisor or co-supervisor, are present. If one committee member (other than the supervisor) cannot attend and notice thereof is of a ‘last-minute’ nature, the defense may proceed. If this situation is known in advance, the supervisor must contact the absent member and obtain their written questions, expected responses, assessment of proposal acceptability, and suggestions for modifications. The supervisor is responsible for relaying this information during the defence. If a committee member is unable to submit questions in advance or fails to attend as planned due to unforeseen circumstances, the supervisor must obtain written feedback from the absent member prior to reaching a final decision concerning the acceptability of the proposal and permission for the student to proceed with the proposed research.

The supervisor must ensure that all committee members’ concerns (whether present at the proposal or not) are adequately addressed by the student prior to approval of the proposal and permission to proceed. As a means of documenting changes to the original proposal, particularly the methods, the candidate may be asked to develop a brief addendum that is circulated to all members of the committee (and to the graduate coordinator for the student’s file).

Note: If a committee member is unable to continue serving on a thesis committee, then the student and supervisor are responsible for finding a replacement.

• Accepted: The thesis proposal may require typographical or minor editorial corrections to be made to the satisfaction of the supervisor.
• Accepted conditionally: The thesis proposal requires more substantive changes but will be acceptable when these changes are made to the satisfaction of those members of the committee designated by the committee. The supervisor’s report will include a brief outline of the nature of the changes required, the maximum timeline of two months * , and the consequences (examination failure † ) if the changes are not made satisfactorily. The supervisor must inform the graduate coordinator when the changes are complete. The thesis proposal acceptance form will not be processed until the graduate coordinator is so notified.
• Decision deferred: The thesis proposal requires modifications of a substantial nature that make the acceptability of the thesis questionable. The supervisor’s report will contain a brief outline of the modifications expected and the date by which the changes are to be completed. The revised thesis must be resubmitted for re-examination following the process described in Master’s thesis proposal checklist above. The re-examination will follow the same procedures as for the initial submission except that the display period may be reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the associate director, graduate studies. Typically, the same committee will serve. A decision to defer is open only once for each candidate.

*The associate director may approve an extension to the two-month deadline under extenuating circumstances, at the request of the student and supervisor. Back to text

† In the case of examination failure because of not making required revisions, the student will be Required to Withdraw from the program. Back to text

If the decision is for a conditional acceptance (category 2), the designated committee members must be satisfied that the changes requested of the student have been made to their satisfaction.

If the decision is deferred (category 3), the student will go to re-examination. When a candidate is re-examined, the outcomes are limited to:

• Rejected: the candidate will be deemed to have failed to satisfy the program’s proposal exam requirement. In this case, the student shall receive written communication identifying the deficiencies in the proposal that led to this outcome.    

A student who is deemed to have failed to satisfy the proposal requirement (Rejected) may not continue in the current MSc program. The student’s will be Required to Withdraw.

The outcome of the exam is determined by the majority vote of the thesis committee. Those members of the thesis committee who are voting members shall be clearly communicated to the candidate.

Once your committee decides you are ready to proceed to defence, please follow these steps.

• Contact all members of the committee re: available dates and times.
• Book a room for at least a two-hour period for the date and time agreed to by all committee members (or book a videoconference). Notify all committee members of room and time.
• Complete the Thesis Defence Notification Form (available on LEARN in SPHS Research Grad Community Group) and return this form to the graduate coordinator or research assistant a minimum of three weeks prior to the scheduled defence.
• Provide each member of the committee as well as the graduate coordinator with a copy of the thesis at least three weeks in advance of the defence date. The graduate coordinator will announce the upcoming thesis defence and place a copy of the thesis on public display via LEARN for at least two weeks prior to the scheduled defence.

Note: notwithstanding agreement between the student and thesis committee, Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs (GSPA) strongly discourages holding thesis defences during holiday periods or close to the end of term.

The supervisor can retrieve a set of guidelines for conducting the defense from LEARN. Supervisors are to familiarize themselves with the relevant standard operating procedures prior to the defense. The thesis supervisor chairs the thesis proposal defence, which consists of a 20 minute presentation, followed by two rounds of questions. In the first round, each committee member has a maximum of 15 minutes to ask questions. In the second round, each committee member has a maximum of 10 minutes. Between the first and second round of questions, the student may elect to take a brief break (five minutes maximum). After the question rounds are completed, the student leaves the room or videoconference, and the thesis committee deliberates to reach a decision. Following deliberations, the supervisor will share the decision with the student and indicate the committee’s decision to the graduate research coordinator immediately. The c oordinator will collect the necessary signatures from the committee. If the decision is anything other than Accepted (see below), the supervisor must submit a list of required changes, or reasons for rejections as stipulated for each category above. The supervisor must re-submit a proposal decision once the necessary conditions have been met. The coordinator does not process any administrative documents until all changes to the thesis have been made.

The policy of SPHS is that no more than one committee member, and not the thesis supervisor, may be absent for the MSc thesis defence to take place. The absent member must be contacted in advance by the thesis supervisor and submit the following to the thesis supervisor and associate director, graduate studies at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled defence: a list of questions, expected responses, a final recommendation (refer to decision categories below), and a list of required revisions (if necessary). Questions from an absent committee member will be read by the supervisor (and shall be submitted via email). Note: the supervisor should email a description of the decision categories to the absent member. In contrast to the proposal defence, feedback from an absent committee member cannot be submitted after the defence has taken place. If the above stipulations cannot be met, the defence will have to be cancelled and rescheduled. If the defense is being held in person, then a committee member may attend remotely via videoconference and be considered ‘present’ for the purpose of this requirement.

If a committee member fails to attend as scheduled, allow at least 30 minutes to pass and have someone attempt to contact the individual. If 30 minutes have elapsed and no contact has been made, then the chair/supervisor should consult the associate director, graduate studies or the associate dean, graduate studies. In most cases, the defence will have to be rescheduled.

• Accepted: The thesis may require typographical or minor editorial corrections to be made to the satisfaction of the supervisor.
• Accepted conditionally: The thesis requires more substantive changes but will be acceptable when these changes are made to the satisfaction of those members of the committee designated by the committee. The supervisor’s report will include a brief outline of the nature of the changes required, the maximum timeline of two months ** , and the consequences (examination failure †† ) if the changes are not made satisfactorily. The supervisor must inform the graduate coordinator when the changes are complete. The thesis acceptance form will not be processed until the graduate coordinator is so notified.
• Decision deferred: The thesis requires modifications of a substantial nature which makes the acceptability of the thesis questionable. The supervisor’s report will contain a brief outline of the modifications expected, the date by which the changes are to be completed, and the consequences if the changes are not made satisfactorily. The re-examination will follow the same procedures as for the initial submission except that the display period may be reduced or eliminated at the discretion of the associate director, graduate studies. Typically, the same committee will serve. A decision to defer is open only once for each candidate.
• Rejected: The thesis is rejected.

**The associate director, graduate studies may approve an extension to the two-month deadline under extenuating circumstances, at the request of the student and supervisor. Back to text

†† In the case of examination failure because of not making required revisions, the student will be Required to Withdraw from the program. Back to text

The chair may retrieve a copy of the thesis defense prior to the defence. Following deliberations of the examining committee, and upon reaching a decision on the thesis (as described above), the chair will communicate the committee’s decision to the graduate coordinator. All committee members present the day of the defence will sign the examination report form electronically. If the decision is other than Accepted, the chair must also submit a list of required changes, or reasons for rejections as stipulated for each category above.

If the decision is for a conditional acceptance (category 2), the designated committee members must be satisfied that the changes requested of the student have been made to their satisfaction. The supervisor will then sign on behalf of the committee to indicate that the thesis is now considered accepted. Then the associate director, graduate studies and associate dean, graduate studies will give their approval. The student can then apply to graduate in Quest.

If the decision is deferred, the student will go to re-examination. When a candidate is re-examined, the outcomes are limited to:

• Rejected: the candidate will be deemed to have failed to satisfy the MSc thesis milestone and they will receive written communication from the supervisor identifying the deficiencies in the proposal that led to this outcome. The student’s status will change to Required to Withdraw.

The supervisor and chair must clearly communicate to the graduate research coordinator if an embargo is to be placed on a student thesis.

Research Topics & Ideas: Public Health

50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research Project

If you’re just starting out exploring public health and/or epidemiology-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research by providing a hearty list of research ideas , including examples from recent studies in public health and epidemiology.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . These topic ideas provided here are intentionally broad and generic , so keep in mind that you will need to develop them further. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan to fill that gap. If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Public Health-Related Research Topics

• Evaluating the impact of community-based obesity prevention programs in urban areas.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of public smoking bans on respiratory health outcomes.
• Investigating the role of health education in reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The impact of air pollution on asthma rates in industrial cities.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of school nutrition programs on childhood obesity rates.
• The role of public health policies in addressing mental health stigma.
• Analyzing the impact of clean water access on infectious disease rates in rural communities.
• The effectiveness of needle exchange programs in reducing the spread of hepatitis C.
• Investigating the impact of social determinants on maternal and child health in low-income neighborhoods.
• The role of digital health interventions in managing chronic diseases.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs on employee health and productivity.
• The impact of urban green spaces on community mental health.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases.
• The role of public health initiatives in reducing alcohol-related harm.
• Analyzing the impact of aging populations on healthcare systems.
• Analyzing the impact of urbanization on mental health disorders in metropolitan areas.
• The effectiveness of telemedicine services in improving healthcare access in remote regions.
• Investigating the health impacts of electronic waste recycling practices.
• The role of health literacy in managing non-communicable diseases in aging populations.
• Evaluating the public health response to opioid addiction in rural communities.
• Analyzing the relationship between housing quality and respiratory illnesses.
• The effectiveness of community engagement in improving reproductive health services.
• Investigating the health effects of long-term exposure to low-level environmental radiation.
• The role of public health campaigns in reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among teenagers.
• Analyzing the impact of food deserts on nutritional outcomes in urban communities.

Epidemiology Research Ideas (Continued)

• Investigating the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections in hospital settings.
• The impact of climate change on the spread of vector-borne diseases.
• Evaluating the factors contributing to the rise in type 2 diabetes prevalence.
• Analyzing the epidemiology of mental health disorders in conflict zones.
• The role of epidemiological surveillance in pandemic preparedness and response.
• Investigating the link between environmental exposures and the incidence of childhood cancers.
• The impact of dietary patterns on the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of intervention strategies in controlling obesity epidemics.
• Analyzing the spread and control of zoonotic diseases in rural communities.
• The role of genetic factors in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases.
• Investigating the socio-economic disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes.
• The impact of urbanization on the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
• Evaluating the public health consequences of occupational exposures to hazardous substances.
• Analyzing the trends and determinants of mental health disorders among adolescents.
• The role of lifestyle factors in the epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Investigating the patterns of mental health service utilization during economic recessions.
• The epidemiology of sports-related concussions in youth athletics.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions in reducing the spread of tuberculosis in high-risk populations.
• Analyzing the geographic distribution of Lyme disease in relation to climate change.
• The role of international travel in the spread of emerging infectious diseases.
• Investigating the demographic predictors of chronic kidney disease in population-based studies.
• The epidemiological impact of air pollution on asthma and other respiratory conditions.
• Evaluating the long-term health effects of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
• Analyzing the incidence and risk factors of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders.
• The role of socioeconomic status in the prevalence and management of diabetes.

Recent Studies: Public Health & Epidemiology

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual studies in the public health and epidemiology space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies,  so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Tutorials in population neuroimaging: Using epidemiology in neuroimaging research (Godina et al., 2022)
• Application of Big Data in Digital Epidemiology (Naaz & Siddiqui, 2022)
• Response to comment on: Incidence of ocular and systemic disease affecting visual function among state bus drivers (Kohli et al., 2022)
• Why epidemiology is incomplete without qualitative and mixed methods (Lane-Fall, 2023)
• Teaching epidemiology: An overview of strategies and considerations (Hossain, 2022)
• Social Epidemiology: Past, Present, and Future (Roux, 2022)
• Population health assessment project: An innovative strategy for teaching principles of epidemiology (Keen et al., 2022)
• The functions of veterinary epidemiology in public health (Shaffi, 2023)
• Readying the Applied Epidemiology Workforce for Emerging Areas of
• Public Health Practice (Daly et al., 2022)
• Some Social Epidemiologic Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic (Schnake-Mahl & Bilal, 2023)
• The Filth Disease: Typhoid Fever and the Practices of Epidemiology in Victorian England by Jacob Steere-Williams (review) (Steere-Williams et al., 2022)
• Epidemiology of Adult Obesity, Measurements, Global Prevalence and Risk Factors (Orukwowu, 2022).
• Which disciplines form digital public health, and how do they relate to each other? (Pan, 2022)
• Information Flow and Data Gaps in COVID-19 Recording and Reporting at National and Provincial Levels in Indonesia (Barsasella et al., 2022). Epidemiology Blog of Neal D. Goldstein, PhD, MBI (Goldstein, 2023)
• Sensitivity analysis of SEIR epidemic model of Covid 19 spread in Indonesia (Rangkuti et al., 2022)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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FBMH 2021-22

Student Handbooks

Dissertation Handbook Masters in Public Health and Masters of Research Public Health/Primary Care 

Academic Year 2021/22

This handbook is for those of you embarking on the 60 credit dissertation of the MPH or the 90 credit dissertation of the MRes in Public Health/Primary Care. Refer to Blackboard MPH Programme Community / Dissertation and Critical Review for additional guidance and support. Use this handbook in conjunction with the Programme Handbook ( MPH and MRes ) and Faculty/University regulations .

Important Contacts

Introduction.

This handbook accompanies the main MPH/MRes Programme Handbook and other programme and University information. It is essential that students understand the requirements and expectations as set out in these documents, to support their academic studies. Please be aware that the requirements, pathways and options regarding the dissertation have changed for existing and new students at the start of September 2021 . These changes are included in this Handbook. Additional resources provided in Blackboard/ MPH Programme Community /Dissertation and Critical Literature Review. Be sure you understand the following:

Online resources

An introduction to the dissertation is given as part of the programme Induction .

There is a section in Blackboard in the MPH Community Space that provides further information and resources with regards to the dissertation. We strongly recommend ALL students explore the range of resources that we have created for them in this part of Blackboard/MPH Programme Community/Dissertations and Critical Literature Review.

Online tutorials/webinars

Students starting their dissertation or Critical Literature Review are encouraged to attend the following. The value of these sessions will be increased as more students participate directly. Sessions will be recorded but please make every effort to attend some of these. The Masterclass Series will be of direct value to MPH/MRes students:

The sessions below will focus on more generic study-skills workshops relevant to key milestones in the dissertation/critical literature review.

Please note that occasionally it may be necessary to change times at short notice. Therefore it is important that students check their university emails and the Announcements section in Blackboard and the Dissertation discussion board found in Blackboard/MPH Programme Community/Discussion Boards.

MPH vs. MRes

To complete the requirements for an MPH or MRes, students need to accomplish a pass across 180 credits. The balance between dissertation and course units required is shown below:

Intended Learning Outcomes

What is a master’s dissertation.

A master’s dissertation is a focused, critical and reflective body of writing that seeks to add to the understanding and knowledge of a particular problem or question. It is an opportunity for you to expand your knowledge and expertise in an area of study. To pass your dissertation, you will need to show your ability to provide in-depth, critical and reflective thinking, relevant to the focus of the dissertation. It is your own work and not that of your supervisor . The role of your supervisor is to support your learning experience but not to do the thinking for you. Appendix X shows an example of a marking framework currently used to assess dissertations.

In the UK, the requirements for a master’s degree are defined by the Quality Assurance Higher Education Agency. The following insert includes those sections of particular relevance to your dissertation. You will see the emphasis on the need to demonstrate critical application and reflection.

Types of Dissertations

The MPH/MRes programme aims to address the needs of public health professionals now and in the future. Reflecting this, along with student feedback, the dissertation unit includes a number of different approaches with regards to the type of dissertation and methodology. Further guidance on these is given in the Appendices. The different approaches (sometimes referred to as options or framework) are:

Note that all of the options are suitable for both quantitative and qualitative methods. Students are encouraged to read the detail given in the Appendices for all of the possible options, as some of the information will be helpful for more than one. Each option is marked using the same grading categories, and one is not easier than another (although of course, students differ in terms of their abilities, and like any assignment, will find some easier to complete than others).

Marking Framework

Appendix X provides information regarding the marking framework and guidelines. This is exactly as what will be given to the examiners. At the beginning of the unit it is helpful for students to understand the marking criteria and allocation of marks for a completed dissertation. This will enable students to develop a better sense and understanding of what they need to produce in order to pass, and achieve a higher mark. The Appendices include information about the criteria associated with different marking bands, and an example of a specific marking sheet. The mark sheet will how the total marks available for a dissertation are divided across a number of different categories. This information applies to both MPH and MRes students.

External partner project opportunities

Each year there are a limited number of opportunities for MPH or MRes students to undertake a dissertation project with either a researcher based in the team at The University of Manchester, or one of our external partners.

The partner project initiative is coordinated by Greg Williams ( [email protected] ) and Christine Greenhalgh ( [email protected] ) If you are interested in working with a researcher, or an external partner for your dissertation then please contact both of them at the earliest opportunity. There are only a limited number of places available each year and these cannot be guaranteed .

Researchers or external partners may be able to provide you with research ideas, data and/or access to expert practitioners. You will still be allocated a University of Manchester supervisor to oversee your dissertation and must follow all guidance as outlined in this handbook in addition to the standard university regulations as part of your programme as a whole.

To give you an example of the kind of opportunities that may be available, our external partners in the year 2020-21 have been:

• Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership / Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust
• Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Public Health England
• The TRUUD Consortium

It is the intention for additional partners, including international partnerships to be added in due course.  Information on these will be available through the usual student communications. We are also happy to look for potential partnerships based on your interests/skills, where we may already have an ongoing relationship.

Partnership projects – things to consider

It is worth considering that depending on the partner and the project proposal, some additional, potentially time-consuming, requirements may need to be addressed. For instance, a data sharing agreement, data storage needs, and/or ethical approvals. While none of these issues would preclude you from undertaking a project, they may mean that such a project is not right for you.

Although the partnership projects can be a great opportunity for you to make external connections and produce work that is of value beyond your dissertation, it is important to remember that your dissertation is the number one priority. This means that any unforeseen circumstances, such as delays in data collection, must be thought about in your planning and cannot be used as mitigating circumstances . Remember that organisations may have different competing priorities to yours and timescales might end up being different to those initially agreed. Therefore students need to ensure that they will be able to adopt their initial ideas into a suitable dissertation, even if changes in the partnership relationship and priorities change over this period . The academic supervisor can help guide and suggest possible solutions such as recommending a change in the format of the dissertation to accommodate any challenges and necessary changes

Please make contact with Greg and Christine to discuss this further.

Research Ethics and Governance

ALL dissertation students and their supervisors need to adhere to correct research governance, and research ethics. Detailed information is given on the University website at University ethical approval | The University of Manchester

Students and their supervisors are responsible for ensuring that the correct governance (including ethics) approval has been secured and then adhered to as research is carried out. Some of these requirements are not just for students collecting new data (primary research), but apply to analysis of existing data too. Even a research grant proposal option would need a section dedicated to this topic.

Three sources for external information include:

Information Commissioner’s Office

NHS Health Research Authority

Medical Research Council information on good research practice

Research Ethics Online Decision Tool

All students need to use the online ethics decision tool to determine if their work will require ethical approval. A screenshot of the final decision from this decision tool (it does not produce a document) needs to be taken and included in an Appendix in the submitted dissertation: – UREC Decision Tool

Students also need to submit evidence that they sought permission to access and use any data and information from within a specific organisation, even if formal ethical approval is not required. This applies if the information is not in the public domain (but see the sections above if it is to do with NHS or equivalent data, or data considered to be ‘sensitive’ in nature) . This needs to be from a Director / senior manager, on letter headed paper, signed and sent as a PDF to the students’ academic supervisor. It is good practice for a copy of this to be included in an Appendix in their dissertation.

The key message is – all students need to ensure they understand and adhere to the international principles of good research conduct. Therefore students need to read the information on ethics and governance on the main university webpage, and then complete the UREC Decision Tool.

When must students start the dissertation unit?

• Full-time students start along with the individual taught units, towards the beginning of the academic year. Students often spend a few weeks settling into the programme, before submitting ideas for the dissertation (see Section Submitting Ideas).
• Part-time students on the 2 year route start in their second year.
• Part-time students on the 3-5 year route will normally start their dissertation after successful completion of their taught units (8 units for MPH and 6 units for MRes).

Deadline for submitting the completed dissertation

All students must submit their completed dissertation in the first week in September at the end of the academic year within which they registered to start the dissertation unit. Note that the academic year runs from September to September. Therefore, full time and part time students starting the dissertation in the academic year September 21/22 must meet the final submission date of 12:00 noon BST on Monday the 05th of September 2022.

Process Flow Chart

The following figure shows the route through the dissertation year. Note that once a student registers to start the dissertation unit, they must submit by the forthcoming September.

Do not leave it too late

Submitting your ideas

Students need to complete a short proposal form to indicate the title and a very brief outline of what they will be focusing on. There are five fixed dates when students can submit the proposal form. Proposals will not be processed between these dates. These dates reflect the academic timetable, and help account for assessment times and holidays. However, make sure you plan as much time as possible for working on your actual dissertation. The earlier you start in the academic year, the better.

Proposal Form Submission Dates

The following table shows the dates available for students to submit their dissertation proposal, explained above.

Academic Supervision 

Students will be allocated an academic supervisor soon after completing the process above. Students then need to make contact with, and introduce themselves to their allocated supervisor.

Role of the Supervisor

The role of the supervisor is to support a student’s academic development. Remember the dissertation is the work of the student and not that of the supervisor. Students will have different needs for support and guidance. Some of the areas a supervisor might help with include:

• Helping students to develop a meaningful time plan for the months ahead
• Supporting the development of the structure of the dissertation in terms of sections and themes that it includes
• Giving constructive feedback on sections of written work/preliminary drafts. This includes feedback on the general style of writing, appropriate use of references, and the depth of critique/appraisal that the work contains and relevance to the original aims and objectives of the work

In addition:

• Supervisors aim to give feedback to students within 2 weeks of submitting drafts. As a result, it is important that students plan their time and allow for the return time for feedback on their work
• Please do not expect supervisors to be able to give feedback very close to the submission date. Also, this would not provide enough time for students to respond to their comments
• Supervisors are expected to provide around 20 hours of support for dissertation students. This includes reviewing student drafts and individual meetings.

N.B Supervisors are asked to let students know if they will be taking annual leave in August/early September. This will help students plan their work and when supervisory support can be provided. It is a good idea for students to clarify this with their supervisor.

Maximising Supervision

Students are encouraged to maximise the opportunities for support from their academic supervisor. A few suggestions to facilitate this include:-

• Send supervisors an email as a way of introduction, a time plan, and any immediate concerns/support needs
• Identify specific queries or questions as a way of preparing for a discussion/meeting with the supervisor
• Have a good awareness of the marking template used to assess the final written work (see end of document). Knowing the assessment criteria helps guide a student’s work and supervisory discussion
• Make the supervisor aware of any difficulties affecting the ability to study. Students do not need to specify the detail, but enough to help the supervisor signpost the student to other sources of support. At the same time, it is helpful for any students with issues impacting on their studies, to let [email protected] know.
• Raise any issues associated with supervision by contacting [email protected] or [email protected]

Additional support

All students are encouraged to utilise the My Learning Essentials packages provided through the online UoM library. There are also helpful resources provided in the MPH Programme Community relevant to both the dissertation and the Critical Literature Review.

Students are strongly encouraged to draft and share a plan for the academic year with their supervisor. This will help them to develop a realistic understanding of the amount of time required to achieve key milestones over the months ahead. Working back from the final submission date is a good way to appreciate what needs to be done, to meet the final submission date.

Always let [email protected] and your supervisor know of issues impeding your studies so that they can make a record and provide support.  

Word Counts

The dissertation has a word count limit, specified as a range. This differs for the MPH and the MRes as shown below:-

• As a general guide, the Abstract needs to be around 300 words
• The student needs to indicate the final word count , at the top of the cover (first page) page the dissertation. This will be based on the inclusions and exclusions as described below. Breaching the upper word limit can incur penalties and marks can be deducted

Inclusions, Exclusions & Penalties

Detailed information about word counts, what is and is not included, marking penalties and the marking framework used for assessment, is given in the Appendices .

Dealing with your own publications/presentations

Students are encouraged to disseminate work associated with their academic studies, including the dissertation. This can include publications in printed and online journals, blogs, textbooks and conference presentations. However, steps need to be taken to avoid academic malpractice. Before submitting a dissertation, it is important for students to reference any publication (or work formally accepted for publication) that directly relates to the dissertation. This means students will need to reference their own published/presented work, if aspects of this are included in the dissertation. Failing to do so puts the student at risk of academic malpractice, including plagiarism. Furthermore, students must not directly copy and use the same material in their dissertation that is presented in a publication

Use of appendices in the dissertation

Information in the appendices is not marked by the examiner and is not included in the word count. Therefore, whatever you include in the appendices must not form a considerable component of the dissertation itself and no marks are attached to these.

However, for a dissertation, it can be of general interest to include items that are indirectly related to the main body of the dissertation. For example:

• A copy of a questionnaire created by the student (but this would not be marked)
• A copy of the complete data analysis output (such as from Stata/SPSS) (but this would not be marked)
• A copy of the full search strategy as used in Ovid, Pubmed, etc. (but this would not be marked). However, students will still need to evidence of the results of your actual search in the main part of the dissertation. This is to show how successful your search was, the type of information/studies retrieved, and the number. This is especially important when conducting a systematic review, but applicable to other dissertation formats too.

As the appendices are not marked , students must ensure that information central to the dissertation is included in the main part of the written sections. Therefore, with regard to the three examples in the list above, more specific detail and explanation might be better placed in the main part of the dissertation, otherwise it would not be included in the formal marks.

Formatting/layout

The University has a number of important requirements regarding the way in which the written dissertation is laid out. For the main text, double or 1.5 spacing with a minimum font size of 12 must be used; single-spacing may be used for quotations, footnotes and references. A number of preliminary pages need to be included too, specific to the programme of study..

Adhering to a clear and consistent presentation format can facilitate the marking process and students can lose valuable marks if their presentation is poor. The examples of previous dissertations, included in Blackboard, can help direct students to appropriate styles to use.

Further guidance for the presentation of dissertations is available here .  

About the author

Students are encouraged to include a short section in the preliminary section called ‘About the author’ – writing a couple of paragraphs about the student’s background/current role, helps the marker see a bigger picture. However, it does not influence the marks awarded/adherence to the marking framework

Referencing

The use of referencing will be assessed by the examiners. On this programme, the preferred referencing style is Harvard . However, Vancouver is acceptable. Students must correctly reference their work. Poor approaches to referencing can suggest academic malpractice. Guidance can be found on academic writing and referencing in the Study Skills course within the MPH Programme Community space in Blackboard and from the University My Learning Essentials.

It is essential that students develop the referencing they write their dissertation. There are a number of free online and cloud-based programmes to facilitate this process (including Endnote and Mendeley). Please ensure that the final reference list is produced correctly, especially if you are using an automated process, through Endnote/Mendeley for example. Sometimes software can cause final problems with this as part of the upload process. Therefore producing a final .PDF document might be preferable.

Students need to submit one electronic copy of the dissertation through Blackboard (similar to a course unit assignment). Printed copies of the dissertation are not needed .

Where to submit

The place to submit the electronic copy is in Blackboard in the MPH Programme Community space under My Communities . This is indicated in the diagram below:-

All students are encouraged to consider ways to disseminate aspects of their work. This can include a blog post, presentation, or more formal dissemination such as publication in an academic journal. This can also enhance a student’s CV and contribute to their career development. A publication could take on any number of formats including:

• A commentary/editorial
• A study report
• A case report
• A letter to the editor

Publishing/presenting your work

Students can discuss potential publication with Roger Harrison/Andrew Jones. They will have ideas about the suitability of your work, the relevant journals, and what aspects to focus on. Students can also ask if their supervisor could help with this work, although that is outside of the main supervision role.  Students are asked to acknowledge in any dissemination that the work was associated with the MPH/MRes. We are always keen to know what/how students do in relation to their MPH/MRes. Therefore, please send information regarding any successful publications, even if that occurred after graduation, to [email protected] Further, information on any career progression or grant funding, that was influenced by the MPH/MRes, is always good to hear about.

Appendix I – Research Grant Proposal

This option is likely to appeal to students who have identified the need for a particular area of research or those keen to develop a research project after completing their postgraduate degree. It may also be helpful for students looking to start a research focused course of study in the future (such as a PhD). Some aspects of this option will reflect the requirements for formal proposals such as those to the Medical Research Council (MRC) or the Economic & Social Research Council (ESRC). Remember that you will be assessed against the marking framework included as an appendix in this handbook. Therefore, your dissertation will need to contain appropriate critical appraisal and reflective thinking at appropriate sections in the dissertation.

The course units Practical Statistics for Population Health, Fundamentals of Epidemiology, Evidence Based Practice, Qualitative Research Methods and Economic Evaluation in Healthcare may be of particular relevance to this option. 

This can apply to Quantitative AND Qualitative methodology and likely to consist of three broad sections, broken down into individual chapters.

A) Lay Abstract. The Research Grant Proposal will need to have a Lay Abstract in replacement of a more academic/scientific abstract. The suggested word count for abstracts is 300 words. Resources for examples are included here:

(a) How to Write a Lay Summary | DCC

(b) How to write a lay summary – research grants | BHF

B) Case for support . This section needs to show:

i) Why does this particular research need to be done?

ii) Why should resources be dedicated to this topic and what gaps in knowledge does the research seek to address?

iii) How might it lead to an improvement in a particular setting/context/population?

