The newspaper article presented in this week’s required readings reported that

• Higher-than-expected death rates among middle-aged white Americans are largely being driven by stagnant progress against heart disease and other common illnesses, according to new research into a crisis that is increasingly worrying healthcare officials and policymakers.

What types of epidemiologic research could help to explain the reasons for the new mortality trend? In your one- to two-page journal entry,

• Propose and briefly describe an observational epidemiologic study to illuminate reasons for slowing progress against chronic diseases.
• Formulate an experimental intervention study (e.g., a quasi-experimental study for reducing heart disease or some other form of chronic disease morbidity).