| Course | MPH 590 Public Health and Health Education Capstone |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 1 |
| Paper type | Capstone introduction |
| Length | About 1,050 words, 6 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Aspen University |
| Program | Master of Public Health |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for MPH 590 Module 1
Steady Steps: Bringing an Evidence-Based Balance Program to Older Adults to Prevent Falls
Student Name
Master of Public Health Program, Aspen University
MPH 590: Public Health and Health Education Capstone
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Steady Steps: Bringing an Evidence-Based Balance Program to Older Adults to Prevent Falls
Falls are the leading cause of injury among older adults in the United States, and most are preventable. During the MPH 580 internship, the author worked with a county Area Agency on Aging and health department to launch an evidence-based tai ji quan balance program for older adults at risk of falling. This capstone explains and defends that project. This first section introduces the problem, states the project's purpose and aims and describes the setting.
The National Burden
In 2018, 27.5% of Americans 65 and over said they had fallen within the prior twelve months, and roughly one in ten had been hurt in a fall, according to national behavioral risk survey data (Moreland et al., 2020). Falls lead to fractures, head injuries, loss of independence and fear that limits activity, and deaths from falls have been rising, most sharply among people aged 85 and older.
The Local Picture
The composite county has about 180,000 residents, 19% of them aged 65 or older. County hospital data showed roughly 2,900 emergency department visits for falls among older adults each year, and a local survey of older adults found that 29% had fallen in the past year. Before the project, no evidence-based fall prevention classes were offered in the county. Rural parts of the county had the fewest exercise options for older adults and the longest distances to any class.
Problem Statement
Older adults in the county fall at rates similar to or above national levels, generating thousands of emergency visits a year, yet the county lacked community programs proven to reduce falls, and clinicians had few places to refer patients identified as at risk. This gap between evidence and available services left a preventable cause of injury largely unaddressed.
Purpose and Aims
The project's purpose was to implement and evaluate an evidence-based balance program for older adults at risk of falling. Its aims were to establish classes at community sites, link clinical screening to community referral, reach at least 200 older adults in the first program cycle and assess early changes in balance, fear of falling and self-reported falls.
Why Tai Ji Quan
The chosen program is a therapeutic balance curriculum adapted from tai chi specifically for older adults, delivered under the name Moving for Better Balance. In a randomized trial of 670 older adults at high risk of falls, it reduced falls more than a stretching control and 31% more than a multimodal exercise program (Li et al., 2018). Its structure, trained instructors and group classes suited community delivery.
Key Terms
The table defines terms used throughout the capstone.
| Term | Definition in this project |
|---|---|
| Fall | An unintentional coming to rest on the ground, floor or lower level |
| At risk of falling | A fall in the past year, worry about falling or unsteadiness, identified through clinical screening |
| Tai ji quan balance program | A 12-week class, twice weekly, led by trained instructors |
| Completer | Participant attending at least 18 of 24 sessions |
| Timed Up and Go | A test timing how long a person takes to rise from a chair, walk three meters, turn, return and sit |
The Internship Setting
The internship took place with the county Area Agency on Aging, which funds and coordinates services for older adults, in partnership with the county health department's chronic disease program. Senior centers, churches and a community fitness center hosted classes. Four primary care clinics used a national fall risk screening approach to identify and refer patients.
Linking Clinic and Community
A national initiative gives clinicians tools to screen older patients for fall risk, assess modifiable factors and intervene, including referral to community exercise programs (Stevens & Phelan, 2013). The project built that referral link, so that clinicians could send patients to a local class rather than simply advising them to exercise.
Significance
The project matters for three reasons: it addresses a large and growing cause of injury, it applies strong evidence in a real community setting and it connects health care with community services. It also offers a model other counties could adapt using existing aging services funding. It also gave clinicians a concrete referral option where none had existed.
Structure of the Capstone
The capstone proceeds through a review of the literature, the theoretical and planning frameworks, the project's methods, its results, a discussion of findings and limitations, recommendations for practice and policy and a final reflection on the project and the MPH competencies it demonstrates.
Stakeholders
The project involved many stakeholders: older adults and their families, the Area Agency on Aging, the county health department, primary care clinicians, senior center and church staff, instructors and local funders. Each had different interests, from independence for older adults to fewer emergency visits for hospitals, and the project sought to serve them all.
The Author's Role
During the internship, the author coordinated site agreements, supported instructor training logistics, built the referral process with clinics, designed data collection forms, collected and analyzed data and prepared reports for partners. The preceptor, the Area Agency on Aging's health promotion manager, provided supervision and final approval.
Scope and Boundaries
The project covered the first 12-week program cycle and three months of follow-up. It did not include home safety modifications or medication review, although both are important parts of fall prevention; participants with those needs were referred to other services.
Personal Motivation
The author chose this project after volunteering at a senior center, where several members had stopped attending because of falls or fear of falling. Seeing how quickly independence could be lost made the problem concrete and motivated the search for a proven solution.
Alignment With Public Health Priorities
Preventing falls among older adults is a national public health priority and a goal in many state health improvement plans. The project also aligned with the county's aging services plan, which listed healthy aging and injury prevention among its goals, making partners more willing to invest time and funds.
