Course content

Public Health is the science of identifying conditions, factors and mechanisms for good and bad health, identifying and implementing effective interventions to promote and prevent public health. The course will provide a basic introduction to public health with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention in all phases of life. It will include the history of public health work, policy making with the scientific theoretical foundation, national and international strategies and legal basis for public health, theories and knowledge of public health, mapping and surveillance of the state of health in the population and models for efficient and knowledgebased public health work. The introduction of the subject is given based on examples of public health work at different levels of society and arenas and in different settings.

Learning outcome

On completion of the course, the candidate should have knowledge of how international and national conditions affect local communities and about the global challenges the world faces today in terms of health. The course has an overall focus on health promotion and preventive work based on knowledge formation and experience from many disciplines. Knowledge and research shall contribute to the best possible implementation of the health promotion and prevention work within applicable legislation and on the basis of available research-based knowledge. Upon completion of the course FH3000 the student is able to

Knowledge:

• Have in-depth knowledge of different understandings of the concepts of health and disease and be able to argue for individual, population and environment-oriented perspectives in health promotion and preventive public health work
• Have thorough knowledge of public health and health determinants related to society, culture, environment and individual and see this in a past, present and future perspective
• Have an overview of the different scientific theoretical perspective and methods in public health work
• Have a critical attitude to theories and models, which requires knowledge of different perspectives on health promotion, prevention and social change
• Have thorough knowledge of key political, economic and legal guidelines that are relevant to public health work in public, work and civil society

Skills:

• Be able to account for the importance of inclusion and participation in health and to describe examples of politically prioritized areas that aim to promote this
• Be able to explain the organization and management of public health work at different levels exemplified by the Trøndelag model
• Be able to initiate, plan and implement resource mobilizing work to create better public health and public welfare in cooperation with user groups and locals
• Be able to critically evaluate scientific work in public health

General competence:

• Identify and evaluate ethical issues and dilemmas in a human rights perspective in public health work
• Obtain and use scientific and other publicly documentable knowledge to illuminate a subject-relevant issue through an academic text
• Communicate on academic issues, analyzes and conclusions in public health work based on own experiences and knowledge of local development work

Learning methods and activities

Lectures, seminars, group work, home assignments, fellow student response, online guidance, individual curriculum reading, teacher training at workshops.

Compulsory assignments

• Academic writing on given topic
• Prepare and present a presentation of selected subject

Specific conditions

Required previous knowledge

Admission to the master's programme in Public Health (MFHLS).

Course materials

To be announced

Credit reductions