You will clearly formulate the problem, setting it in context of scientific and/or theoretical debates. You need to show how it is relevant to trying to improve the health of a particular group of people or locality. This section will include a detailed critique of existing literature relating to the topic and bring in other information to highlight the case for support. You will acknowledge and critique existing studies or data sources and explain the problems with these – in other words, why more research is needed. It is important to reflect on the implications of the proposed research in terms of future healthcare policy/planning or interventions and how it might benefit potential users of your findings. Thus you could include at some point in the dissertation a clear dissemination policy of your findings.

C) Research/study methods. The detailed study design must be directly related to your stated primary and secondary objectives and capable of answering the proposed research question. Whilst you are not asked to go on and do the actual study, the proposal must be related to current circumstances and existing evidence – it must be a study design that could actually be carried out in practice. You will give a clear rationale for the particular elements of the research project, using appropriate references to support specific parts of your study design. For example, your methods of sampling (if relevant) and evidence to support the sample size for the project need to be clearly justified. Similarly you need to justify your choice of data collection methods/measurement tools, and what can be expected in terms of response rates. Part of the study design will include an analysis plan of your collected data. It is not sufficient to just say that “methods suitable for continuous data will be used” for example – you need to give a detailed plan and again support your methods.

• A section on resources/costings is required . Here you need to provide information on the direct costs to carry out the research project. For example, how many community workers will interview people and how much will it cost to employ them? This section must be realistic, set in a particular context/country and where possible, supported with evidence. This will coincide with a detailed time plan which can be helpful to present as a Gantt chart.
• All research needs to follow accepted ethical principles such as the Declaration of Helsinki and research governance. Whilst these may vary across different countries, remember that your final postgraduate award (if successful) is from the University of Manchester – as such you would be expected to show your understanding and application of research ethics and governance expected from research conducted in the United Kingdom and apply this as appropriate to your own setting. This will include an assessment of risks to different stakeholders and how you have tried to minimise any risks, including contingency plans, in your research design.

D) Discussion. The discussion section is one of the most important parts of any dissertation. Here you need to reflect on the relevance/importance of your research question and of your proposed research design. This can bring in some of the wider literature/evidence to develop arguments to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of your proposed research. You can discuss and reflect on some aspects of the study design, including a critique of your methods, and show how you have tried to use rigorous methods for your research that reflect the body of existing knowledge in that area. Research rarely goes to plan and you can show how you have considered some of the potential difficulties in completing the research and how you have tried to overcome these in your proposal. Whilst you will not have any actual findings to discuss, you can postulate what these might be and the implications of a positive or null-finding from your research in terms of service delivery/health policy for example.

Other sections are likely to include references, appendices etc.

Please note that the Marking Framework for this option includes one difference to that used for all the other dissertations: because there will not be any ‘results’, the marks allocated for this on other dissertation frameworks, have been added to the criteria sections ‘Design of the study’ and ‘Discussion’.

Bibliography.

Chapman, S & Mcneill, P. (2003). Research Methods . London. Routledge.  

Bowling, A. (2011). Research Methods in Health: investigating health and health services. Buckingham. Open University Press.

Crosby R. DiClemente RJ & Salazar LF. (2006). Research Methods in Health Promotion . San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.

Ulin, P, Robinson ET & Tolley EE. (2004). Qualitative Methods in Public Health: A Field Guide for Applied Research .  San Francisco. Jossey-Bass.

How to Write a Research Proposal

Medical Research Council – guidance on grant applications

The Economic & Social Research Council

Appendix II – A new research study/project

The dissertation provides an opportunity for MPH and MRes students to collect new, primary data (i.e. conduct a research study/project). This is of particular interest for students who intend to pursue a research-focused career, or one with a strong element of this within. The research study can be based on any suitable methodology but one which is agreed by the student’s supervisor

Embarking on a new research study/project can be a practically challenging task. All students need to do background work to ensure that the study can be completed within the timescales of the dissertation.

Students are responsible for establishing their own research study. However, this can be part of the partnerships, as discussed earlier in this handbook, or students can join an existing research programme that is running elsewhere.

Identifying and if relevant, gaining research ethical approval is a key criteria, and students will not be able to proceed unless this has been secured where needed. This will include ethical approval from the University of Manchester, in addition to that which might be needed outside of the university setting (e.g. for research within the context of the NHS).

Students wishing to pursue a primary research project will need to discuss their ideas and approach with Greg.Williams@Manchester or [email protected] in advance.

Additional guidance about the suitable research design, and structure for the dissertation can be gleaned from reading other sections in this handbook.

Appendix III – Quantitative Analysis of Existing Data

This option takes the format of a quantitative research project. It provides an opportunity for students to collect new, primary data (i.e. conduct a research study) or to analyse data from an existing data set to which they can access. For primary data you are likely to require ethics approval. For secondary data you must demonstrate permission to access and use the data for the purposes of your dissertation with a formal letter from the person/organisation responsible for the data. You will also need to provide assurance that any original consent attached to the data does not preclude you from using the data for your dissertation.

Sources of data are likely to include routine datasets/surveillance information, such as those accessed from the World Health Organisation (WHO) or national surveys such as the Health Survey for England. In some circumstances, you might have access to more locally based sources of data, such as routine statistics from a health care provider. It is also possible to use data from an established research project that you have been involved with.

The course units Practical Statistics for Population Health, and Fundamentals of Epidemiology, will be of particular relevance to this option.

A quantitative research report for the dissertation will include the following sections. These are usually presented in the form of individual chapters:

• Introduction, Background & Critical Review of Existing Literature . These sections will cover similar issues/areas to those highlighted in the Case for Support in the option of Research Grant Proposal, on the previous page.
• Methods & Study Design . You will need to provide a detailed plan, and justification for your proposed methods of analysis. In addition, you will need to provide a detailed description of the data set, including how the information was obtained, over what time period, using what methods, who was invited to participate and who actually took part. You will also need to be clear about the aims of the main data set/research project, AND of your specific aims that you are seeking to address in the dissertation. This will be followed by your proposal to answer those questions yourself using all or part of the dataset. In a way, you might be carrying out a study nested within a much larger information/research project. At some point in your dissertation you will need to give attention to the integrity of the data, and how reliable it might be.
• Analysis & Results . This will form a key part of your dissertation, along with the other sections. Before starting the analysis, you will need to spend time exploring and examining the data. You will need to check and report on data quality and any management required to present them in a workable format for your dissertation. Do not underestimate the time involved in the data cleaning and preparation stage. In the analysis you will need to justify any deviances to your original plan and be clear about any assumptions that you make. In presenting your results, think about the most effective ways to present and communicate your findings. Remember that you want to capture key findings from the study in a clear and meaningful way; otherwise the reader will find it difficult to identify what you found. However, there is a balance to be had in terms of the number of tables, charts and graphs. Focus on presenting what the reader needs to know and understand in relation to the original objectives. A key skill is in knowing what and how much needs to be presented by way of analysis output and results.
• Discussion The discussion section is one of the most important parts of any dissertation. Here you will reflect on the relevance/importance of your research question, the quality of your research findings, and set these into the current context of existing knowledge. You can bring in some of the wider literature/evidence to develop arguments to highlight the internal and external generalisability or strengths and weaknesses of your research and show what value can be placed on your actual findings. It is important to discuss the value of the existing data source and to consider alternative / superior ways to answer your research question in future. The discussion section usually includes consideration of the implications of your findings, particularly to health policy and practice. In other words, what recommendations might arise from your work. It is not uncommon to find dissertations and academic papers finishing with the phrase “more research is required” – this obvious statement conveys little information to the reader about what you actually know about the subject. If questions remain unanswered then provide some direction in terms of how they might be answered.

