Week 1: The research process (selecting a research question)

Question 1

What is research?

Answer 1

• activities designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge.
• systematically investigating a subject to discover new insights about the world
• The theories, principles, relationships or information that is found can the be confirmed or refuted by observation, experiment and inference

Question 2

Define each:
1. Philosophical health research
2. Applied health research

Answer 2

philosophical health research = describes ALL forms of biological, behavioural and social science research on all aspects of human health and disease

applied health research = investigating a SINGLE, well defined aspect of physical, mental or social well-being

Question 3

What is epidemiology?

Answer 3

the study of the distribution and determinants of health related states in specific populations. Info gathered can be used to control health problems

Question 4

What is biostatistics?

Answer 4

applying stats to biological and medical problems

Question 5

What is the WHO definition of health?
this should be engrained in your memory

Answer 5

a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity

Question 6

What are determinants of health?

Answer 6

the biological, behavioural, social, environmental, political and other factors that influence the health status of individuals and populations (personal and social determinants exist)

Question 7

health research investigates health and disease or any of the factors that contribute to the _______ or _______ of physical, mental and social health among individuals and populations

Answer 7

presence or absence

Question 8

what are the 3 types of health research? explain each

Answer 8

1. clinical research = evaluates the best ways to PREVENT, DIAGNOSE and TREAT adverse health issues that adversely affect individuals and families; involves medicine
2. population health research = focuses on the health outcomes and the determinants of health in GROUPS of humans; involves public health
3. biological research: AKA medical research looks at changes of humans at the CELLULAR level that can be related to the health outcomes

Question 9

Identify the type of health research for each scenario:
1. Exploring whether IL-6 selectively stimulates fat metabolism in human skeletal muscle
2. Evaluation the impact of sarcopenia on physical disability in older men and women
3. Urban sprawl in London and its association with obesity
4. Measurement of the net protein synthesis in human muscle after oral administration of amino acids
5. Assessment of the efficacy of Statins in treating abnormal LDL-cholesterol in stroke patients

Answer 9

1. biological - at the cellular level
2. clinical - the impact of a diagnosis
3. population - a population group
4. biological - cellular level
5. clinical - discusses treatments

Question 10

what are the 6 basic steps in the research process?

Answer 10

1. identify a research QUESTION
2. generate HYPOTHESIS, and select a study approach
3. Collect DATA
4. ANALYZE data
5. INTERPRET findings
6. communicate in a REPORT about the findings

Question 11

T/F: the 5 steps of the research process can vary according to the goal of the research project or according to what methods are used

Answer 11

F. The 5 steps should NEVER CHANGE!

Question 12

T/F: population health focuses on the outcomes and determinants of health in groups of humans

Answer 12

T

Question 13

what type of research evaluates the best ways to prevent, diagnose and treat adverse health issues that affect individuals and families?
A) Clinical research
B) Basic medical research
C) Population health research
D) Translational research

Answer 13

A)

Question 14

1. What is demography?
2. demography is often used as a tool in which type of research?
   A) Clinical research
   B) Basic medical research
   C) Population health research
   D) Translational research

Answer 14

1. Demography examines the size, structure, and movements of populations over space and time.
2. C)

Question 15

what is brainstorming? What are the 3 aspects of brainstorming ?

Answer 15

brainstorming = the process of generating long lists of spontaneous ideas about possible research questions. must have:
1) a source = personal experiences, knowledge from course, clinical/health practice
2) clear, practical, focused = specifically answers 5 W’s and how often
3) have a goal = understand the issue, needs assessment etc.

Question 16

what is concept mapping and how is it connected to brainstorming?

Answer 16

visual listing of ideas and grouping them to reveal relationships. We brainstorm to list the words or phrases, and concept mapping connects the topics

Question 17

What are the 3 most important things that the research question should focus on?

Answer 17

1. exposure
2. disease/outcome
3. population

Question 18

what is EDP?

Answer 18

exposure = personal characteristic (socio-economic status), behaviour (smoking), environmental encounter (pollution), or intervention (treatment) that might change the likelihood of developing a health condition

outcome = observed event like the presence of disease in a participant or the measured endpoint in an experimental study

population = a group of individuals, communities, or organizations with identifiable similar characteristics that possibly make them susceptible to an exposure

Question 19

T/F: populations are groups of people with identifiable different characteristics

Answer 19

F. similar characteristics

Question 20

outcomes measure the _________ in an experimental study

Answer 20

endpoint

Question 21

What is PICOT and what is it used for?

Answer 21

P = patient/population/problem that will be studied?
I = intervention that will be tested?
C = control group?
O = outcome of interest?
T = timeframe for follow up?

used to generate a research question, generate evidence and used for interventions

Question 22

what are 5 components of a good research question? Explain

Answer 22

1. real question = do not use value statements (“mental health is important”) or predetermined call to action (“people should exercise more”)
2. testable = can be answered using currently developed health research methods
3. generalizable = can be applied beyond the study population
4. purposeful = answers one well defined and specific research question
5. can PICOT be applied?

Question 23

what are study goals? Give 2 examples

Answer 23

the single, overarching objective of a research project or the main question that a research project seeks to answer.
- to compare the levels of exposure or disease in 2 or more populations
- to measure changes in population health status over time

Question 24

what are specific objectives?

Answer 24

carefully described actions that will help the researcher make progress towards achieving the big picture goal

Question 25

Full in the blanks:
1. most studies in the health sciences have ___-___ specific aims with ___ being the most typical number
2. for experimental studies, the specific aims may take the form of ___________ that will be tested

Answer 25

1. 2-4, 3
2. hypotheses

Question 26

what is the difference between sequential and independent objectives?

Answer 26

sequential = chronological list of actions that will achieve the main goal
independent = related but independent objectives. when one objective is not achieved, it will not prevent successful completion of the others

Question 27

What acronym should be used for developing a good specific objective?

Answer 27

SMART:
S = specific
M = measurable
A = attainable
R = relevant
T = timely

Question 28

1. What is a conceptual framework?
2. What is a theoretical framework?

Answer 28

1. conceptual = a model that uses boxes and arrows to illustrate various relationships that will be evaluated during a study
2. theoretical = a set of established models in the published literature that can inform the components and flows of the conceptual framework for a new research study

Question 29

1. What is the Lalonde model? (components of health field concept)
2. what was the title of the literature?
3. What is the HBM?

Answer 29

1. considered to be the first government document to promote HP and the health field concept which extended beyond the traditional biomedical health care system. Health field concept = human biology, environment, lifestyle, health care organization
2. a new perspective on the health of Canadians
3. health behaviour change involves perceived susceptibility (your opinion of how susceptible you are to a disease), severity (your opinion about how severe the disease would be if you got it), benefits (what are the benefits of doing the intervention) and barriers (what are the barriers to the intervention)

Question 30

What is the evan and stoddart model?

Answer 30

A conceptual model of the determinants of health that influence health in a community
takes a multidisciplinary approach

Question 31

Explain each in bronfenbrenner’s eco-social model:
a) microsystem
b) mesosystem
c) exosystem
d) macrosystem
e) chronosystem