Conclusion
Falls among older adults are common, costly and preventable, and the composite county lacked evidence-based community programs to address them. This capstone describes a project that brought a proven tai ji quan balance program to the county, linked it to clinical screening and evaluated early results. The sections that follow explain and defend its design, execution and implications.
References
Li, F., Harmer, P., Fitzgerald, K., Eckstrom, E., Akers, L., Chou, L.-S., Pidgeon, D., Voit, J., & Winters-Stone, K. (2018). Effectiveness of a therapeutic Tai Ji Quan intervention vs a multimodal exercise intervention to prevent falls among older adults at high risk of falling: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA Internal Medicine, 178(10), 1301-1310. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.3915
Moreland, B., Kakara, R., & Henry, A. (2020). Trends in nonfatal falls and fall-related injuries among adults aged 65 years and older: United States, 2012-2018. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 69(27), 875-881. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6927a5
Stevens, J. A., & Phelan, E. A. (2013). Development of STEADI: A fall prevention resource for health care providers. Health Promotion Practice, 14(5), 706-714. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839912463576
Reading the MPH 590 Module 1 assignment instructions
Aspen's catalog describes MPH 590 as the written explanation of the project completed during MPH 580, where students show command of theory, research and scholarly thought, and because the first module's instructions are available only inside the course, this sample drafts the introduction. A capstone introduction normally sets out the problem, the local context, the project's purpose and aims, the setting and why the work matters. Give national and local numbers. State the problem in a few sentences without proposing the solution inside it. List specific aims. Describe your internship site and your own role. Define terms you will use throughout. Close with a map of the chapters that follow. Keep the introduction to a few pages so the capstone's weight falls on methods, results and discussion.
How the MPH 590 Module 1 example is put together
This introduction runs about 1,050 words over sixteen headings, and a two-column table defines five terms, from what counts as a fall to how completers were classified. The paper moves from national burden and local data to the problem statement, purpose and aims, and the choice of tai ji quan, then covers the internship setting, the link between clinics and classes, significance and the capstone's structure. Stakeholders, the author's role, scope, personal motivation and alignment with public health priorities are added before the conclusion. A comment in the margin notes that national data frame the local problem. The final section previews the chapters ahead. Each section is short and ends by pointing toward the next, so a reader can see the argument build from burden to aims.
Where the marks sit in the MPH 590 Module 1 rubric
Capstone introductions are graded on a clear, well-supported problem, specific aims, a described setting and a convincing case for significance. This introduction cites national survey data on falls, a randomized trial of the chosen program and a paper describing the national clinical screening toolkit, formatted in APA. The problem statement names a gap between evidence and services. Aims are measurable. The key terms table sets definitions for the whole capstone. Describing the author's role shows ownership of the project, which review committees look for. Precise national and local figures, each with a source and year, give the problem statement weight. A roadmap paragraph also helps committees follow a long document, and it shows planning.
MPH 590 Module 1 help: mistakes that cost marks
Students often write introductions that read like literature reviews, or leave the problem vague. Others forget to explain their own role in the project. Keep background brief and specific. State aims that later sections will report on. Define terms once and use them consistently. If your project changed during the internship, say so plainly. Our tutors can read your introduction against your results section to make sure aims and findings line up. End with a one-paragraph roadmap of the capstone. Check that every aim you list reappears as a heading or measure in your results. Avoid words such as prove or eliminate; aims should be realistic for one internship cycle. Ask your preceptor to confirm facts about the site.
Write yours, or have the desk draft it
This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Aspen University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
More MPH 590 and Master of Public Health sample papers
- MPH 590 Module 2: Capstone Literature Review
- MPH 590 Module 3: Theory and Planning Framework
- MPH 590 Module 4: Capstone Project Methods
- MPH 590 Module 5: Capstone Project Results
- MPH 590 Module 6: Capstone Discussion
- MPH 590 Module 7: Recommendations and Implications
- MPH 590 Module 8: Capstone Conclusion and Defense
- MPH 510 Module 6: Bias and Confounding
- MPH 530 Module 3: Water Quality and Waterborne Disease
- MPH 501 Module 1: A Turning Point in US Public Health
- MPH 570 Module 6: Evidence Review for the Issue
MPH 590 Module 1 questions, answered
What does MPH 590 Module 1 usually ask for?
Aspen's MPH 590 asks students to explain and defend the project completed in MPH 580, so an introduction with the problem, purpose and setting is a typical first section. Follow your classroom prompt.
What should a capstone introduction include?
The problem and its burden, a problem statement, the project's purpose and aims, the setting, key terms and the significance of the work.
How common are falls among older adults?
About a quarter of adults aged 65 and older report falling each year, and about one in ten report a fall-related injury.
Where can I find a free MPH 590 Module 1 sample paper?
Read the full capstone introduction above, key terms table included.
What goes into a capstone introduction in MPH 590 Module 1?
The problem with national and local data, a problem statement, purpose and aims, the internship setting, key terms, significance and an outline of the capstone.