Public Health, epidemiology and statistics

Objectives

The main learning objectives are:

 Acquire 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.
o 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:
 To understand the health problems in a community perspective.
 To know the determinants that influence the health situation / disease, the needs of population health
              and care.
 To learn methodologies to characterize the health and disease phenomena in population and its quantification.
 To study perspectives and intervention techniques in the community, in health promotion and prevention
               of disease.
 To know the health system, the structure of the different services and the roles of   Health professionals.
 To understand 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.
 To know how to communicate scientific research results in written and oral form.

General characterization

Code

11158

Credits

8

Responsible teacher

Prof. Doutor João Filipe Raposo

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 2019
 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

 Theoretical classes - in the first two weeks of the semester (integrate an exhibition component, and an interactive component) and 3 classes during the semester to discuss “Great Problems in Public Health”. These will be provided in e-learning environment (asynchronous class with discussion fora)
 Practical classes (part of an exhibition component and an interactive component, aimed at small groups) – b-learning – Bioestatistical classes in synchronous virtual classes, Public Health and Epidemiology - Face-to-face and virtual environment
 Research work in the field – community or review article (to be defined at the beginning of each term)

Evaluation method

Evaluation:
a)
A - Work Research. Valued at 25 % of the final grade, 5 out of 20.
Reviews partial Protocol, Oral Presentation and Article.
B – Biostatistical studies. Valued at 25% (5 out of 20)
C – Epidemiology and Public Health test (1st and 2nd time) - multiple choice questions and / or problem solving. This test is valued at 50% (10 out of 20);

Note improvements and special time - oral exam with all matters of PH, Epid and Biostat.


 b) Criteria
 Presence to practical classes, compulsory at least 2/3; record of attendance.
 Written Submission and Oral article - a necessary condition to the frequency of discipline.
 Eliminatory mark < 9,5/20 in A, B or C.
 Erasmus students; Students with special status and students of years above 3rd  -  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 (ORAL 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: