community health topics for research

Research Topics & Ideas: Public Health

50 Topic Ideas To Kickstart Your Research Project

If you’re just starting out exploring public health and/or epidemiology-related topics for your dissertation, thesis or research project, you’ve come to the right place. In this post, we’ll help kickstart your research by providing a hearty list of research ideas , including examples from recent studies in public health and epidemiology.

PS – This is just the start…

We know it’s exciting to run through a list of research topics, but please keep in mind that this list is just a starting point . These topic ideas provided here are intentionally broad and generic , so keep in mind that you will need to develop them further. Nevertheless, they should inspire some ideas for your project.

To develop a suitable research topic, you’ll need to identify a clear and convincing research gap , and a viable plan to fill that gap. If this sounds foreign to you, check out our free research topic webinar that explores how to find and refine a high-quality research topic, from scratch. Alternatively, consider our 1-on-1 coaching service .

Public Health-Related Research Topics

• Evaluating the impact of community-based obesity prevention programs in urban areas.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of public smoking bans on respiratory health outcomes.
• Investigating the role of health education in reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.
• The impact of air pollution on asthma rates in industrial cities.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of school nutrition programs on childhood obesity rates.
• The role of public health policies in addressing mental health stigma.
• Analyzing the impact of clean water access on infectious disease rates in rural communities.
• The effectiveness of needle exchange programs in reducing the spread of hepatitis C.
• Investigating the impact of social determinants on maternal and child health in low-income neighborhoods.
• The role of digital health interventions in managing chronic diseases.
• Analyzing the effectiveness of workplace wellness programs on employee health and productivity.
• The impact of urban green spaces on community mental health.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of vaccination campaigns in preventing outbreaks of infectious diseases.
• The role of public health initiatives in reducing alcohol-related harm.
• Analyzing the impact of aging populations on healthcare systems.
• Analyzing the impact of urbanization on mental health disorders in metropolitan areas.
• The effectiveness of telemedicine services in improving healthcare access in remote regions.
• Investigating the health impacts of electronic waste recycling practices.
• The role of health literacy in managing non-communicable diseases in aging populations.
• Evaluating the public health response to opioid addiction in rural communities.
• Analyzing the relationship between housing quality and respiratory illnesses.
• The effectiveness of community engagement in improving reproductive health services.
• Investigating the health effects of long-term exposure to low-level environmental radiation.
• The role of public health campaigns in reducing the prevalence of tobacco use among teenagers.
• Analyzing the impact of food deserts on nutritional outcomes in urban communities.

Epidemiology Research Ideas (Continued)

• Investigating the epidemiology of antibiotic-resistant infections in hospital settings.
• The impact of climate change on the spread of vector-borne diseases.
• Evaluating the factors contributing to the rise in type 2 diabetes prevalence.
• Analyzing the epidemiology of mental health disorders in conflict zones.
• The role of epidemiological surveillance in pandemic preparedness and response.
• Investigating the link between environmental exposures and the incidence of childhood cancers.
• The impact of dietary patterns on the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of intervention strategies in controlling obesity epidemics.
• Analyzing the spread and control of zoonotic diseases in rural communities.
• The role of genetic factors in the epidemiology of autoimmune diseases.
• Investigating the socio-economic disparities in cancer incidence and outcomes.
• The impact of urbanization on the epidemiology of infectious diseases.
• Evaluating the public health consequences of occupational exposures to hazardous substances.
• Analyzing the trends and determinants of mental health disorders among adolescents.
• The role of lifestyle factors in the epidemiology of neurodegenerative diseases.
• Investigating the patterns of mental health service utilization during economic recessions.
• The epidemiology of sports-related concussions in youth athletics.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of public health interventions in reducing the spread of tuberculosis in high-risk populations.
• Analyzing the geographic distribution of Lyme disease in relation to climate change.
• The role of international travel in the spread of emerging infectious diseases.
• Investigating the demographic predictors of chronic kidney disease in population-based studies.
• The epidemiological impact of air pollution on asthma and other respiratory conditions.
• Evaluating the long-term health effects of exposure to endocrine-disrupting chemicals.
• Analyzing the incidence and risk factors of post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders.
• The role of socioeconomic status in the prevalence and management of diabetes.

