FHV330 Public Health Science

The course will provide a fundamental scientific understanding of public health science as a discipline and an overview of the practice of public health work at the local, national, and global levels. Furthermore, the course will offer training in discussing public‑health-related issues on an academic basis. Central topics include social, physical, and environmental health determinants, as well as preventive and health‑promoting efforts at both individual and population levels.

Classroom teaching will be given as base for further independent studies and group works.

The subject has an obligatory activity (individual assignment) and oral exam.

Knowledge

- know the concepts of health and illness, and argue for individual, population and environment perspectives in health promoting and preventive work.

- describe public health, and determinants of health related to the society, culture and environment and individual factors in a perspective of the past, today and the future

- be able to describe and make use of central political, economic and legal decisions, relevant for public health work in the public sector, work and civil society.

- discuss the importance of integration and participation for health and describe examples of political prioritized efforts in the field.

- reflect on "nature" and "environment" as concepts and how the physical environment and climate change affects public health.

Skills

- discuss theories and models for behavioral change health in promotion and preventive work.

- through a practical example describe how to plan, carry out and evaluate interventions based on the responsibilities shared by the public and the private sector, including voluntary organizations, and how cost/benefit and cost/effect relevant for the intervention is calculated.

General competence

- be able to identify and evaluate ethical challenges and dilemmas in a human right perspective in public health

- know how to search for and present scientific and other public documentation to enlighten a public health relevant topic..