Principles of Population Health Science MED5521
- Academic Session: 2022-23
- School: School of Health and Wellbeing
- Credits: 20
- Level: Level 5 (SCQF level 11)
- Typically Offered: Semester 1
- Available to Visiting Students: No
- Available to Erasmus Students: No
Short Description
This core course will cover the following topics:
1. Population change - demographic transition model & population ageing
2. Determinants of Health
3. Inequalities in health
4. Principles of prevention
5. Health service improvement
6. Health protection
7. Causal inference in population health
8. Life-course approaches to population health
9. Natural experiments for population health
10. Healthier cities: how a city in terms of population structure and land use diversity can influence health
Timetable
10 x 2 hour lectures
Requirements of Entry
None
Excluded Courses
None
Co-requisites
None
Assessment
One 3,000 word essay
Reflective learning exercise/blog based on their contributions to weekly discussion boards
Course Aims
This course aims to:
Introduce students to the science of Population Health
Provide students with a comprehensive grounding in the key elements of the determinants of population health
Introduce students to modern concepts in population health and life-course approaches to population health
Intended Learning Outcomes of Course
By the end of this course students will be able to:
1. Critically evaluate the key concepts in population health and their interrelationships
2. Demonstrate a critical awareness of competing models of determinants of health and health inequalities
3. Understand and critique the role of modern cities in shaping/influencing population health
4. Critically appraise life-course approaches to population health and population change
5. Critique the role of natural experiments and causal inference in informing population level solutions to tackle inequalities in health
6. Demonstrate a critical awareness of the importance and role of health prevention, protection and improvement in population health
Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits
Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.