Recent Studies: Public Health & Epidemiology

While the ideas we’ve presented above are a decent starting point for finding a research topic, they are fairly generic and non-specific. So, it helps to look at actual studies in the public health and epidemiology space to see how this all comes together in practice.

Below, we’ve included a selection of recent studies to help refine your thinking. These are actual studies,  so they can provide some useful insight as to what a research topic looks like in practice.

• Tutorials in population neuroimaging: Using epidemiology in neuroimaging research (Godina et al., 2022)
• Application of Big Data in Digital Epidemiology (Naaz & Siddiqui, 2022)
• Response to comment on: Incidence of ocular and systemic disease affecting visual function among state bus drivers (Kohli et al., 2022)
• Why epidemiology is incomplete without qualitative and mixed methods (Lane-Fall, 2023)
• Teaching epidemiology: An overview of strategies and considerations (Hossain, 2022)
• Social Epidemiology: Past, Present, and Future (Roux, 2022)
• Population health assessment project: An innovative strategy for teaching principles of epidemiology (Keen et al., 2022)
• The functions of veterinary epidemiology in public health (Shaffi, 2023)
• Readying the Applied Epidemiology Workforce for Emerging Areas of
• Public Health Practice (Daly et al., 2022)
• Some Social Epidemiologic Lessons from the COVID-19 Pandemic (Schnake-Mahl & Bilal, 2023)
• The Filth Disease: Typhoid Fever and the Practices of Epidemiology in Victorian England by Jacob Steere-Williams (review) (Steere-Williams et al., 2022)
• Epidemiology of Adult Obesity, Measurements, Global Prevalence and Risk Factors (Orukwowu, 2022).
• Which disciplines form digital public health, and how do they relate to each other? (Pan, 2022)
• Information Flow and Data Gaps in COVID-19 Recording and Reporting at National and Provincial Levels in Indonesia (Barsasella et al., 2022). Epidemiology Blog of Neal D. Goldstein, PhD, MBI (Goldstein, 2023)
• Sensitivity analysis of SEIR epidemic model of Covid 19 spread in Indonesia (Rangkuti et al., 2022)

As you can see, these research topics are a lot more focused than the generic topic ideas we presented earlier. So, for you to develop a high-quality research topic, you’ll need to get specific and laser-focused on a specific context with specific variables of interest.  In the video below, we explore some other important things you’ll need to consider when crafting your research topic.

Get 1-On-1 Help

If you’re still unsure about how to find a quality research topic, check out our Research Topic Kickstarter service, which is the perfect starting point for developing a unique, well-justified research topic.

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These projects use community interventions to address the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic among health disparity and vulnerable populations. They implement and evaluate community interventions testing the impacts of mitigation strategies to prevent COVID-19 transmission in NIH-designated health disparity populations and other vulnerable groups. They may also evaluate already implemented, new, or adapted interventions to address the adverse psychosocial, behavioral, and socioeconomic consequences of the pandemic on the health of these groups.

Improving the Collaborative Health of Minority COVID-19 Survivor & Carepartner Dyads Through Interventions Targeting Social and Structural Health Inequities

A Technological Intervention to Improve Nutrition among Older Adult Congregate Meal Participants during COVID-19

Leveraging Community Health Workers to Improve SARS-CoV-2 Testing and Mitigation Among Criminal Justice-involved Individuals Accessing a Corrections-focused Community-based Organization

Evaluation of Operation Safer Ground: A Community-Level Rapid Housing Intervention for People Vulnerable to COVID-19

Impact of COVID-19 on Care Transitions and Health Outcomes for Vulnerable Populations in Nursing Homes and Home Healthcare Agencies (ACROSS-CARE)

Increasing Peer Support for OUD Recovery during COVID-19 through Digital Health: A National Randomized Controlled Trial

Vale+Tu Salud: Corner-Based Randomized Trial to Test a Latino Day Laborer Program Adapted To Prevent COVID-19

Intensifying Community Referrals for Health: The SINCERE Intervention to Address COVID-19 Health Disparities

Articles on Community health

Displaying 1 - 20 of 27 articles.

