Fix It At the End of Each Month a Local Reproductive Health

question 30

Essay

Fix It
At the end of each month a local reproductive health clinic runs statistics about the number of individuals treated for sexually transmitted diseases. For the past three months they have noticed a huge increase in STD treatment and are worried there is an epidemic in their county. They decide to conduct a program evaluation and begin with focus groups to determine what is contributing to the STD outbreak. During the focus group they find that there is also an increase in drug use among young adults in the community. Knowing that drug use impairs decision making, the health clinic concludes that the increase in drug use is causing the STD outbreak. The health clinic applies for a grant to fund an antidrug program and is surprised when they do not get the money. After hiring a research consultant and reviewing the feedback from the grant reviewers they revise their application and resubmit the grant the next time it is offered.
What do you think the feedback from the grant reviewers said? What changes to the grant proposal do you think the health clinic made? Fix it!

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Definitions:

Gene Expression

The process by which information from a gene is used in the synthesis of a functional gene product, often leading to the manifestation of a trait or characteristic.

Environmental Factors

External elements, including physical, chemical, and biological agents, that can influence living organisms.

Brain Structure Abnormalities

Deviations or anomalies in the anatomy of the brain that can influence behavior and cognitive function.

Biopsychosocial Approach

A comprehensive outlook that merges biological, psychological, and socio-cultural aspects to analyze and grasp the concepts of health and illness.