Throughout this course, you will identify the steps in developing a research study. You will not be conducting the research or writing a full proposal; however, you will become familiar with the research process itself.

The research process contains many steps; the first is to identify a study question. Normally, a researcher will find a topic through personal or professional interest and direct it toward solving a problem. For the purpose of this course, you will select one of the topics presented below.

• Childhood diabetes
• Alcohol use in adolescents
• Skin cancer in young women
• Cardiovascular disease in the minority population
• Long-term care for patients with Alzheimer’s disease
• Cultural impact of posttraumatic stress disorder
• Opioid crisis
• Prescription drugs
• Climate change
• Breastfeeding

To prepare for this Discussion:

• Select a topic to address from the list provided
• Read Chapter 2 of your textbook on developing a study question
• Read Chapter 1 of your textbook that deals with health research purposes
• Navigate the AHRQ, CCPH, and RAND corporation websites in the Learning Resources to learn more about research and information specific to your chosen topic
• Consider how you might develop a study question and move forward with the research process

By Day 4

Post a comprehensive response including the following:

• A research topic written as a study question (See Chapter 2 in your textbook)
• The purpose of the research, including how the project will further knowledge and extend theory (See the section Health Research Purposes in Chapter 1 of your textbook.)
• Reason for selecting the topic (See Chapter 1 of your textbook.)
• Define any terms that may have special meaning to the study itself (See the section Keywords in your textbook.)