| Course | HLTH 349 Policy and Public Health (HLTH349) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 1 |
| Assignment | Discussion Board Forum 1 |
| Paper type | Discussion thread with two replies |
| Length | about 589 words (thread and replies). Course guide: a thread of at least 350 words answering the forum questions with 1 citation, and replies of at least 100 words to 2 classmates with 1 citation each, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 citations and reference list |
| Points | 80 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Public Health |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 1 in Liberty's published HLTH 349 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HLTH 349 Week 1
Discussion Board Forum 1: Community and Public Health and Health Disparities
HLTH 349 Policy and Public Health, Discussion Board Forum 1
Thread by [Student Name]
The classmates are composites; the textbook and the peer-reviewed sources cited are real.
No country pours more money into medical care than ours, yet more mothers die from pregnancy-related causes here than in comparable countries, and the problem has grown worse. This forum's chapters help explain why maternal mortality is not only a problem for obstetricians but for public health.
McKenzie et al. (2018) describe public health as the actions that society takes collectively to ensure the conditions in which people can be healthy, and community health as the health status of a defined group and the actions taken to protect and improve it. They identify physical, social and cultural factors, as well as access to care, as influences on a community's health, and they show that racial and ethnic minority populations often bear a larger share of preventable illness and death. Maternal mortality fits that pattern closely.
Fleszar et al. (2023) estimated maternal mortality for every state by racial and ethnic group from 1999 to 2019. Over that period, the median state maternal mortality ratio rose from 26.7 to 55.4 deaths per 100,000 live births among Black mothers, from 14.0 to 49.2 among American Indian and Alaska Native mothers and from 9.4 to 26.3 among White mothers. Black mothers had the highest median rate in every year. Petersen et al. (2019) reviewed data from 13 state committees that examine each maternal death and found that about three in five pregnancy-related deaths were preventable. Only about 31% of deaths occurred during pregnancy; the rest occurred at delivery or afterward, including 11.7% that came somewhere from the seventh postpartum week to the first anniversary of the birth. When most maternal deaths happen after the baby is born and most are preventable, the problem is not only how mothers are treated in the delivery room but whether anyone is watching over them in the months that follow.
Because so many deaths occur after delivery, public health policies such as extending Medicaid coverage for a full year postpartum, expanding home visiting and improving access to care in rural and minority communities could make a real difference. These are choices that legislatures and health departments make, which is why maternal mortality is as much a policy problem as a clinical one.
Reply to Mariah
Mariah, your thread argued that a single postpartum checkup at six weeks is not enough, and the evidence supports you. Petersen et al. (2019) found that more than half of pregnancy-related deaths occurred after the day of delivery, including deaths from heart conditions that can develop weeks or months later. A mother who leaves the hospital feeling well may not recognize warning signs, such as shortness of breath or severe headaches, without someone checking on her. Your idea of nurse home visits during the first month seems like a practical way to catch problems early, and it could also connect mothers with help for depression, which is easy to miss when visits focus only on physical recovery.
Reply to Tyler
Tyler, you raised an important point about rural hospitals closing their labor and delivery units. McKenzie et al. (2018) list access to health care among the main factors that shape a community's health, and when the nearest maternity unit is an hour or more away, women may receive less prenatal care and face greater risk during emergencies. I wonder whether telehealth prenatal visits and better transport for high-risk patients could help bridge the gap where reopening units is not financially possible. Training emergency staff at rural hospitals to manage unexpected deliveries and hemorrhage would also matter, since some women will still give birth in the nearest emergency room.
References
Fleszar, L. G., Bryant, A. S., Johnson, C. O., Blacker, B. F., Aravkin, A., Baumann, M., Dwyer-Lindgren, L., Kelly, Y. O., Maass, K., Zheng, P., & Roth, G. A. (2023). Trends in state-level maternal mortality by racial and ethnic group in the United States. JAMA, 330(1), 52-61. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2023.9043
McKenzie, J. F., Pinger, R. R., & Seabert, D. M. (2018). An introduction to community & public health (9th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Petersen, E. E., Davis, N. L., Goodman, D., Cox, S., Mayes, N., Johnston, E., Syverson, C., Seed, K., Shapiro-Mendoza, C. K., Callaghan, W. M., & Barfield, W. (2019). Vital signs: Pregnancy-related deaths, United States, 2011-2015, and strategies for prevention, 13 states, 2013-2017. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(18), 423-429. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6818e1
What the HLTH 349 Week 1 instructions ask
Module/Week 1 of HLTH 349 assigns chapters 1 and 10 of McKenzie et al. and a presentation, and asks students to finish the syllabus checklist, introduce themselves and post the first forum. The forum requires a thread of at least 350 words answering the questions posed, supported by one citation, and replies of at least 100 words to two other classmates, each with its own citation. No more than five students may reply to any one classmate's thread, so students should spread their replies. The opening chapters define community and public health, describe the factors that affect a community's health and examine health disparities among racial and ethnic minority populations, which makes a specific, measurable disparity a strong subject for the first thread.
How this HLTH 349 Week 1 example is built
The sample thread begins with the rise in U.S. maternal deaths and the gaps between groups. It uses the textbook's definitions of community and public health and its discussion of factors that shape a population's health to explain why maternal mortality belongs in public health, then reports state-level trends from 1999 to 2019 and federal findings on how many deaths were preventable and when they happened. The thread argues that because many deaths occur after delivery, policies that extend care through the first year postpartum are essential. The reply to Mariah adds evidence on the timing of deaths to her focus on postpartum visits, and the reply to Tyler connects his concern about rural hospitals closing maternity units to the textbook's view of access.
HLTH 349 Week 1 grading rubric: where the points go
Forum 1 posts in HLTH 349 are generally evaluated on whether the thread answers each question posed with content from the assigned chapters, meets the 350-word minimum, supports its points with the required citation and follows APA style, and on whether each reply reaches 100 words with its own citation and adds something substantive. Instructors look for accurate use of the textbook's terms, such as community health, public health and health disparities, and for evidence about real populations rather than general statements. Threads that connect a health problem to the factors and policies that influence it set up the course's policy focus well.
HLTH 349 Week 1 help: mistakes that cost points
Read the forum questions carefully and answer each one directly, using the opening chapters' definitions and examples. Choose a specific health problem that shows how community factors and disparities shape health, and find a credible source, preferably peer-reviewed, that measures it. Report the numbers and explain what they mean for the population affected. Keep the thread above 350 words and include at least one citation in APA format. For replies, add a fact or perspective with its own citation rather than simply agreeing, and choose classmates whose threads have fewer than five replies. Post the thread early so classmates can respond before the deadline.
Related HLTH 349 sample papers
Other HLTH 349 weeks
- HLTH 349 Week 2: Article Review 1
- HLTH 349 Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 2
- HLTH 349 Week 4: Article Review 2
- HLTH 349 Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 3
- HLTH 349 Week 6: Article Review 3
- HLTH 349 Week 7: Article Review 4
More BS in Public Health sample papers
HLTH 349 Week 1 questions, answered
What is HLTH 349 Discussion Board Forum 1?
The 80-point opening forum, in which students answer questions on community and public health in a 350-word thread with a citation and reply to two classmates in 100 words each with citations.
Where can I find a free HLTH 349 Week 1 sample paper?
This page presents a complete HLTH 349 Week 1 forum sample on maternal mortality as a public health problem, with two replies to classmates.
How has maternal mortality changed in the United States?
From 1999 to 2019, median state maternal mortality ratios more than doubled for every racial and ethnic group, with the highest rates among Black and American Indian and Alaska Native mothers.
Are pregnancy-related deaths preventable?
State maternal mortality review committees judged about three in five pregnancy-related deaths preventable, with leading causes including heart conditions, infection and hemorrhage, and contributing factors at the patient, provider, facility and community levels.
How many replies can a classmate's HLTH 349 thread receive?
No more than five students may respond to one classmate's thread, so students should look for threads that have fewer responses and spread the discussion across the class.
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