Assignment task: Advanced Research Methods
Providing Health Care Services to the Formerly Homeless: A Quasi-Experimental Evaluation
Abstract: We performed a quasi-experiment to assess the effects of a focused health care intervention delivered in transitional housing facilities in Sacramento, California. Four transitional housing facilities (THFs) receiving the intervention were compared with 2 THFs that did not receive it. A multidisciplinary team provided a diverse package of services to residents at the intervention sites. Residents at comparison sites received usual care.
Survey and physical examination data were collected in repeated cross-sectional surveys at baseline (pre-intervention) and after 6 and 18 months of follow-up (post-intervention).
Using analysis of covariance techniques, our statistical models showed improved odds of receiving recommended gynecologic preventive care and decreased odds of frequent Emergency Department use at 18 months among residents at the intervention sites. At 6 months, residents at the intervention sites also experienced improved blood pressure control. There was no intervention effect on residents' access to specialists or on physical functioning, mental health, or dental health.
Questions:
You can learn a powerful amount from the title and abstract of a research article. Answer the following questions using the title and abstract on page 2 (if you have a desire to see the entire article it is included in the first module as "ciaranello.pdf").
Before you ask, yes all the answers to these questions can be found in the abstract and do not be afraid to use this semester and last semester notes to help.
Q1. Which of the four categories of purposes of social science research (exploratory, descriptive, evaluative, or explanatory) is this article ? Why? (one sentence)
Q2. What do you assume the research question or hypotheses are for this article?
Q3. Is the study qualitative or quantitative? Why?
Q4. What is the research design of this study regarding time order?
Q5. What is the design regarding causation (survey, experiment, quasi-experiment, etc.)?Describe the basic design used.