Public Health, epidemiology and statistics

Objectives

The main learning objectives are:

  • Accquire basics of Public Health, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, Health Promotion and  Administration of health.
  • Identify and characterize important problems in public health in Portugal
  • To recognize and prioritize the health needs of individuals, groups and communities.
  • Understand the dynamics of the disease and its natural history, data sources and main types of  epidemiological study and measurement of data.
  • Set appropriate and relevant strategies that contribute to the control of major health problems.
  • To promote the skills to use the Epidemiology of expertise in clinical reasoning, health problem  solving and research.
  • Each of four students group shall, on a proposed theme, write a Research Protocol, define a

               population and its sample, build a questionnaire, will apply it to the defined population,

               build a database, will address the results applying the appropriate statistics methodology

               and present  the results writing a scientific paper that will present orally.

 general objectives:

§  Discipline of Public Health, Epidemiology and Biostatistics aims to give a vision of health in a population perspective, based on scientific evidence used by health professionals and institutions in order to provide answers to the concerns of society and its most vulnerable groups.

 

It is expected, as major educational purposes:

  • Understand the health problems in a community perspective.
  • Knowing the determinants that influence the health situation / disease, the needs of population health

              and care.

  • Learning methodologies to characterize the health and disease phenomena in  population and its quantification.
  • Study perspectives and intervention techniques in the community, in health promotion and  prevention

               of disease.

  • Know the health system, the structure of the different services and the roles of   Health professionals.
  • Understanding human rights and the right to health, enshrined in the Constitution and in international treaties.
  • To know the scientific methodology and its application in public health.
  • Know how to communicate scientific research results in written and oral form.

General characterization

Code

11158

Credits

8

Responsible teacher

Prof. Doutor Luís Nunes

Hours

Weekly - Available soon

Total - Available soon

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

 

Bibliography

Basic Bibliography

 

§  An Introduction to Medical Statistics, 3 ed Oxford University press, Blund M. 2000

§  http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/statistics-square-one#Anchor-11.1

  • Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health. Aschengrau A. e Seage III GR, 2008 Jones and Barthett Publishers
  • Epidemiology  Gordis L  Barnes & Noble 2008
  • Precaution Prevention and Public Health Ethics, J Med and Philosophy 2004  29  3,  313-332
  • A Code of Ethics for Public Health  Am J Public Health 92, 7, 1057-1059 July 2002
  • Haupt A and Krane TT. Population handbook, 5th ed, 2004
  • INE. Projecções da população residente 2012-2060
  • hgp://www.thecochranelibrary.com/view/0/AboutTheCochraneLibrary.html#CDSR    
  • WHO (2009). Milestones in Health Promotion: Statements from Global Conferences.  
  • Maxwell NI. Understanding Environmental Health. JB Learning. 2 nd Ed
  • Saracci, R. Intoducing the history of epidemiology. Oxford University Press, 2001. 1-19.
  • CDC. Principles of Epidemiology in Public Health Practice. An Introduction to Applied Epidemiology and Biostatistics. 3.Ed
  • Groves, RM et al. Survey Methodology. 2nd Ed 2009. Wiley

Teaching method

Teaching  Methologies

§  Theoretical classes - in the first two weeks of the semester and  one class per week  during the semester- (integrate an exhibition component, and an interactive component)

§  Practical classes (part of a exhibition component and an interactive component, aimed at small groups)

§  Research work in the field - community

        § School computer room practices

Evaluation method

Evaluation:
a)
A - Work Research. Valued at  25% of the final grade, 5 out of 20.
Reviews partial Protocol, 1,5 pts., Oral Presentation, 1,5 pts., and Article , 2 pts.
B - Epid endorsement. mid-term; optional test, no knockout
C - Biostat. endorsement practice. Quote of the final grade will be 5 pts.
D - PH and Epidemiology test multiple choice questions and / or problem solving, 10 in 20;
2nd time, note improvements and special time - oral exam with all matters of PH, Epid and Biostat.

 b) Criteria

§  Presence to  practical classes, compulsory;  record of attendance.

§  Written Submission and Oral article - a necessary condition to the frequency of discipline.

§  Eliminatory mark <50% in A and D; the student must be 5 or > pts, in A and D.

Erasmus students ;  Students with special status and  of 4th and 5th years and Students   -  Oral test

Subject matter

PUBLIC HEALTH (PH) - OVERVIEW AND GENERAL PRINCIPLES; HEALTH, DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIAL DETERMINANTS
multidisciplinary, cross-cutting and research; human rights, individual responsibility, citizenship, law and social justice
POPULATION AND HEALTH: DYNAMIC POPULATION – AGING

DESCRIPTIVE EPIDEMIOLOGY, ECOLOGICAL STUDIES, HEALTH SYSTEMS
INDICATORS OF HEALTH AND INTRODUCTION TO PH RESEARCH
ANALYTICAL AND EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES
BIOSTATISTICS  - Descriptive; Statistical Inference

PH ETHICS
MIGRATION AND HEALTH

DIABETES MAJOR HEALTH PROBLEM
HEALTH PROMOTION
COMMUNICATION IN HEALTH
MIGRATION AND HEALTH
EPIDEMICS; COMUNICABLE DISEASES
HEALTH AND WORK

Communicate (presentations and articles)

GENETIC AND PUBLIC HEALTH

HEALTH SYSTEMS

QUALITY AND HEALTH SYSTEMS

Health  IN PORTUGAL

What is a research paper?

What is a research protocol

Bibliographic search

Questionnaires

Sampling

protocol

Health measurement

Analytical and experimental factors I and II

health promotion

Environment and health

Database construction for research work

Screenings, screening tests and diagnostics

Epidemics,  communicable diseases

Epidemiological Surveillance

DEMOGRAPHIC INDICATORS
NATIONAL HEALTH AND PRIORITY PROGRAMS

Programs

Programs where the course is taught: