Developing a Mixed-Method Research Proposal in Public Health, Human Nutrition, or Health-Related Top

Introduction and Literature Review

An introduction to the research question and a brief literature review. In this section you should Explain why this research is needed now, both in terms of time and relevance. Briefly describe what problem your proposed research will address, its scale and the limitations in current practice. You should justify the need for the proposed line of research in the context of the research specification, drawing particularly from systematic reviews and other relevant literature. In this section you should reference past and current research that justifies the proposed research and shows how your project will add distinct value to what is already known, or in progress.
 
Present a clearly defined research question with appropriate research aims and objectives Outline and justification of your research design and selected methods. This should include a justification for the use of mixed methods to answer your research question Including reference to appropriate theory/research to support,  and justify, your choices.

Project Plan:
Provide a description of the project plan of investigation which includes consideration for both the quantitative and qualitative elements of the study.
This section should include: 
•    Qualitative sampling plan and recruitment strategy.
•    Quantitative sampling plan and recruitment strategy.
•    Qualitative methods for data collection (e.g. interviews)
•    Quantitative methods for data collection (e.g.questionnaires)
•    Qualitative methods of analysis (e.g. type of thematic analysis)
•    Quantitative methods of analysis (e.g. appropriate statistical tests)
 
You will need to include any key references required to help justify your choices (e.g. in the use of particular outcome measures or methods of analysis).Patient and Public Involvement (PPI): Describe how the proposed research will actively involve patients and the public (e.g. service users and carers) in the design/plan where appropriate, and how will it benefit the research.This could include PPI  in refining research questions, designing research instruments, advising on approaches to recruitment, assisting in the collection and analysis of data, participation or chairing advisory and steering groups, and in the dissemination of research findings).

Details of the ethical considerations of your proposed research and how these will be addressed in the design and conduct of the study. Do you need ethical approval and where from? What areas of your research may have ethical concerns linked to them and what can you do to manage or minimise these ethical concerns?
 
In this section you should also  include a summary explaining any potential risks/difficulties to delivering your research project, and what contingencies you will need to put in place to deal with them. This may include a discussion about any limitations with the design/methods selected and any mitigating factors.
 
*A risk is defined as any factor which may delay, disrupt or prevent the full achievement of a project objective.Typical areas of risk might include ethical approval, site variation in data gathering, staffing, resource constraints, technical constraints, data access and quality, timing, management and operational issues; however, please note this is not an exhaustive list.Anticipated Impact and Methods of dissemination. Consider which 'groups' of people may benefit from your intended research and why.

Who is it important to disseminate your expected findings to and what platform is most effective to do this Research Management: Timetable with projected milestones. A project Gantt chart is expected with project milestones.The timeline you are proposing needs to demonstrate a realistic understanding of the time research activities take, depending on your study design Sections on staffing and requested research budget are not required.  

A written assignment in which students will be asked to develop a written outline for a mixedmethod research proposal of 2000-2500 words (excluding tables/figures/references lists/appendices) on public health, human nutrition or health-related topic. Your research proposal must outline a research project that is potentially capable of providing research evidence of benefit to public health or health-care in your chosen area (for example, through increasing understanding; improving approaches to prevention; providing better health-care systems/delivery; tackling inequalities in access). Your mixed method research proposal must be using primary or secondary data collection. Possible topic examples are provided in brackets but you are free to choose your own:

1.    Environmental Hazards and Public Health (For example, you might want to focus on the health implications of factors such as climate change; hurricanes or toxic chemicals).
2.    Infectious Diseases and Public Health (For example, you may want to examine aspects such as prevention, care or access to treatment in relation to specific infectious diseases such as:-  HIV/AIDS; Tuberculosis; Malaria; H1N1 Swine Flu).
3.    Family Relations,  Childbirth and Parenting (In this broad subject area, there are a variety of topics you may wish to look at, for example, the impact of domestic violence on children; maternal death in childbirth; teenage parenting).
4.    Chronic Illness and Lifestyle (e.g. coronary heart disease and exercise; alcohol addiction).
5.    Nutrition and Health/Lifestyle (The scope is enormous, you could focus on any of the major public health nutrition issues e.g. obesity, cardiovascular health or cancer risk, exercise and nutrition, nutrition across the life course, food insecurity, influences on food and dietary choices of individuals, etc., or on any area of nutrition that interests you).

Whatever your chosen topic area, your research proposal must outline a research project that is potentially capable of providing research evidence of benefit to public health or healthcare in your chosen area (for example, through increasing understanding; improving approaches to prevention; providing better healthcare systems/delivery; tackling inequalities in access).