Instructions

The Problem Solving Worksheet is an exercise in which you present an urban health problem of your choice in a particular setting, e.g. a country or a city, either from the case studies discussed in class, or from your own experience, or from the literature.

The overall exercise is divided into five (5) steps that will be completed on a weekly basis (approximately). Please try to limit your response for each activity/step to about 250 words.

References

Please provide a full reference to the articles or publications you mention for each step. If possible, also include a web address for the article or publication. Note that publications can also include websites and webpages

Step 1 and Step 2 Distinctions

Step 1 is focused on identifying the population and the public health problem affecting populations and controlled through population level interventions. What is the evidence that X is a population problem? In Step 2 you include additional data about the scope of the problem — how big the problem is.
 

For example, if the problem is cholera epidemic in Dar es Salaam —

• Step 1 would include the public health implications of      this issue, a description of the disease and the mode of transmission, why      it is overwhelming in this urban settlement, etc.
• Step 2 would include the incidence of cholera;      hospitalizations due to cholera; deaths due to cholera… in addition to the      other points required by the second assignment.

You may not want to focus on the magnitude of the problem in Step 1, as you might sacrifice opportunity to expand on causal relationships or general health implications of the problem in that step. Magnitude is the actual size of the problem – prevalence, incidence. So in Step 1 you establish that problem X affects the population; in Step 2 you focus on how big the problem is.