Population Health Improvement
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| EPID4007 | School of Medicine | 4 | 10 | Spring UK |
- Code
- EPID4007
- School
- School of Medicine
- Level
- 4
- Credits
- 10
- Semesters
- Spring UK
Summary
- Overview of the concept of health improvement and how it has developed as a sub-discipline of public health
- Exploration of the different approaches to health improvement, including building healthy public policy, individual versus population approaches and ethical implications
- Exploration of how health can be promoted via the creation of supportive environments, the use of social marketing, behavioural insights, and the Nudge theory
- Theoretical frameworks for understanding determinants of behaviour and behaviour change
- Community development and asset based approaches to health promotion
- Contemporary issues in health promotion, including globalisation and sustainable development and the use of digital technology for health promotion
- To give students and overview and understanding of the global burden of non-communicable disease and to explore how disease burden is impacted and modified by health improvement interventions.
- To explore different approaches to health improvement across micro, meso and macro population levels.
- To explore the impact of lifestyle choices on health; including alcohol consumption, tobacco use, HFSS consumption, physical activity.
- To explore the sociology and psychological underpinnings of health behaviour choices and how these impact the success of health improvement interventions.
- To relate the impact of lifestyle choice behaviours on non-communicable disease and the global burden of non-communicable disease.
- To explore different approaches to behaviour change at the individual level, the community level and the population level. Including policy and legislation.
- To explore the impact of healthy cities and urban planning on lifestyle choices and to understand policy frameworks which support healthy lifestyles.
- Theoretical frameworks for understanding leadership and management of health improvement services and interventions.
- To understand the role of screening services within health improvement.
Target Students
Primarily postgraduate students on the Master of Public Health, Master of Public Health (Global Health) and Master of Public Health (Research Methods). Places will be available to new staff and PhD students in School of Medicine who require training as part of their research role.
Classes
- One 2-hour-30-minute lecture
Assessment
- 50% Coursework 1: Group Presentation
- 50% Coursework 2: Individual coursework (1000 word or equivalent)
Assessed by end of spring semester
Educational Aims
This course will provide students with an opportunity to explore a broad approach to Health Promotion to address inequalities in health at local, national and international development contexts.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding. On successful completion of the course students will be able to:
Critically explore the concepts and theories around population health improvement.
• Critically analyse the importance of lifestyle choices on health, non-communicable disease burden and wider societal impacts.
• To understand the epidemiology and wider burden of non-communicable disease.
• Synthesised knowledge around the impact of tobacco use, alcohol consumption, HFSS food consumption, and physical activity on long-term health outcomes.
• Critically explore the relationship between lifestyle choices and non-communicable disease outcomes
• Demonstrate ability to understand how to develop successful health improvement interventions in these areas.
• Critique local, national and global policy and legislation related to health improvement, including health cities and urban planning frameworks.
• To understand theories in behaviour change, sociology of health and health psychology related to improving population level health outcomes.
• To demonstrate understanding of leading and managing health improvement interventions.
• To understand the wider influences on health improvement; including industry and media.
Intellectual skills. On successful completion of the course all students will have:
Critically appraised health improvement literature
Synthesised knowledge across health promotion
Applied public health techniques to analyse issues in health improvement
the ability to the use of current research, theories and concepts in the discipline of health promotion in advanced scholarship.
Critically evaluate health improvement in relation to policy and strategy development.
Professional practical skills. On successful completion of the module, students will be able to:
Communicate effectively with peers and professionals in the field via a written piece of work.
Conduct themselves in a manner appropriate to their professional role with a multi-disciplinary environment.
Critically evaluate health promotion in relation to policy and strategy development.
Intellectual skills. On successful completion of the course all students will have:
Critically appraised health promotion literature
Synthesised knowledge across health promotion
Applied public health techniques to analyse issues in health promotion
the ability to the use of current research, theories and concepts in the discipline of health promotion in advanced scholarship.