Applied Health Sciences
One of the learning outcomes for the module is to:
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Discuss how social determinants of health and psychological factors impact on the physical and mental health of an individual
The module assignment is based on this learning outcome and will focus on the elements of the module content that introduce sociological perspectives on health, explore key aspects of sociology & their effect on the individual and introduce psychological theories and key aspects of psychology
Within the module there are both keynote lectures and seminar sessions that are designed to help you in developing an understanding of these elements. The link between sociology, psychology and health is well documented; this module will begin to explore some of the issues which impact on our daily lives. During the psychosocial seminar sessions you will undertake directed learning in groups and this will lead you to gather, share and discuss information with your group, some of which will be of use to develop your assignments. You will then need to undertake further independent study and reading to provide the additional information to complete your assignments.
The title for the assignment is:
Explore the influence of social determinants and psychological factors on the physical and mental health of an individual
Presentation
This should be a piece of academic writing so you therefore need to ensure that is written and presented appropriately i.e.:
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Use an easy to read font such as 12 point Arial or Times New Roman.
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Include page numbers
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Have 1.5 or double line spacing
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State the number of words used. The word count is 1500 +/- 10% (i.e. 1350-1650 words)
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Written in an appropriate way for level 4 studies i.e. ensure that the learning outcome is addressed with descriptive writing that is supported by appropriate underpinning theory throughout your assignment.
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Do not use the first person i.e. I, my etc.
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Include citations (within the assignment) and a reference list at the end to identify the evidence base that has been utilised to support your writing. The University has resources to assist you in ensuring that you reference your work properly at their ‘Citing and Referencing’ web page. On this page there are links to the following which you need to access to familiarise yourself with referencing:
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PLATO Interactive guide to plagiarism and referencing
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Cite them Right online
Content
The essay needs to explore social determinants and psychological factors that may influence both the physical and mental health of an individual:
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You need to choose one of the following three social determinants on which to focus your discussion:
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Education
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Employment
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Housing
You will need to carry out some further reading and research to find the relevant evidence which you will then need to include within your assignment to support your discussion. Examples of where this information can be found include:
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sociology and psychology textbooks (try to use those with a health focus)
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websites such as: Department of Health, World Health Organisation
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Key policy documents related to health inequalities such as: The Acheson Report, The Black Report and The Marmot Review
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journal articles that explore the psychosocial determinants of health
There needs to be a clear introduction, main body and conclusion to the assignment:
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Within the introduction you need to set the scene for the assignment – you might want to consider describing what a social determinant is and make reference to some of the key publications that have identified the impact that a social determinant may have upon an individual. You also need to state which determinant you are going to focus on within the assignment.
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The main body will need to have a logical structure and be supported with citations throughout.
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Within your discussion you need to explore your chosen determinant explaining aspects that may influence it and also how it may influence other factors in an individual’s life from a psychosocial perspective.
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You should also consider psychological factors such as: values, health beliefs, attitudes and behaviours that may also affect an individual in relation to the chosen social determinant.
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Within the above discussions there should be links made to how the social determinant or psychological factors may impact upon the individual’s physical and mental health.
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Finally, to end the work you need to include a short conclusion that summarises the key points from the main body. It may be worth reflecting upon the assignment question and learning outcome to help focus this discussion.
