| Course | DNP 740 Clinical Prevention and Population Health (DNP/740) |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Population definition paper |
| Length | about 1,160 words, 4 double-spaced pages plus title page and references |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | University of Phoenix |
| Program | DNP |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 740 Week 1
Eight Thousand People Over Sixty-Five in One Rural County: Defining a Population for Fall Prevention, Its Boundaries and Why the Distribution of Falls Matters as Much as the Average
[Student Name]
University of Phoenix
DNP/740: Clinical Prevention and Population Health
Week 1 Assignment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The county and figures are composites written for a model paper.
As a doctoral student and practicing nurse practitioner, I work with our county health department and the local federally qualified health center in a rural county of 38,000 people in the Appalachian foothills. About 8,200 residents, or 22%, are 65 or older, compared with about 17% nationally. At a recent community health meeting, the emergency medical services director reported that falls were the most common reason for 911 calls from older residents. This paper defines the population I will study this term and explains why falls are its priority problem.
What Population Health Means
Kindig and Stoddart (2003) proposed that population health be understood as how a group fares overall together with how unevenly that fortune is spread among its members. They argued that the field of population health includes health outcomes, patterns of health determinants and the policies and interventions that link the two, and distinguished it from public health, health promotion and social epidemiology while acknowledging overlap. Their emphasis on distribution means that a population's average can hide groups faring much worse.
Defining the Population
My population is community-dwelling adults aged 65 and older living in our county, excluding residents of the county's two nursing homes, whose fall risks and prevention programs differ. The boundary is geographic, the county line, because the health department's authority and data follow county boundaries. The population is dynamic: people age into it and leave through death or relocation.
Subgroups That Matter
Because the definition stresses distribution (Kindig & Stoddart, 2003), I identify subgroups likely to differ in fall risk and access to prevention: adults 85 and older, those living alone, residents of the county's two most remote townships more than 30 minutes from the clinic, adults with low incomes and those without a regular primary care clinician. A county average for falls would obscure these differences.
The county's average told me falls were common; the distribution would tell me where they were most common and least prevented.
Data Sources
Data will come from several sources: the state's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System estimates for our region, emergency medical services run reports for fall calls, emergency department visits for falls from the regional hospital, death certificates and the clinic's health records for patients 65 and older. Each source captures a different slice of the population.
How Common Are Falls Nationally
Bergen et al. (2016), analyzing 2014 national survey data, found that 28.7% of adults 65 and older reported falling in the past year, with an estimated 29 million falls resulting in 7 million injuries. They identified effective strategies, including clinical approaches that combine gait and balance assessment, strength and balance exercise and medication review, and emphasized screening older adults for fall risk.
Falls Are Becoming More Deadly
Burns and Kakara (2018) found that the rate of deaths from falls among adults 65 and older increased by an average of 3% per year from 2007 to 2016 nationally, rising in 30 states and in almost every demographic group, with the largest increase among people 85 and older. They urged clinicians to discuss falls at annual wellness visits and select appropriate interventions.
Why Falls Are a Population Health Problem
Falls are common, costly and increasingly fatal. They are also largely preventable, with effective interventions available. Yet most prevention happens one patient at a time, if at all. A population approach asks how to reach all 8,200 older adults, not only those who see a clinician and mention a fall.
Our Local Picture
Last year, county ambulance crews answered 612 fall calls for residents 65 and older, about 75 per 1,000 older residents. The regional hospital reported 214 emergency visits for falls among county residents in this age group. Eleven county residents 65 and older died from falls in the past three years. These figures suggest our burden is at least as high as national estimates.
Determinants in Our Population
Rural distance, older housing with steep stairs and poor lighting, limited public transportation, a shortage of physical therapists and the high proportion of adults living alone all plausibly raise fall risk or limit prevention. These determinants will be examined in later weeks.
Why the Distribution Matters
If fall prevention programs reach mainly those who drive to town, attend senior center events and see a clinician regularly, the county's overall rate may improve while the remote, isolated and poor continue to fall. Tracking outcomes by subgroup, as Kindig and Stoddart (2003) suggest, is the only way to know whether a program narrows or widens gaps.
My Role
My part, as a nurse preparing at the doctoral level, is to frame the problem with data, bring together the health department, clinic, emergency medical services, senior center and area agency on aging and lead the design and evaluation of a population-level response.
Fear of Falling
Falls cause more than injuries. Many older adults who fall, and many who have not, restrict their activity out of fear, which weakens muscles and increases future risk. A population view counts this hidden burden, which does not appear in ambulance or hospital data.
Partners Already Present
The area agency on aging runs a meals program that reaches about 600 homebound older adults. Emergency medical services crews visit homes after every fall call. The senior center hosts exercise classes. These existing contacts are opportunities to reach the population where they already are.
Why Not the Whole County
Falls occur at all ages, but their frequency, severity and prevention strategies differ sharply after 65. Focusing on older adults concentrates resources where the burden and the evidence for prevention are greatest. Younger adults with disabilities also fall often and deserve attention, but a separate effort would suit their needs better.
