Credit Points 10

Legacy Code 500058

Coordinator Maria Dent Opens in new window

Description The subject introduces fundamental concepts of public health. Public health is examined from individual, community, historical, contemporary, cultural, gender, ethnic, economic, political, environmental, population, emergency and epidemiological perspectives. The subject shows how innovation and development in public health thinking and practice have improved the health of populations in Australia and globally. Continuing and recently emerging challenges to local, Indigenous, national and international public health are explored, along with public health challenges facing future generations.

School Health Sciences

Discipline Public Health

Student Contribution Band HECS Band 2 10cp

Check your HECS Band contribution amount via the Fees page.

Level Undergraduate Level 1 subject

Equivalent Subjects PUBH 1012 Public Health PUBH 2016 Public Health

Restrictions

Students Must be enrolled in: 7171 Undergraduate Certificate in Public Health support

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. Define physical and mental health in the public health context from historical and contemporary perspectives.
2. Explain how developments in public health concepts, policy, practice have influenced public health from early to modern times.
3. Describe the current burden of disease from communicable, non-communicable, infectious, chronic and acute categories of disease.
4. Identify risk and protective factors, including physiological, social, behavioural and environmental determinants of health, morbidity and mortality, and preventative health strategies.
5. Investigate major threats to public health, continuing, emerging and re-emerging in local, national and international contexts.
6. Analyse a public health emergency and describe appropriate responses.
7. Examine government, organisational and individual strategies and countermeasures for maintaining and improving public health.

Subject Content

1.Definitions of physical and mental health applicable to public health.
2.The history of public health from pre-modern to modern times and the New Public Health.
3.Indigenous health.
4.Models of disease, including communicable, non-communicable, infectious, chronic and acute.
5.Defining characteristics and exemplars of public health emergencies, and appropriate responses.
6.Causes and determinants of disease and ill-health among specified populations and community groups.
7.An introduction to the role of epidemiology in determining the burden of disease and public health needs among specified populations and community groups.
8.Environment and public health ? locally, nationally and internationally.
9.Society, culture and health ? locally, nationally and internationally.
10.Gender and health ? locally, nationally and internationally.
11.Politics, economics, globalisation, population and health ? locally, nationally and internationally.
12.Elements of population-based disease prevention and control strategies.
13.Models of individual behaviour and health; behaviour change through public health campaigns.
14.The role of governments, non-government, national and international agencies, corporate entities and individual action in public health policy, practice, advocacy and outcomes.