POPH60112 Applied Epidemiology.

ASSIGNMENT QUESTIONS

Write a proposal for an epidemiological study on a topic of your choice that you believe is relevant and important. The study may be in any setting (e.g. any country, region, workplace, primary care, population) allowing all students to take advantage of their local knowledge. You may use existing data or propose collection of new data. The proposal must be a standalone document meaning that the reader should be able to understand it without reading any of your references. However the references will be reviewed therefore ensure that they are appropriate.

If you are finding it difficult to think of a topic for your proposal a few example titles are listed below. However the choice is yours, the proposal is about applying epidemiological tools to any epidemiological research question.

The rules regarding the type of study you should design are below.

It must be quantitative.

It must use at least one of the study designs below but you may also suggest combinations of study designs (or a novel study design but if you do use a novel design you must explain why it is better than one of the standard designs below)

Retrospective or prospective cohort.

A randomised controlled trial.

A natural experiment (quasi-experimental design).

Case-control (case-referent)

Part 1. Title - the title should describe what you will do and include the setting and study design (see examples above).

Part 2. Introduction - maximum of 400 words and 10 references giving the rationale for performing the study.
Use this to explain why your topic is important and the current state of knowledge in this area.
You will need to be familiar with the literature and give a balanced point of view but not a detailed literature search.
Make sure that you describe any aspects that are unique to your setting; do not assume that the reader has knowledge of any particular country`s healthcare system or health problems.
Make sure the introduction is specific to your research topic and does not digress in to irrelevant literature.
End the introduction with the general aim of your study -which makes it clear exactly what you are aiming to find out. Note that the introduction should make it clear why it is important and useful to achieve this aim

Part 3. State your specific research question and/or hypothesis and objectives - revise topic 1 to help you with this important step. You can have several related aims or objectives or just one. After reading this section the reader should understand exactly what you intend to do in your study. You must re-visit this aspect of your proposal regularly as you write and make sure that your proposal is consistent with your research question. If it is not, either amend your proposal or research question. If you have followed the discussion board for topic 1 you will understand the importance of this process.

Part 4. Type of study design - explain why you chose this study design over other study designs and why this approach is appropriate for your research question,

the population and other factors. Also address potential weaknesses of the study design (e.g., reasons why you might not get the answers you are planning). Use the information in the literature to help you choose your study design e.g. consider what worked, or did not, previously. Revise topic 3 to help you with this.

Part 5. Study procedure - at an appropriate point in your protocol describe the planned study procedure. Use a flow diagram or a Gantt chart to show the specific steps in your study. Include the points below and any other relevant information specific to your study.