This is a two-step assignment related to preparing a problem statement for a research proposal. In the first step, you will complete a problem statement on an area of interest in the health care field which will be peer-reviewed by one of your classmates. In the second step, you will revise your problem statement based on the peer review comments and submit a final draft to the instructor for grading.
The goals of this assignment are to:
1.    enable you to think critically about a health-related issue of interest;
2.    learn how to prepare a problem statement based on your area of interest and literature; and
3.    Practice expressing your ideas in a clear and concise manner.
Topic: Hypertension control in the United States
In this course we will practice, in a step-by-step manner, several key components of designing a research proposal. We will not actually conduct the research. The first step in this process will be to create a problem statement and associated research questions and hypotheses.
For this assignment, you will prepare a one-page document.  It should begin with a one paragraph overview of the issue of interest. This paragraph should clearly define the issue and provide a sense of why this is an important issue to study.
The next paragraph should begin with a concise research statement. In other words, it should narrow your overview/background and be a statement encapsulated in one or two sentences describing the specifics of what you are proposing to study. Remember, it is important to think about whether you can actually measure what you are proposing to study. It is better to have a more narrowly crafted statement that will permit you to reasonably collect data than a very broad statement that makes it unreasonable or impossible to collect data.
This should be followed by at least two (2) specific research questions (and sub-questions as appropriate). It should conclude with a statement about your hypotheses related to those questions – what do you think are reasonable, educated guesses regarding what you will discover regarding your research questions?
Formatting Guidelines
1.    Only your name in the header, right justified. No title on the paper.
2.    No more than one page in length with 1.5 spacing. One inch margins all around.
3.    Page numbers centered in the footer.
4.    Times New Roman Font, 12 point.
5.    Use APA citation style and at least 2 academic sources (you may use your textbook or class materials, however these do not count toward the required sources). The following websites are not appropriate academic citations: Wikipedia.com; about.com; ask.com; how.com; or any websites in this same genre. Please review the UCF library modules or see Purdue OWL for additional assistance with proper APA formatting.
6.    Plagiarism, whether it is intentional or not, will result in a grade of “0” on this assignment.
7.    Your ability to follow these directions, as well as spelling and grammar, will count as part of your grade.

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APA – 3 References