Bibliography

Bland M. (2000). An Introduction to Medical Statistics. Oxford. OUP. Statistics At Square One .

Chapman, S & Mcneill, P. (2003). Research Methods. London. Routledge.

Links Research Methods Knowledge Base Guidelines for Presenting Quantitative Data

Appendix IV – Full or Adapted Systematic Review

This can be of quantitative OR qualitative data

There are two core differences between the requirements for MPH and MRes students:

• MPH students are not expected to complete a full systematic search and review of the literature, largely because they have less time than MRes students. An adapted review refers to ways to produce a manageable amount of references (or potential references) for a single student to deal with in a less amount of time than MRes students
• MRes students are usually expected to complete a full systematic review.

Rationale for the ‘adapted’ approach

The option of completing an adapted systematic review provides an opportunity for MPH students to develop their skills in systematically collating, assessing and summarising existing sources of evidence. The amount of work involved can be influenced by the number of studies potentially eligible if it were a full, in-depth review (e.g. Cochrane Collaboration style). Consequently, for the purposes of this dissertation, MPH students can limit the number of studies in their review (see below).

The course units Practical Statistics for Population Health, Fundamentals of Epidemiology and Evidence Based Practice will be of particular relevance to this option.

Introduction/background : This is similar to the Case for Support described earlier in the Grant Proposal option.

Study design/methods including : You need to develop a suitable review methodology appropriate to your research question. The structure of the review is then likely to include:

• Clearly defined research question
• Definition of intervention
• Criteria for inclusion/exclusion of studies
• Definition of study populations
• Primary and secondary outcomes for the review
• Methods of analysis/summarising data
• Methods for assessing study quality
• Search strategy & sources of literature/information

Analysis / synthesis of results. Note that you are not expected to complete a meta-analysis for the dissertation though you can include one if appropriate.

Results including :

• Flow chart of search process/included & excluded studies
• Summary of data extraction
• Summary of included studies
• Assessment of methodological quality
• Summary of treatment effects

Discussion : this is likely to cover some of the areas/issues described in the proceeding dissertation option “Quantitative Research Report”

Other sections are likely to include conclusion, references, appendices etc. 

Dealing with too many or too few studies (MPH students)

Good quality search strategies for some research questions can identify hundreds, sometimes thousands of potentially eligible studies to be reviewed. MPH students are unlikely to have sufficient time to suitably deal with this. Consequently, it is possible to incorporate sensible approaches within the study design to limit the number of studies for the dissertation. For example:-

• Limiting the range of time (years) that publications will be considered eligible. Such as running a search from 2016-2021, as opposed to 1980-2021 (or whatever wider range would be used for a full and complete review).
• Restricting to a specific country/region (such as UK, or sub-Saharan Africa etc)
• Limiting to a specific population (e.g. just women, or by a specific age group).

The use of these approaches should be justified in terms of your review question. For example, an appropriate reason for date restriction could be to assess new evidence published since a Cochrane review or guideline, restricting to a specific country or group of countries could be justified by population demographics or healthcare structure and access. If you use one of these approaches then it needs to be clearly stated in the methods, results and discussion section.

In some cases, you might find less than a handful of potentially eligible studies for your review or none at all. This does not rule out conducting a systematic review for your dissertation though it can make it more challenging.

Working with a second reviewer (MPH and MRes)

You may know that a high quality systematic review is usually carried out by at least two reviewers. The main reason for this is to carry out independent screening and data extraction, as a way of confirming results and reducing selection bias.

Some students might be in a position to ‘recruit’ someone to act as a second reviewer. This would be necessary if the student wanted to publish their work. It can also provide an opportunity to enhance a student’s research and facilitation/team work skills. If this approach is taken, it is essential that this is transparent across the dissertation, and that the student is able to clearly identify what is their own academic work. In other words, whilst the second reviewer is largely carrying out task-based functions, the core of the dissertation itself needs to be the work of the student.

Akobeng, A.K. (2005) Understanding systematic reviews and meta-analysis, Arch.Dis.Child, vol. 90, no.8, pp.845-848 [online] .

Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions http://www.cochrane.org/training/cochrane – handbook/

Centre for Reviews and Dissemination. CRD’s guidance for undertaking reviews in health care.  http://www.york.ac.uk/inst/crd/pdf/Systematic_Reviews.pdf

Greenhalgh, T. (1997) Papers that summarise other papers (systematic reviews and meta-analyses), BMJ, vol. 315, no. 7109, 672-675 [online]

Appendix V – Academic Public Health Report

Many public health professionals will be expected to produce public health reports in relation to a particular issue/subject. On the MPH/MRes, these are prefixed as ‘Academic’ Public Health Reports, to ensure that students appreciate the need to apply scientific and evidence-based rigour, with academic critical and reflective argument throughout, and clear justification for approaches considered. This may differ to less detailed organisational reports at times. The course units Practical Statistics for Population Health, Fundamentals of Epidemiology and Evidence Based Practice will be of value for this option, but not restrictive to just these.

The format for an academic public health report will vary according to the topic/focus and primary objectives. The following acts as a general guide:

Aims: students need to demonstrate their appropriate understanding, application and critical reflection of theories/models and existing knowledge to inform a specific public health question, often focused on a particular locality/setting and to consider future interventions and policy direction.

Types of Reports: In most (but not all) situations, an academic public health report will be used to address certain aspects associated with an existing or pending problem in a specific area or context. The types of public health reports likely to be presented for a dissertation include:

• Health needs assessment / health impact assessment
• An audit / evaluation of service delivery
• An outbreak report
• Option appraisal
• Policy evaluation

Structure & objectives: The specific structure and objectives of the academic report will be influenced by its focus / initial public health question. But in all academic public health reports, students need to demonstrate their ability to appropriately use and understand the main skills and principles that have been covered across the MPH course. Students are encouraged to critically present and reflect on any existing or proposed policy relevant to the focus of the report. Thus, students need to be able to challenge the status quo or proposed policy direction set by organisations, local, national or international bodies & government.

The content of an academic public health report is likely to cover material from the following sections:

• To clearly identify, describe and present a public health issue, often focused on a particular locality / setting or population
• To present an analysis of the issue
• To use available data sources where possible to describe the actual possible burden or impact of the issue, including historical, current and future impact and to set this in relation to other key population characteristics and health issues. Data and information need to be presented in a meaningful way and appropriate to the focus of the report
• Recognising that there might be limited information on the specific issue in this setting, students need to find other sources of data to inform and estimate the possible circumstances. Rarely does a locally based public health problem arise without any suggestive or interpretative information from elsewhere which can then be used to inform the local picture.
• To set the issue in a relevant policy context, be it a specific local, national or international setting.
• To critically review literature relevant to the focus of your public health report. This can include critical reflection of evidence relating to epidemiology, interventions and policy. You will need to describe how you sourced or searched for evidence and information, why, and what methods you used to critically appraise the information.
• To identify and examine possible policy drivers and what or how these could influence the current/future situation; in some reports this may require the use of a formal policy review framework.

Interventions & recommendations

• The report must include a section examining possible interventions, changes to practice, or policy directions, which need to reflect on the principles of evidence based practice. The possible impact/expected change from these recommendations needs to be explored in relation to the specific issue.
• All interventions and recommendations need to be clearly linked to earlier sections in the report and you need to show what gaps/problems/ or issues, identified earlier, that they aim to resolve.
• To consider and propose relevant surveillance/monitoring or research to meet gaps you have identified and show how this could then be used to address / inform the issue.

