SUBJECT

Title

Public health

Type of instruction

lecture

Level

master

Credits

4

Recommended in

Semester 2

Typically offered in

Spring semester

Course description

This course gives an introduction to public health, clinical and preventive medicine to students. By the end of the course the participants will be familiar with the basic medical knowledge related to major diseases and will be able to critically analyse and summarise original scientific and political documents of public health. Major public health data sources will be utilised for analyses.

Readings

Required reading:

  1. The World Health Report 2003. WHO, Geneva, 2003.
  2. Global health risks. Mortality and burden of disease attributable to selected major risks. WHO, Geneva, 2009.
  3. Wilkinson R. Marmot M. Social determinants of health. The solid facts. Marmot M. (eds.). WHO European Regional Office, Copenhagen, 2003.
  4. Public health textbook. http://www.healthknowledge.org.uk/public-health-textbook
    chapters:
    from 1a:
    Use of routine vital and health statistics to describe the distribution of disease in time and place and by person
    Incidence and prevalence including direct and indirect standardisation
    Years of Life Lost
    Measures of disease burden (event-based and time-based) and population attributable risks including identification of comparison groups appropriate for public health
    Time-trend analysis, time series designs

from 2e:
Principles of nutrition, nutritional surveillance and assessment in specific populations including its short and long term effects
The basis for nutritional interventions and assessment of their impact
Social, behavioural and other determinants of the choice of diet
Physical activity
Alcohol
Drugs
Smoking
Sexual behaviour
Sun exposure

from 2f:
Environmental determinants of disease
The effects of global warming and climate change
The health problems associated with poor housing and home conditions, inadequate water supplies and sanitation
Methods for monitoring and control of environmental hazards (including food and water safety, atmospheric pollution and other toxic hazards, noise, and ionising and electromagnetic radiation)
Transport policies and health impact assessment for environmental pollution

from 2h: all subchapters