SOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF HEALTH AND HEALTH DISPARITIES

(NORTH DORCHESTER) Your final paper will consist of an overview, summary, and analysis of your community health assessment (CHA) of a Boston neighborhood. While this paper is based on work you did in small groups over the course of the semester, the final paper is an individual assignment – you should write and submit this paper on your own, not as a group. The paper is worth 10% of your final grade. Guidelines General Requirements -As with all of the previous CHA assignments, your final paper should focus on the neighborhood that you and your group have been studying all semester. (NORTH DORCHESTER) -You should use the Boston Public Health Commission’s report on neighborhood health as your primary reference and source of data. -You may utilize other resources (web-based or otherwise) to describe aspects of your neighborhood or Boston more generally. -You must utilize at least one additional scholarly reference (an academic article or study, either one from class or one you find on your own) in your analysis of the social determinants of health that impact your neighborhood (see #4 below). -Your paper must be properly cited and referenced. Paper Content Since this is your paper, you should feel free to focus on aspects of your community and your assessment of its health that you find the most interesting. But please make sure that you cover the following, at a minimum: 1.Give a general description of your neighborhood, including things such as: Where in Boston is it? Are there any distinguishing characteristics, landmarks, or major institutions there? 2.Describe the people who live there (and provide data/statistics where appropriate) – What is the population size? Describe the general demographics (age, race/ethnicity, SES, etc). 3.Describe the overall health of the neighborhood (and provide data/statistics where appropriate) – what are some of the major health issues that seem to impact the neighborhood? Overall is the neighborhood healthy? How does it compare to Boston overall or to other Boston neighborhoods? Are there disparities in health by race/ethnicity? 4. Analyze what you think are the most significant social determinants of health in your neighborhood and how they impact health. In other words, what are the things that you think most impact the health of the residents, either positively or negatively, and why? For example, if you think race is an important health determinant in your neighborhood, do you think it impacts health via stress? Discrimination? Reduced access to resources, education, or jobs? Etc…). Be sure to utilize class materials (articles, lectures, films) and/or other sources in your analysis. 5. Describe some possible interventions, programs, or policy changes that you think could help to improve overall health or health disparities in your neighborhood.