HSC 3201 SPC Hometown Infant Mortality Rate Discussion

Discussion 2-1 Prompt

Hometown IMR Rates – Then and Now

For this Discussion forum, you will take on one aspect of the role of an Epidemiologist. You will need to search out some data in the form of the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) for the year that you were born, in the location of your birth (hometown), and the most current IMR for that location.

Post this on the discussion board and write 1-2 paragraphs (250 – 300 words) about your findings – include the years, whether or not there have been changes, and what factors you think account for the rates (e.g., if it was high/low at the time of your birth, what factors might account for this; what factors might account for changes over the years since your birth?).

To find the data, first review the sources you have already added to your Professional Resources Journal; then, you may want to do a Google search for, as an example, 1980 Infant Mortality Rate Your Home Town (i.e., Tallahassee, Florida).

You might have to do some searching – looking for state statistics, health department sites/data, population statistics, census reports, etc.

Do not get discouraged with your search! It often requires extra effort and creative keywords! Use your best investigative skills. Epidemiologists often have to track down information and unearth important facts and pieces to health puzzles.

Include in your post how/where you found your information.

Discussion 2-2 Prompt

Risks and Leading Causes of Death in the U.S.?

Although the Leading Causes of Death in the U. S. are markedly different now in comparison to 1900 or 1950, the list has changed little over the past 4 or 5 years, other than a slight reordering of causes along the way as national statistics change per year. If you do an Internet search of the 10 Leading Causes of Death in the U.S., you will see these slight changes in comparison to the text (remember that publishing is not instantaneous and data can change rapidly). Still, it is noteworthy that many of causes are strongly influenced by individuals’ behavior and are often referred to as “diseases of lifestyle”.

For this discussion, review the most recent Top 10 Causes of Death (i.e., Internet search) that you can find and choose the one cause that you think you might pose the greatest risk to your own longevity. For your post:

• Identify the cause of death
• Is it a disease of lifestyle – why/how – that is likely preventable?
• What particular risk factors do you think put you at risk for this cause?

Discussion 3-1 Prompt

There is a wealth of research demonstrating that education is one of the strongest predictors of health status. Why? How? For example, how might education work to reduce threats to health? How might education impact the determinants of health you read about in the first module?

In your post of 150-200 words, discuss some elements of the relationship between education and health status. You may use the questions above to guide your thinking. Provide at least one example to illustrate your discussion points.

Discussion 4-1 Prompt

The activity and discussion for this module will explore one threat to infant health and mortality that has seen growing interest and concern over the past few years: Sudden Unexpected Infant Death (SUID).

Although Infant Mortality has decreased significantly in the United States over the past several decades, there are still relatively large numbers of deaths attributed to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome and Sudden Unexpected Infant Death. These sleep-related infant deaths are often difficult to classify definitively given the similar scenarios in which the deaths occur. It is not uncommon that a specific cause of death may not be discernable even after autopsy.

Currently, significant attention is being focused on the link between co-sleeping/co-bedding, where the infant sleeps in the same bed as the parent (s) and SUID or accidental suffocation.

For better understanding of SIDS and SUID, and related risks, check out the CDC SIDS website at: http://www.cdc.gov/sids/ (opens in new tab)

Then take a look at this very brief video: (opens in new tab)

To complete this activity and discussion post, you will need to do some research to explore existing campaigns, slogans or marketing materials aimed at reducing Co-Sleeping/co-bedding/Accidental Suffocation of infants.

There are a number of national, state and local campaigns focused on increasing awareness, and reducing the incidence of SUID/accidental suffocation in the U. S., such as the ABCs of Safe Sleep or Safe to Sleep or campaigns. Here is on example of a campaign poster: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/11/16/co-sleep… (opens in new tab)

After reviewing the materials on SUID and Safe-Sleep/Co-Sleeping, complete the following steps:

• Find 2 slogans that you like and copy them and the links to them into the forum.
• Critique the slogans – do you think they are culturally sensitive? If not, why/how so. Do you think that they speak to the issues effectively? How could they be improved?
• Create your own slogan regarding one of the following: safe sleep, ways to reduce SUID, or advice for new parents on safe sleeping for their infant.
• Post the slogans, your critique of them and your own slogan in the Module 4 Discussion forum.