| Course | D622 Public Health Assessment, Program Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation |
|---|---|
| Task | Task 1 |
| Paper type | Program cycle plan |
| Length | About 1,000 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 |
| School | Western Governors University (WGU) |
| Program | Master of Public Health |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for D622 Task 1
Back to Class Before Back to the Field: Data Analysis, an Evidence-Based Program, an Implementation Plan and an Evaluation Plan for Youth Sports Concussion in a Composite County
Student Name
Leavitt School of Health, Western Governors University
D622: Public Health Assessment, Program Planning, Intervention, and Evaluation, Task 1
Course Instructor
Month Day, Year
Back to Class Before Back to the Field: Data Analysis, an Evidence-Based Program, an Implementation Plan and an Evaluation Plan for Youth Sports Concussion in a Composite County
Analyzing the Data to Identify the Need
Nationally, an average of 283,000 children under 18 sought emergency department care each year from 2010 to 2016 for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries, including concussions, with the highest rates among boys and children aged 10 to 17 and with contact sports accounting for about 45% of visits (Sarmiento et al., 2019). Lakeside County, a composite county of about 260,000 people, assembled three local data sources to see how the problem looks locally.
| Source | Finding |
|---|---|
| Emergency department records, ages 10 to 17 | About 410 visits a year for sports-related concussion; most common in football, soccer, basketball and cheerleading |
| School nurse logs, three high schools | Of 96 students with concussion last year, 60 returned to a full class schedule within two days; 22 reported symptoms that worsened with schoolwork |
| Survey of youth league coaches | 38% of youth league coaches had completed any concussion training; school coaches are trained under state law, league coaches are not |
The analysis points to two gaps. First, coaches in community youth leagues, where many younger athletes play, are not covered by the state's training requirement. Second, schools lack a consistent return-to-learn process, so students return to full academic loads before their symptoms allow, which can prolong recovery. The need is not only preventing injuries but managing them well once they occur.
An Evidence-Based Program
The program, Lakeside Concussion Safe, has four components drawn from evidence and national guidance. Coach education: all youth league coaches will complete the free CDC HEADS UP training as a condition of the county's field permits. A systematic review found that evaluated concussion education programs, including HEADS UP, increased coaches' and parents' knowledge and promoted coach behaviors that reduce concussion risk, though few studies measured effects on athletes' health (Feiss et al., 2020). Parent education: a short module at league and school registration covers signs of concussion and what to do. Return to learn: each high school and middle school will form a concussion management team of the school nurse, a counselor and a teacher liaison and adopt a graded return-to-school protocol consistent with the international consensus on concussion in sport, which recommends a stepwise return to learning, with accommodations as needed, before full return to sport (Patricios et al., 2023). Contact limits: youth football leagues will adopt limits on full-contact practice, since reducing player-to-player contact is a key prevention strategy (Sarmiento et al., 2019).
Logic Model
The logic model links resources to expected results.
| Resources | What the program does | What it produces | Early results | Lasting results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Coordinator, training materials, school staff time, partner leagues | Coach and parent education; school concussion teams; contact limits | Coaches trained; parents reached; schools with protocols; leagues with contact limits | Better recognition and reporting; students return to class gradually | Fewer recurrent concussions; faster full recovery |
Implementation Plan
Partners and roles. The county health department coordinates and evaluates. The school district adopts the return-to-learn protocol and trains staff. The parks department attaches coach training to field permits. Youth leagues enforce training and contact limits. Pediatric practices and the hospital's sports medicine clinic provide clinical guidance and accept referrals from schools.
Timeline. Months 1 to 3: convene partners, adopt the protocol, set permit requirements. Months 4 to 6: train school teams and launch coach and parent education before fall sports. Months 7 to 12: operate, monitor and prepare for spring sports.
Resources. A half-time coordinator ($38,000), printed materials and registration module development ($12,000), school staff training time ($20,000) and evaluation ($15,000), for a total of about $85,000 in the first year, funded by a state injury prevention grant and the hospital's community benefit program.
Risks. Leagues may resist permit conditions; the coordinator will meet with league boards early and offer online training at convenient times. Schools may lack staff time; the protocol uses existing roles and simple templates.
Equity Considerations
The program must reach all young athletes, not only those in well-funded leagues and schools. Youth leagues in Lakeside's lower-income neighborhoods rely on volunteer coaches with little time for training, so the coordinator will offer in-person sessions at those leagues' fields in English and Spanish, with food and child care. Parent materials will use plain language that most sixth graders could read, in English and Spanish. Students without a regular clinician may struggle to obtain the medical clearance the protocol requires; the hospital's sports medicine clinic will offer free concussion follow-up visits for uninsured students, and school nurses will help families schedule them. Evaluation results will be reported by school and league so that gaps in reach become visible and can be corrected.
Evaluation Plan
Process measures show whether the program was delivered: the percentage of youth league coaches trained (target 90% in year one), the number of parents completing the registration module and the number of schools with a functioning concussion team. Short-term outcome measures show whether recognition and management improved: coach knowledge before and after training, and the share of students with concussion who follow the graded return-to-learn protocol. Longer-term outcomes include the median days until symptom-free full return to class and the rate of recurrent concussions among student athletes.
