Example occupational therapy dissertation topic 5:

Healthy living and lifestyle promotion amongst teenage girls: An evaluation of the extent to which there is a link between deprivation levels and participation.

A comparative studying focusing upon the Borough of Tower Hamlets in London and Godalming, Surrey, this is a dissertation that not only looks at the work of occupational therapists engaged in promoting lifestyles amongst school children but also seeks to evaluate the extent to which underlying socio-economic factors contribute to the success of such schemes. Though barely 30 miles separate them, the two areas chosen for comparison are notably different socially, economically and culturally and this difference accordingly provides the researcher with a number of opportunities to really explore the theories that underpin intervention strategies. This is a dissertation that should, in addition to using secondary literature, involve substantial primary fieldwork with schools in the two areas as well as community and youth leaders.

Suggested initial topic reading:

• Cole, F. (2008). Mental health and physical activity: Enabling participation. Occupational Therapy and Mental Health, 4, pp. 277-298.
• Frank, G., Fishman, M., Crowley, C., Blair, B., Murphy, S.T., Montoya, J.A., Hickey, M.P., Brancaccio, M.V. and Bensimon, E.M. (2001). The new stories/new cultures after-school enrichment program: A direct cultural intervention. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55(5), pp. 501-508.
• Hardaker, L., Halcomb, E. J., Griffiths, R., Bolzan, N. and Arblaster, K. (2007). The role of the occupational therapist in adolescent mental health: A critical review of the literature. Advances in Mental Health, 6(3), pp. 194-203.