Discussion postEpidemiology

Epidemiological models

Four questions that travel a long way: from disease models to why cost-control legislation failed, and then to Freire against the individualistic health education model. The last one is the one to prepare for.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 22, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

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Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

Four questions, and the last one is a different discipline

Name the models properly, because this is where a vague answer shows. The epidemiological triad of agent, host and environment is the classical model and it fits infectious disease well. The web of causation handles chronic disease, where no single agent is necessary or sufficient. The wheel model places the host at the centre with genetic, biological, social and physical environments around it, and it is useful for exactly the multifactorial questions the triad handles badly. The ecosocial and social determinants frameworks extend that further by embedding the individual in political and economic structures. Say which model you would use for which problem, since choosing between them is the useful skill. The triad will not explain obesity and the web of causation will not organise a foodborne outbreak investigation, and a post that matches each model to the problem it was built for is doing more than reciting the list.

The third and fourth questions are where students run out of preparation. On health planning legislation, the analysis is that cost control repeatedly failed because the incentives were left in place: fee-for-service rewarded volume, certificate-of-need laws were captured or circumvented, planning agencies had little enforcement power, and technology and specialisation grew faster than any control. The fourth question is critical pedagogy rather than epidemiology, and it needs the contrast stated plainly. The individualistic model locates the health problem in the person's knowledge and behaviour, so the intervention is information and persuasion delivered by an expert. Freire's problem-posing approach treats the learner as a knower, begins from the community's own generative themes, and aims at conscientisation, a critical reading of the conditions producing the problem, with collective action as the intended outcome. The contrast worth drawing is where each locates the cause, and therefore who has to change.

Likely learning objectives

Distinguish epidemiological models by the kind of causation each handles.
Apply epidemiological methods to describing community health.
Explain the failure of cost-control legislation through incentives rather than intent.
Contrast individualistic health education with Freire's problem-posing approach.

Assignment instructions

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Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Define epidemiology and identify the epidemiological models used to explain disease and health pattern in populations. Community Nursing Read chapters 5, 7, and 8 of the class textbooks and review the attached PowerPoint presentations. Once done answer the following questions. Define epidemiology and identify the epidemiological models used to explain disease and health pattern in populations. How can you apply the epidemiological methods to describe the stated of health in the community or aggregate? Mention and analyze the factors that have contributed to the failure of health planning legislation to control health care costs. Compare and contrast Freire’s approach to health education with individualistic health education model. You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes. Epidemiological models Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages. Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor. The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours. Epidemiological models

Turn the brief into deliverables

01A definition of epidemiology.
02At least three named models with what each explains well.
03An application of epidemiological methods to a community or aggregate.
04Named factors behind the failure of health planning legislation.
05A comparison of Freire's approach with the individualistic model.
06A statement of where each education model locates the cause.