One result must be interpreted carefully. In a national study of high school athletes, reported concussion rates rose after youth sports concussion laws took effect, likely because of better identification and reporting, while recurrent concussion rates declined after about two and a half years (Yang et al., 2017). Lakeside should therefore expect reported concussions to rise at first and should not read that increase as failure; recurrent concussions and recovery time are better indicators of success.
Conclusion
Lakeside County's data show two clear gaps: untrained youth league coaches and inconsistent management of students returning to class after concussion. An evidence-based program addressing both, delivered through existing partners and evaluated with measures that match its goals, offers a realistic way to protect young athletes' brains and their learning.
References
Feiss, R., Lutz, M., Reiche, E., Moody, J., & Pangelinan, M. (2020). A systematic review of the effectiveness of concussion education programs for coaches and parents of youth athletes. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(8), 2665. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17082665
Patricios, J. S., Schneider, K. J., Dvorak, J., Ahmed, O. H., Blauwet, C., Cantu, R. C., Davis, G. A., Echemendia, R. J., Makdissi, M., McNamee, M., Broglio, S., Emery, C. A., Feddermann-Demont, N., Fuller, G. W., Giza, C. C., Guskiewicz, K. M., Hainline, B., Iverson, G. L., Kutcher, J. S., . . . Meeuwisse, W. (2023). Consensus statement on concussion in sport: The 6th International Conference on Concussion in Sport, Amsterdam, October 2022. British Journal of Sports Medicine, 57(11), 695-711. https://doi.org/10.1136/bjsports-2023-106898
Sarmiento, K., Thomas, K. E., Daugherty, J., Waltzman, D., Haarbauer-Krupa, J. K., Peterson, A. B., Haileyesus, T., & Breiding, M. J. (2019). Emergency department visits for sports- and recreation-related traumatic brain injuries among children: United States, 2010-2016. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 68(10), 237-242. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6810a2
Yang, J., Comstock, R. D., Yi, H., Harvey, H. H., & Xun, P. (2017). New and recurrent concussions in high-school athletes before and after traumatic brain injury laws, 2005-2016. American Journal of Public Health, 107(12), 1916-1922. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.304056
What the D622 Task 1 instructions ask
The first D622 task asks you to plan a public health program across its cycle. You will usually analyze data to identify a need, select an evidence-based program, build a logic model, write an implementation plan, consider equity and write an evaluation plan. Evaluators expect the need to come from data rather than assumption, program components drawn from evidence or national guidance, a logic model that links resources to results, partners with defined roles and measures that match the logic model. A plan that jumps from a topic to activities without data will not meet the assessment aspects. Keep the program narrow enough to plan in detail. Build the logic model before the evaluation.
How this D622 Task 1 example is built
The plan opens with national and local data, then explains the two gaps the data reveal. The program section describes four components, such as coach education and a return-to-learn protocol, each with its source. The logic model is a table running from resources through activities and outputs to short- and long-term outcomes. The implementation plan names partners, roles, timeline and resources. An equity section explains how volunteer leagues in lower-income neighborhoods will be reached. The evaluation plan separates process and outcome measures with targets. The conclusion restates the gaps and how the program addresses them. Partners are named by organization.
Where the D622 Task 1 rubric puts the marks
D622 Task 1 aspects are rated competent, approaching competence or not evident. A data analysis aspect asks whether the need is identified from data. A program aspect rewards evidence-based components. A logic model aspect looks for clear links from resources to outcomes. An implementation aspect wants partners, roles, timeline and resources. An evaluation aspect asks for process and outcome measures that match the logic model. Evaluators notice when equity is planned rather than mentioned, and they expect surveillance data and national guidance on concussion to be cited. A conclusion that ties the cycle together shows the planning judgment the course builds. Clear tables for the logic model and measures help evaluators check alignment quickly, and data cited with years show the need is current.
D622 Task 1 help: what sends it back
D622 plans are weakest when the logic model and evaluation do not match. Every outcome in the model should have a measure. Data may be national only; add local figures or explain how local data would be gathered. Components are sometimes invented; draw them from evidence or national guidance. Implementation can lack roles, so say who does what. Last, give equity specific actions, such as free training for volunteer coaches, since a program that reaches only well-funded leagues can widen the gap it aims to close. Set targets for each measure, such as 90% of coaches trained in the first year, so the evaluation can judge success. Describe how evaluation results will feed back into the program, since the cycle is meant to repeat. Keep figures consistent across the data, logic model and evaluation sections.
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D622 Task 1 questions, answered
Is the D622 county real?
No. Lakeside County and its local data are invented for the sample. The national concussion data and the guidance used to build the program are real and cited.
What is a logic model in D622?
A table or diagram linking resources, activities, outputs and outcomes. It shows how the program is expected to work and guides what the evaluation measures. Every outcome needs a measure.
What is return to learn in D622?
A plan for easing students back into school after a concussion, adjusting workload and screen time as symptoms improve, before they return to sports. Schools and clinicians share the plan.
Should D622 include equity?
Yes. The sample addresses how volunteer-run leagues in lower-income neighborhoods will receive training and materials, so the program reaches all young athletes. Equity needs specific actions, not a mention, so the program reaches every league.
Where can I find a free D622 Task 1 sample paper?
The youth concussion program plan, logic model included, appears above with notes. Share the need your D622 plan addresses, and your first custom program plan is free.