Determinants of health

Course Code: FM612E

Institution:

Health and Welfare Studies: Public Health Science

Revision:

1

For students admitted fall 2012  

Approval

The course was established 22 November 2006.
This course syllabus (version 1) was approved 15 March 2012 by the Faculty Board of Health and Society .
The syllabus is valid from 03 September 2012.

Education level

Second cycle

Course description

The aim of this course is that the student will be ably to fully understand, relate and suggest strategies for a sustainable environment and lifestyles as well as socioeconomic factors.

Advancement in relation to the degree requirements

The course is in the second semester in the programme Master of Public Health and it is also a separate course.

Entry requirements

1. Bachelor´s degree, consisting of 180 hp, or equivalent in the academic areas of social, political or behavioral science, medical science or other sciences and disciplines relevant to public health.
2. The equivalent of English B in Swedish secondary school.

Learning outcomes

After the course the students should be able to
- describe major health problems, locally as well as globally,
- describe how age and gender are major biological determinants,
- recognise how socio-economic, gender and ethnicity belongings affects public health and relate them to the use of alcohol, tobacco, other drugs, sexual behaviour and how they form barriers to healthy food, exercise and lack of knowledge of hygienic factors,
- relate and suggest health promotion strategies in dealing with these above mentioned determinants of health,
- describe and consider the relationship between a sustainable environment as base for a healthy population and the consequences of environmental problems, and
- relate and suggest promotion strategies for health behaviour as well as a sustainable environment locally and globally.

Assessments

The assessment of the students´ knowledge will be based on written assignments, performed individually or by a group of students, and/or on oral or written exams.

The course content is graded as follows:
A - Excellent
B - Very Good
C - Good
D - Satisfactory
E - Pass
U - Fail

Examination re-sits
Students who fail examinations have two further opportunities to re-sit. Furthermore, students have the opportunity to re-sit these examinations during the course to avoid subsequent interruption to follow on courses. If the course ceases or goes through major changes, students retain the right to two re-sits examinations based on the original course content. Examinations and re-sits are scheduled throughout the course timetable.

Course content

The different social, biological and environmental determinants will be presented and related to major health problems, e.g. infections also sexual, cardiovascular diseases, asthma, allergies and tumor`s of different major health problems will be attributed to key concepts as proximal and distal determinants of health. Furthermore, socio-economy, gender, education and ethnicity will be assessed in order to target health problems and individual health behaviour. A panorama of growing environmental problems will be discussed as: As climate change, air pollution, agriculture, nutrition and food borne diseases, water and waterborne diseases as well as systems for management of waste and waste water.

Learning activities

The course is based on active participation of the students. A variety of methods, including interactive lectures/discussions, assigned readings, and group projects will be utilized for the purpose of achieving the course objectives.

Grading system

A,B,C,D,E,U.

Reading list and other media

Adler Michael W. ABC of AIDS: Development of the epidemic. BMJ 2001:322; 1226-1229.
Building blocks for tobacco control. ISBN 92 4 154658 1 (WHO library. On Net - A handbook)
Janzon Ellis, Engström Gunnar, Lindström Martin, Berglund Göran, Hedblad Bo, Janzon Lars Who are the Quitters.? A cross sectional study of circumstances associated with women giving up smoking. Scand J Public Health 2004; 33:175-182.
Marmot, Michael, Wilkinson, Richard G eds. (1999). Social Determinants of Health. Oxford University Press.. Chapter 8, pp.148- 171. (291 p)
Naidoo, Jennie , Wills, Jane, (2005) Public Health and Health Promotion: Developing Practice (2nd ed.). London: Baillére Tindall.. Chapter 11 pp 219-57.( 283 p)
Policy recommendations for tobacco cessation, ISBN92 4 156240 4. (WHO library. On Net)

Scientific articles relating to covered topics will be added.


Scientific articles relating to covered topics will be added.

Course evaluation

The course will be continually evaluated through reflection and feedback from the student regarding course content and implementation. At the end of the course the students will give an individual, written evaluation to express their views about the course based on the course aims and objectives and how these have been realized. The results from the evaluations will be summarized and presented to the students orally and in a protocol.