Let's take a look at the problem definitions you have written for this important first step in the problem solving methodology. Remembering that John Dewey is behind us, supporting us. Suggesting that a problem well stated is a problem half solved. So what's our initial problem statement? The problem statement I drafted is as follows you can see on the slide here. The infant mortality rate among African-American infants was consistently higher than among white infants in Baltimore City from 1997 to 2007. In reviewing the infant mortality data that we have looked at, I thought this figure best guided my writing of this problem definition. So let's take a minute to dissect this statement according to the key aspects. First, the problem is a public health problem because the infant mortality rate is a key indicator of health in a population. The problem is focused. It's not a topic but rather, it's a specific problem. Second, person, place, and time have all been incorporated in this problem definition. The comparison of African American to white infants allows us to be the most specific we can in specifying the population most affected by this problem. It also allows us to use the term higher. We use a term like higher when we're implying a comparison group. Higher than who? Higher than what? So we have supplied that comparison group in the problem definition by stating the infant mortality rate among African American infants was consistently higher than among White infants. Baltimore City specified as the place. We could have specified a specific neighborhood, but since the request was to investigate and solve the problem about infant mortality In the entire city asked by the mayor through the health commissioner to the chief epidemiologist. So in order to best respond to that request, we'll keep the problem statement focused at the level of the city. We will use the neighborhood level data that we've looked at to inform our interventions. That's coming up. Finally, time is incorporated in the framing by specifying the time period and using the term consistently when describing that infant mortality rate among African Americans compared to white infants during this specified time frame. Next, specificity. The problem definition is quite specific in terms of goals, the indicator of infant mortality rate and the articulation of person, place and time. Next, causal claims. We do not make any causal claims or tempt to explain this problem, we simply state. The definition of the problem. And then, finally, language. The problem definition is one complete sentence or statement, that has appropriate grammar, capitalization, and punctuation. So comparing our problem definition to our list of dos and don'ts. We don't state the definition of a topic, the definition is focused. We are clear in defining the sub population most affected by the problem and we have incorporated place and time. We don't mention key determinants of the problem or make causal claims and we don't select a solution to the problem, so I think this problem definition is appropriate given the request from the Major and the existing data that we reviewed. Please compare your drafted problem definition to this one to see where yours differs and think about how it differs and why it differs. Take another minute to stretch, take a breath, and then complete a work it out exercise. For this work it out exercise, please critically review your problem definition for infant mortality in Baltimore City and revise it. Because writing problem statements takes practice, practice and more practice. Then, we'll move on to measurement of the magnitude of the problem in the next video.
