Improving Outcomes: A Public Health Intervention

Scenario

The young adults at a small college are reluctant to receive a flu vaccine—even when there is a serious strain circulating in the community. The public health department warns that this flu strain has led to pneumonia, bronchitis, and in some cases, death.

Background

During the H1N1 outbreak a few years ago, student behaviors toward vaccines were studied. These studies found that many factors affected a student’s decision to be immunized against the outbreak, including:

• Parental training.
• Contact with peers and health professionals.
• Whether they lived on or off campus.
• Social and cultural influences.

Female students were determined to be more likely to get a vaccination, as were those who worked in nursing homes, hospitals, and schools. Cost was not a factor because the vaccines are almost always provided free of charge at college health clinics. Perhaps one of the strongest influencers of students’ beliefs and behaviors about immunization was prior vaccination against influenza. Of all reasons given by students who did not receive the vaccine, the most frequent involved inconvenience, lack of time, or laziness.

Preparation

Search the Capella library and the Internet for examples of the best evidence-based practices to overcome the reluctance of the students to be vaccinated before flu season begins.

Recommendations Report

Prepare a 10–12 page recommendations report for the director of the college health clinic, outlining the steps needed to prevent as many students, faculty, and college employees from contracting influenza as possible. 

A template to structure your report is linked in Resources. If you choose not to use the provided template, an Internet search for examples might yield useful resources, depending on your level of familiarity.

If you work in a professional setting that uses a recommendations report, you may use the format used in your workplace for this assignment. In this case, be sure to address the additional information and citations of evidence required.

Your recommendations report should contain the following:

• Cover page.
• Executive summary (no more than 150 words).
• Table of contents.
• Introduction.
• Presentation of options. Use evidence to make your case.
• Recommendations.
• Summary and conclusion.
• References.
• Appendices (if applicable).

Submission Requirements

• Page count: 8–10 typed, double-spaced pages of content plus cover and reference pages and any appendices.
• ​Font: Times New Roman, 12 point.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations formatted according to current APA style and formatting.
• Number of references: Minimum of three peer-reviewed resources.

Note: To fully understand how this assignment will be graded, be sure to read the Improving Outcomes – A Public Health Intervention scoring guide carefully.

Submit your document as an attachment to this assignment.

Note: Your instructor may also use the Writing Feedback Tool to provide feedback on your writing. In the tool, click the linked resources for helpful writing information.

Resources

• Improving Outcomes: A Public Health Intervention Scoring Guide.
• Guiding Questions – Improving Outcomes – A Public Health Intervention .
• Recommendations Report Template.
• APA Module.
• Capella University Library.
• Writing Feedback Tool.