Writing style

A number of different styles or frameworks can be used to present your academic public health report. Typically your work needs to follow a structured approach, making use of clearly labelled sections, headings and sub-headings. These will help you signpost the reader to various parts of the report as the work progresses, showing how different aspects are linked.

• Academic public health reports need to finish with a clear summary of the main features/points in your report and recommendations must clearly reflect the main body of the report.
• Students are not expected to carry out a full systematic review of the existing literature. But they do need to carry out a sensible and robust way to provide evidence on the burden, context, and possibly evidence of interventions, amongst other things. A description of the approach to source relevant literature needs to be included in the main part of the dissertation, and often this includes a summary of the search strategy from an online database.
• You need to explain and critically reflect on any methods used throughout your report. This includes those relevant to data/information seeking, appraisal, impact and review. Thus highlighting the relevance and strength of the information, to inform the specific issue.
• Think carefully about the structure and order of your report. There needs to be a common thread throughout the report and all sections need to be clearly linked to the initial issue presented.
• Avoid over use of bullet points and use complete sentences to present most of your work. Use meaningful charts, tables and figures – but there needs to be a clear reason for including these and a link to relevant text.
• If you are including an executive summary then there is no need to write an abstract as they are likely to contain very similar information. However, it is a requirement that dissertations have an abstract. Therefore we suggest that you simply use the executive summary for the abstract, but make sure that the main heading for that page is “Abstract” and then a subheading “Executive Summary”.

Chapman, S & Mcneill, P. (2003). Research Methods . London. Routledge.

Appendix VI – Outbreak Report

To be read in addition to the guidance on writing an Academic Public Health Report, in the previous pages. This option might be of interest to students working in a public health setting with an interest in examining a particular event or outbreak. A common approach would take:-

Introduction, background & setting : aims of the report; contextual information. Population profiles, surveillance data and a description of the site, area or facility under investigation.

Literature review including a description and critique of previous outbreaks

Outbreak methods :

• How was the outbreak discovered/reported?
• Steps taken to confirm it?
• What was known then?
• Why the investigation was undertaken?
• What were the objectives?
• Management of the outbreak?
• Who assisted in the investigation?
• What control measures were taken?

Discussion including: a critique of the outbreak investigation and methods; comparisons with similar outbreaks and previous studies; relevance of the results in the local context and other settings; recommendations and justification for any action needed.

Buehler JW et al. (2004) Framework for Evaluating Public Health Surveillance Systems for Early Detection of Outbreaks. MMRW. 53 (RR050; 1-11. http://www.cdc.gov/Mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5305a1.htm

Ungchusak K, Iamsirithaworn S. “Principles of Outbreak Investigation”. Chpt 6.4. In Oxford Textbook of Public Health. Volume 2. (2009).

Appendix VII – Qualitative/Theoretical Study

This option will appeal to students who have a particular interest in qualitative methods and research. It is likely that they will have taken the unit Qualitative Research Methods and encouraged to refer to the course curriculum to help develop their ideas. Types of approaches for this dissertation option include:

Metasynthesis: Students should choose a topic that has been previously researched via a number of published qualitative research studies and produce a metasynthesis.

Qualitative study using available data: Students might already have access to existing data. Or may want to make use of available data sources such as, ESDS Qualidata ( http://www.esds.ac.uk/qualidata/about/introduction.asp ) or the UK Data Service (https://www.ukdataservice.ac.uk/get-data/about.aspx)

Qualitative study involving primary data collection : Students will need to consider whether they will need ethical approval and the time taken to achieve both this and data collection. An early start date for this option is strongly recommended.

A theoretical review: Students would choose a topic of interest and address some theoretical questions by reviewing previous theoretical and empirical (where relevant) work.  Examples of topics that could be addressed in this way include:

• The social/ cultural construction of risk in relation to a number of health issues.
• The conceptualisation/ measurement of disability in relation to meeting health and social needs.

Policy or discourse analysis/content analysis: Students should choose a topic of interest where they can critically examine relevant texts. If the topic is a specific focus of policy strategies, then the study should include analysis of policy documents. Other texts that can be a focus of discourse analysis can include media sources such as visual imagery and newspaper commentary. A number of public health issues have been the focus of discourse analysis, such as ‘food scares’, the spread of infectious diseases such as HIV, and students could consult published studies of this type for ideas. Students would also need to consult specific texts on discourse analysis for this approach.

A critical policy review (public health/primary care) utilising a suitable approach such as Framework Analysis. This qualitative research tool is used extensively in applied policy research. The process of framework analysis has five main stages:

• Familiarization
• Identification of a thematic framework
• Mapping and interpretation

Qualitative research grant proposal

Students can also use qualitative methods as the focus for a research grant proposal, and simply follow the guidance specific to that approach described earlier in this handbook.

Clarke JN, Everest MM (2006). Cancer in the mass print media: Fear, uncertainty and the medical model. Soc. Sci. Med . 62 (10): 2591-2600.

Collins PA, Abelson J, Pyman H, Lavis JN (2006). Are we expecting too much from print media? An analysis of newspaper coverage of the 2002 Canadian healthcare reform debate. Soc.Sci.Med . 63 (1): 89-102.

Davin S (2003) Healthy viewing: the reception of medical narratives. Soc. Health & Illness. 25 (6): 662679.

Pilgrim D, Rogers AE (2005) Psychiatrists as social engineers: A study of an anti-stigma campaign. Soc. Sci. Med. 61 (12): 2546 – 2556.

Appendix VIII – Word Count and Late Penalties

Word count penalties for the dissertation will be applied as described in the Programme Handbook ( MPH or MRes ).

Word Count Inclusions

In accordance with accepted academic practice, when submitting any written assignment for summative assessment, the notion of a word count includes the following without exception:

• All titles or headings that form part of the actual text. This does not include the cover page or reference list (i.e. for a dissertation, the word count would start AFTER the Abstract ).
• All words that form the actual essay ( excluding the abstract and appendices)
• All words forming the titles for figures, tables and boxes, are included but this does not include boxes or tables or figures themselves
• All in-text (that is bracketed) references
• All directly quoted material

Word Count Exclusions

The following are excluded from the word count:-

• List of tables and figures
• Acknowledgements
• Declaration
• Intellectual property statement
• Text within tables and figures
• Bibliography/reference list

Late penalties for the dissertation will be applied as described in the Programme Handbook ( MPH or MRes ).

Appendix IX – MPH/MRes Programme Community Space

The MPH/MRes Programme Community space is the central place to access all programme-related resources and information and to communicate with other students across the programme.

It contains several essential courses, including:

Online Induction

The online induction course contains everything you need to get started on the programme by providing an introduction to, and overview of, the essential university systems and services. You must complete this short course before starting your studies.

Within the Online Induction course, you have the option to complete a Learning Needs Assessment. This questionnaire is to help you identify your own learning needs and to help us support you in achieving your goals. For further information on the way that The University of Manchester handles your information, please consult our student privacy notice .

Study Skills

The Study Skills course introduces you to a range of skills and resources required for developing practical and effective strategies for successful learning online. It includes topics on information searching, referencing and academic writing and requires you to complete the academic malpractice driving test.

Dissertations and Critical Literature Review

This part of Blackboard contains a range of resources to support dissertation students and those taking the option of a Critical Literature Review. It includes the calendar of workshops for Masterclasses and Tutorials for students at this stage in their studies.

