Measuring Health & Disease

Curious about how we measure health and disease?  Then, you’ll be fascinated by this module.  You’ll focus your studies on the determinants and distribution of health and illness among populations locally, nationally and globally.  Also known as epidemiology, this subject is vital to public health.  You’ll consider practical and theoretical influences on key public health issues.

What does the module cover?

Gain an understanding of patterns and measurement of health and disease and its use to inform policy on public health issues.  Show a critical understanding of relevant concepts and theories.  Analyse the impact of social, political and economic structures on health and its measurement.  Learn to critically evaluate relevant research, interpret morbidity and mortality statistics, and access government and other documents.  Learn the practical benefits and limitations of different forms of measurement and how to apply these to the way in which public health policy is formulated.

More Information

Module Code:

HS2081

Key topics include:

• The purpose of measuring health, use of routinely available information such as  morbidity and mortality rates
• Concepts of risk and surveillance , incidence and prevalence
• Epidemiological study designs-descriptive , analytical and intervention studies
• Understanding epidemiological evidence, association and causation
• Social ,political and economic structures as determinants of health and illness
• Health needs assessment and community profiling
• Quality of life measures and their  theoretical critiques
• Screening and public health
• Ethical issues in Epidemiology
• Critical appraisal of research, evidence based practice

Pre-requisites

None

Number of credits & study time

20 credits / 200 hours

Assessment

In addition to completing a number of formative assessments as part of your coursework that you forward to your tutor, you’ll need to complete two summative assessments that will count towards your final grade:

One-hour exam    30%
Critical review (2,500-3000 words) 70%