Why Community-Dwelling Adults
Nursing home residents fall frequently, but facilities are required to assess and prevent falls, and their residents are reached through facility programs. Community-dwelling older adults have no comparable system, which is why a population approach is needed for them.
A Population Denominator
The population denominator, 8,200, comes from census estimates for the county, updated annually. Rates for subgroups will use census estimates for those groups where available. Clear denominators allow fair comparison over time and with other counties.
Next Steps
Next week, I will assemble the data sources into a profile of fall-related health status in our population, including rates by subgroup where possible.
Conclusion
Defining population health as outcomes and their distribution within a group, I defined my population as the county's community-dwelling adults 65 and older, with subgroups that may differ in risk and access. National data show that more than a quarter of older adults fall each year and that fall deaths are rising. Local figures suggest a similar or greater burden, making falls a priority for a population-level response that must attend to who is reached, not only how many.
References
Bergen, G., Stevens, M. R., & Burns, E. R. (2016). Falls and fall injuries among adults aged ≥65 years: United States, 2014. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 65(37), 993-998. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6537a2
Burns, E., & Kakara, R. (2018). Deaths from falls among persons aged ≥65 years: United States, 2007-2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 67(18), 509-514. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6718a1
Kindig, D., & Stoddart, G. (2003). What is population health? American Journal of Public Health, 93(3), 380-383. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.93.3.380
What the DNP 740 Week 1 instructions ask
The Week 1 prompt in DNP 740 usually has three parts. Students first explain population health in their own words using a scholarly definition, then name a specific population with clear inclusion and exclusion boundaries, and finally describe one health problem that matters for that group, with data showing why. Some sections add a short reflection on the doctoral nurse's role in population work. The prompt expects a population you can count, so a denominator and a data source belong in the paper, not a general statement about older adults or rural residents. Most sections ask for three to five pages in APA format with scholarly sources, and faculty often want the population chosen here to carry through the Week 2 health status profile and the later program plan.
How this DNP 740 Week 1 example is built
The sample moves from definition to population to problem in that order. It opens with the county setting and the 8,200 older residents, then presents the Kindig and Stoddart framing before any local detail, so every boundary that follows can be traced back to the idea of distribution. Nursing home residents are excluded with a reason, subgroups such as adults 85 and older and people living alone are named, and five data sources are listed before any number is used. National figures on fall frequency and on fall deaths come from MMWR analyses, and local ambulance and emergency counts show the problem at county scale. Short sections then explain why the whole county was not chosen, why the denominator comes from census estimates and what the next assignment will add.
DNP 740 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Phoenix grading rubrics for this kind of paper tend to split the points across content, organization and APA mechanics, with content carrying most of the weight. Within content, faculty look for an accurate definition supported by a source, a population defined tightly enough that it could be measured, and a health issue justified with current data rather than impressions. Points in organization reward a paper whose headings follow the prompt, so a reader can find each required element. The mechanics portion covers the title page, in-text citations that match the reference list and a consistent reference format. Papers that define population health well but leave the population vague usually lose more than papers with small APA slips, because the population is the foundation for every later week.
DNP 740 Week 1 help: mistakes to avoid
The most common Week 1 mistake is naming a population too broad to act on, such as all older Americans, when the course wants a group the student can reach and measure locally. A second is presenting a health problem without numbers, or with numbers that have no source or year. Some students define population health correctly but never use the definition again, so it reads like filler; tie the definition to the boundaries you set. Others forget the denominator, which makes the Week 2 rates impossible to calculate. Keep the first-person role statement short and specific, cite each figure where it appears, and check that the population you choose now is one you are willing to work with for all eight weeks of the course.
Related DNP 740 sample papers
Other DNP 740 week samples
- DNP 740 Week 2: Assessing Health Status With Data
- DNP 740 Week 3: Social Determinants and Disparities
- DNP 740 Week 4: Screening and Surveillance Programs
- DNP 740 Week 5: Levels of Prevention
- DNP 740 Week 6: Evidence-Based Interventions
- DNP 740 Week 7: Program Plan and Logic Model
- DNP 740 Week 8: Equity-Focused Evaluation Plan
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DNP 740 Week 1 questions, answered
What does DNP/740 Week 1 usually ask for?
Many sections ask students to define population health, identify a population of interest and describe a priority health issue for that population using data.
What is population health?
One widely cited definition is the health outcomes of a group of individuals, including the distribution of such outcomes within the group, along with the determinants and policies that shape them.
How common are falls among older adults?
National survey data show that more than a quarter of adults 65 and older report falling each year, and death rates from falls in this age group rose steadily over the past decade.
Where can I find a free DNP 740 Week 1 sample paper?
This page carries a complete DNP 740 Week 1 paper defining an older adult population for fall prevention, with margin notes and a reference list; a custom version written to your own population can be requested free through the form.
How do I choose a population for DNP/740?
Pick a group you can reach through your practice or a local partner, that has a measurable denominator, and that has a health problem you can document with current data and follow through the later weeks.
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