Health and Safety Presentation

The university’s duty of care covers all its students, staff and visitors, including distance learning students who come onto campus for residential courses, study days or assessments. Although you will not spend much time on campus as a distance learner, there is some information you should know before you come. This short presentation tells you what to do in case of a fire or an accident while you are with us in Manchester. It should only take around 5 minutes to complete.

Both the academic malpractice driving test and health and safety presentation must be completed by 31 st October 2021

Appendix X – Marking Framework for 2021/22

Download the full dissertation examiner report form here ., appendix xi – core contacts (including technical support).

Technical Support

If you are having problems accessing My Manchester, email, your course materials, or you would like to discuss computer-related issues, please click the following link for 24 hour services:

http://bmh – elearning.org/technical – support/

If you are having difficulty with the electronic resources, you should contact the library via My Manchester.

IT Services Support Centre online

Details can be found at:   http://www.itservices.manchester.ac.uk/help/

Login to the Support Centre online to log a request, book an appointment for an IT visit, or search the Knowledge Base.

• Telephone: +44 (0)161 306 5544 (or extension 65544). Telephone support is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• In person: Walk-up help and support is available at the Joule Library, Main Library or Alan Gilbert Learning Commons

Technical Help with Blackboard

If your Blackboard course unit is not behaving as you expect, you can contact:

• The Course Unit Leader by email to get help with content issues (missing notes, etc.)
• The eLearning team for technical bugs using the eLearning Enquiry button via the following link:

UKnowledge > College of Public Health > Public Health M.P.H. Theses & Dr.P.H. Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Public Health (M.P.H. & Dr.P.H.)

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

Cardiovascular Disease among commercially insured adults with type 1 diabetes in the US , 2016-2019 , Orighomisan F. Agboghoroma

Improving Black Maternal Outcomes in Christian County, KY: A Social Marketing Approach to Perinatal Provider Change , Ariel A. Arthur

Current Linkage to Treatment and Recovery Support Services for Patients with a Substance Use Disorder: A Survey of Kentucky Physicians , Seif Atyia, Terry Bunn, Dana Quesinberry, and Timothy S. Prince

Empirical Insights into Survivorship Care: A Cross-Sectional Study of CoC Accredited Hospitals in Kentucky , Amanda M. Beckett

Changes in Primary Care Availability in Appalachia , Whitney Beckett

Redefining ED Utilization: A Rabies Post-Exposure Prophylaxis Perspective , David Bennington

The Relationship Between Social Vulnerability and Cardiovascular Disease Outcomes in Kentucky , Karcyn Brummett

The Effects of Stigma within the PrEP Care Cascade Among People Who Inject Drugs in Rural Kentucky , Abby Burton

Dental Outreach in Academic Dental Settings , Tisha Clayborn

A Case Study in Prospective Program Evaluation , Sarai Rosemary Combs

A Case Study in Program Evaluation: A Prospective Program Evaluation of Timely Reporting and Action of an Infectious Disease Outbreak , Destiny Cozart

INVESTIGATING THE CORRELATION BETWEEN SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND DRUG SELLING AMONG PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS IN RURAL APPALACHIA, KENTUCKY , Grace A. Debo

Fall 2023 COVID-19, Influenza, and Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccine Uptake in Kentucky , Abigail Dial

Human papilloma virus type 16 seroprevalence among men living with HIV , Ashley Duff

Adolescent Vaccination Rates and Pharmacists' Ability to Prescribe and Administer , Paul Jake Faulkner

McCovid Campaign – A Social Media Implementation to Decrease Vaccine Hesitancy in Rural Counties , Harper Ford

Interprofessional Collaboration in a Lung Cancer Screening Learning Collaborative , Angela Fu

Novel cannabinoid use among young adults in Lexington, Kentucky , Victoria A. Hamilton

Evaluating a High School MRSA Prevention Program: A Case Study , Jamie Henning

The Distribution of CP-CRE cases from 2013-2020 in the Commonwealth of Kentucky , Hannah Hiscox

DEMOGRAPHIC AND BEHAVIORAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PEOPLE WHO HELP OTHERS INJECT DRUGS: A STUDY OF PEOPLE WHO INJECT DRUGS IN APPALACHIA KENTUCKY , Ryli Hockensmith

EVALUATION OF PUBLIC RADON MESSAGING IN KENTUCKY AS COMPARED TO THREE OTHER STATES , Abigail Knapp

Characterizing the Relationship Between the Presence of Depression Risk, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, and Benzodiazepine Use to Get High , Julia Kollitz

Trust in Local Health Departments: A Cross-Sector Analysis of Urban and Rural Communities , Kelsie Kwok

The Relationship Between Self-Reported Depressive Symptoms at 3 Timepoints and Infant Sleep Practices at 6-Month Follow-Up in a Population of Mothers in Santo Domingo, Ecuador , Kassidy Lane

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Dissertations

The following is a complete listing of successful PHS PhD dissertations to-date, including:

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News from the School

From public servant to public health student

Exploring the intersection of health, mindfulness, and climate change

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Tuesday, May 21, 2024 76° Today's Paper

Public warned to stay out of Kailua Bay waters

May 20, 2024 • Last updated 5:34 p.m.

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GOOGLE MAPS VIA HAWAII DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

The Hawaii Department of Health advises the public to stay out of Kailua Bay until further notice.

City officials today reported elevated levels of bacteria for the fourth day in effluent samples from the Kailua Regional Wastewater Treatment Plant due to the recent heavy rains.

Signs have been posted, warning the public to stay out of waters around the outfall at Kailua Bay, which is located about a mile from shore at a depth of 105 feet. The Hawaii Department of Health advises the public to stay out of Kailua Bay until further notice.

The Honolulu Department of Environmental Services said samples of treated effluent taken Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from the plant exceeded the daily maximum allowed under its state permit for enterococcus, an indicator of fecal material in water.

The recent bacteria exceedances are from samples taken at:

>> 10:13 a.m. on Friday

>> 8:28 a.m. Saturday

>> 9:39 a.m. Sunday

The first report of elevated bacteria Wednesday was from a sample taken Tuesday at 8:44 a.m., according to officials, which followed heavy rains on Monday.

The following Wednesday and Thursday, samples were in compliance before another onslaught of torrential rains fell on Oahu.

Due to the “sequential storm events” brought by the Kona low, city officials said the treatment plant experienced flows approximately five times greater than the average daily flow, which is believed to be the cause of the exceedances.

“Although the WWTP is still experiencing elevated flows due to inflow and infiltration from the ground being saturated with storm water,” officials said in a news release, “the treatment process efficiency is improving.”

The city said it will continue collecting daily samples of treated effluent from the plant until data confirms the enterococci levels are within permit limits.

It is also collecting daily samples at seven shoreline stations and says results continue to show “no shoreward movement” of effluent from the outfall.

Last year, the city was fined more than $434,000 for discharging effluent exceeding permit limits for enterococci from its wastewater treatment plant on 13 different days. The limits are set by a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit issued by the state.

The city said after those exceedances that it plans to install an ultraviolet disinfection system at its plant, which should be operational on or before December 2025.

Last Monday, the state Health Department also issued a separate brown water advisory for Kailua Beach Park due to heavy rains, and stormwater entering coastal waters, which includes possible overflowing cesspools, animal fecal matter, pathogens and chemicals.

Following the “Kona low” storms, a brown water advisory was later issued for the entire island of Oahu. The islandwide brown advisory for Oahu still remains in place. When the water is brown, officials said, the public is advised to stay out.

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April 24, 2001: Hawaii public school teachers ratify contract, ending 19-day strike