PBH 2010 Introduction to Public Health

This course is an introductory survey of public health issues and opportunities. Students will gain a thorough understanding of public health, its influence on the health of the world, environmental and behavioral influences on the health of the public in the United States, and the broad scope of career options for professionals in the field of public health. This course includes a historical context for a discussion of current trends, emerging health issues and global practices.

Credits

4 sh

Course Outcomes

1. Describe the context and scope of public health, including history, philosophy, essential services, ethics, and applications to current events.
2. Explain the concept of population health.
3. Discuss the basic principles of epidemiology, including rates, risk factors, disease determinants, and causation.
4. Describe various conceptualizations of health and health status across populations.
5. Explain health disparities/health inequities and understand the historical factors that create these inequitable outcomes.
6. Utilize the frameworks for accessing and evaluating the quality of health information on the web and in the mass media and be able to apply that information to a local public health situation.
7. Describe how health policy, law, and ethics can serve as tools for implementing health decisions and the potential tensions between individuals’ rights and social responsibilities.
8. Explain the impact of behavior on health and be able to identify a method(s) for altering behavior at the individual and social levels.
9. Outline the concepts of prevention, detection, and control of infectious and chronic diseases.
10. Discuss the impact of environmental factors on health.
11. Explain the role of health professions and the professional options in the healthcare/public health services.
12. Give examples of how keeping the public healthy involves various disciplines.
13. Explain what it means to foster a healthy society both locally and globally.