Determinants of Health: Assessments Guidance

Determinants of Health: Assessments Guidance 
Summative assessment 
Summative assessment 2 This is a written essay. You should discuss and explain how different determinants- biological, environmental and social determinants of health impact on individual and community health using facts and relevant examples. You must use one example from each- broad determinant (biological, environmental and social) and describe it thoroughly. 

Five important things to consider in developing your essay. 1. Definitions of determinants of health, health inequity and inequality with examples. 2. Choosing specific determinants- for example under biological- age/sex/genetics etc, Environmental- pollution (which one- air/water/soil). 3. Please mention one policy/program/intervention/strategy related to each determinant (could be international/ local). 4. Make sure you included evidence/facts/data for each determinant. 5. Make sure you also mention about health promotion theories and theories of health related to determinants of health. 

Core text: Write 2250 word essay on determinants of health.

This is only for guidance. The bullet points are provided as different pointers to consider whilst developing your essay. You can order bullet points/sections and add more in the way of your understanding and for clarity of your writing on your chosen topic.

Learning Outcomes: please ensure your essay meets all learning outcomes: LO1. Identify and discuss the biological, social and environmental factors, determinants, at individual, group and community levels, and how they affect health and wellbeing. LO2. Describe the differences between health inequality and health equity and how they relate to the determinants of health and wellbeing. LO3. Recognise the role of public health interventions in improving health and wellbeing at individual, group and community levels. 

Introduction – approx. 150 words ? Describe what will you do in your essay and why Background (sources and evidence must be cited)- approx. 500 words ? Define what determinants of health are (definition) and describe how they influence health and well being of people. ? Define what is health inequality and inequity. Provide clear examples with data for each. 

Body of Essay/Main Section (sources and evidence must be cited)- Please develop your own subheadings. You can use more than one subheading. Approx.1450 words Discuss three specific determinants in relation to health. Overview of general discussion on the broad types of determinants –biological, social and environmental  Describe each determinant- biological, social and environmental one by one in detail. You must choose one specific determinant for each broad category. For example environment- air pollution or any other environmental determinant, or for biological- sex or age. Provide definitions, statistics/data for each chosen determinant. You can use both national and international data/statistics to describe significance of the determinants, and its implications for health at individual and community levels. Write how each determinant might influence health differently in different groups- e.g. ethnic groups, gender, poor vs rich, sexual preference, age groups and provide some relevant data and examples. Describe inequality and equity issues related to each specific determinant of health you are writing about. You must describe this with relevant statistics. Discuss different public health interventions used to improve health and well-being for each specific determinant you are writing. This could be interventions or policies or programs or strategies at national (UK or any specific country) and international level (EU, WHO etc) level Discuss theories of health and different health promotion theories health promotion theories used in developing public health interventions to address health inequalities and inequities. 

Conclusion (sources and evidence can be cited where appropriate) - approx. 150 words Wrap up your discussion with some thoughts about: What you think are the key points you have discussed that the reader should take away from your essay What recommendations would you make about dealing with the three determinants you discussed in your essay? 

Tips for writing Format and style 1. You should write in active voice. 2. Avoid informal words, colloquial language in writing. 3. Avoid contractions (Can’t/don’t is wrong, use can not, do not). 4. Explain your abbreviations first before using them. For example- World Health Organisation (WHO) 5. Use British English. 6. Do not write in first person. (I think, I read, I believe etc.) 7. Please be careful with your spellings and punctuation marks. Poor grammar is poor writing and results in poor understanding and misleading. 8. The writing should be formal and should create a flow through linking sentences clearly. 9. Use clear and concise academic language in writing. 10. No anecdotal stories. 11. Try not to be too descriptive. You need to do a ‘critical analysis’. 12. Make sure the format of your essay is Calibri or Arial font, 12, The margins for each page are 2.54 cm (the default in MS Word) and the line spacing is double, and justified (right and left side of paragraphs is straight, like in a book or published report). 

Referencing 1. You MUST use Harvard Referencing system in your assignment 2. This should be for both in the body of the essay (citation) and references. Please signpost your references clearly and accurately in the body of the essay. 3. Use only academic peer-reviewed published articles, academic books, government websites or reliable international data sets from UN or other international agencies. 4. Avoid grey literature, non-academic articles. For example- google, blogs, newspapers, online opinions, non-validated data etc.