1MFV1011 Introduction to public health

    • Number of credits
      20
    • Teaching semester
      2024 Autumn
    • Language of instruction
      English
    • Campus
      Elverum
    • Required prerequisite knowledge

      No special prerequisites.

Course content
  • Modern society and its challenges for public health
  • Measuring population health and assessing health needs
  • Patterns of health at global, national and local levels
  • Social inequalities and health: gender, class, ethnicity
  • Determinants of health
  • Limits to medicine and health education
  • Evaluating public health interventions
  • Settings-based approaches to promoting health
  • Ethics and values in public health

Learning Outcome

After successful completion of the module, the student will have the following knowledge, skills and general competence.

Knowledge

The student

  • has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the emergence and development of public health and health promotion;
  • has comprehensive and critical understanding of the role of epidemiology and demography in public health;
  • has in-depth knowledge and understanding of the social gradient in health throughout the entire population;
  • has in-depth knowledge and critical insight into the determinants of health at global, national, community and individual levels;
  • has advanced knowledge and critical insight into the concept of ‘lifestyle’;
  • has extensive knowledge of strategies for disease prevention and health protection.
Skills

The student

  • is able to critically appraise initiatives directed towards changing lifestyles at population, group and individual levels;
  • is able to analyse, present and interpret qualitative and quantitative population data relating to health and wellbeing; 
  • is able to assess population health needs with the aid of qualitative and quantitative data;
  • is able to evaluate the effectiveness of measures implemented to prevent disease, and to promote health and wellbeing;
  • is able to understand and analyse the challenges of working in multidisciplinary teams including cooperation and teamwork.
General competence

The student

  • can discuss the complexity of factors influencing the health and wellbeing of populations;
  • can discuss the challenges and possibilities for promoting health and preventing disease;
  • can communicate and debate the main challenges within the contemporary Public health field both with specialists and the general public;
  • can identify public health issues and discuss these in a critically reflective manner.
Teaching and working methods

The course is taught in English throughout the whole of the first semester. The following approaches are used:

  • interactive lectures
  • student presentations
  • student-led seminars
  • group work with students from different professional/disciplinary backgrounds.
Required coursework
  1. A reflective memorandum in which the individual student critically reflects on him/herself and his/her own background regarding the objectives of the programme. 
  2. Two group presentations:
    • students with different backgrounds present and reflect on how different professions/disciplines contribute to public Healt
    • discussion and debate of key conceptsh

3.    Participation in group work twice a week (at least 80%)

Form of assessment

A group-written examination with 2–5 participants (weighted 40%) in addition to an individual oral examination (weighted 60%) based on the written assignment. Both are assessed with grades A – F, with E as the lowest pass grade. Both examinations must be passed before a final course grade can be given.

Assessments
Form of assessmentGrading scaleGroupingDuration of assessmentSupport materialsProportionComment
Written assignment
ECTS - A-F
Group
40
Oral examination
ECTS - A-F
Individual
60

Reading list

Faculty
Faculty of Social and Health Sciences
Department
Institutt for folkehelse- og idrettsvitenskap