Are you living in a food desert? These maps suggest it can make a big difference to your health

Nicky Morrison , Western Sydney University and Gregory Paine , UNSW Sydney

Liverpool’s unsung COVID heroes: how the city’s arts scene became a life support network

Josie Billington , University of Liverpool ; Ekaterina Balabanova , University of Liverpool , and Joanne Worsley , University of Liverpool

Canadian mining project in Guatemala opposed in local vote over environmental concerns

Giada Ferrucci , Western University

Listening to young people could help reduce pandemic-related harms to children

Tammy Chang , University of Michigan and Jonathan Todres , Georgia State University

Community healthcare workers were left feeling isolated and under-appreciated during the pandemic

Eleanor Holroyd , Auckland University of Technology ; Antje Deckert , Auckland University of Technology ; Edmond Samuel Fehoko , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau ; Laumua Tunufai , Auckland University of Technology ; Megan Laws , London School of Economics and Political Science ; Nayananta Appleton , Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington ; Nelly Martin-Anatias , Auckland University of Technology ; Nicholas J. Long , London School of Economics and Political Science ; Rogena Sterling , University of Waikato ; Sharyn Graham Davies , Monash University , and Susanna Trnka , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Medical technologies have been central to US pandemic response – but social behaviors matter just as much

Eyal Oren , San Diego State University

4 low-cost ways to create safe public spaces where all kids can play

Renee Umstattd Meyer , Baylor University and J. Aaron Hipp , North Carolina State University

How The Gambia beat trachoma, an infection that causes blindness

Musa Mutali , University of Benin

Planning shake-up needed to help those whose job it is to make NSW a healthy place

Nicky Morrison , Western Sydney University ; Gregory Paine , UNSW Sydney ; Ryan van den Nouwelant , Western Sydney University , and Susan Thompson , UNSW Sydney

Long-term care for the aged in Ghana is on the back burner. Here is how to change it

Cati Coe , Rutgers University

Mass COVID-19 immunization: Ensuring equitable access to vaccination

Thilina Bandara , University of Saskatchewan ; Cory Neudorf , University of Saskatchewan , and Nazeem Muhajarine , University of Saskatchewan

Students play an integral role in healthcare delivery: findings from South Africa

Ian Couper , Stellenbosch University ; Jana Müller , Stellenbosch University ; Julia Blitz , Stellenbosch University , and Susan Van Schalkwyk , Stellenbosch University

Working the system: 3 ways planners can defy the odds to promote good health for all of us

Jennifer L. Kent , University of Sydney

Clinics manage hypertension patients better when more hands are on deck

Jane Goudge , University of the Witwatersrand ; Felix Limbani , University of the Witwatersrand ; Francesco Xavier Gomez-Olive Casas , University of the Witwatersrand , and Margaret Thorogood , University of the Witwatersrand

Healthy outrage: the story of a pioneer of community healthcare in South Africa

Peter Cooper , University of the Witwatersrand

Young people want walkable neighbourhoods, but safety is a worry

Jan Garrard , Deakin University

Are you part of a social group? Making sure you are will improve your health

Alexander Saeri , UNSW Sydney ; Chris G. Sibley , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau ; Fiona Kate Barlow , The University of Queensland ; Sam Stronge , University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau , and Tegan Cruwys , The University of Queensland

Why Ronald McDonald Houses should welcome homemade casseroles

Richard Gunderman , Indiana University

Beyond Medicare levies: joining the dots to create places that are good for our health

Susan Thompson , UNSW Sydney and Gregory Paine , UNSW Sydney

Hospitals feel the heat too from extreme weather and its health impacts

Martin Loosemore , UNSW Sydney and Anumitra Mirti Chand , UNSW Sydney

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Research assistant, Western Sydney University, UNSW Sydney

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