In order to improve the health of populations - the rationale for the discipline of Public Health, prevention is the key. This course is designed to explore some of the theory and application of prevention with a population focus.
How to navigate the course
Each section comprises some introductory remarks. To access resources we think you will find interesting - click on the blue 'hyperlinks' and on the collections of resources. There is a forum in each section for reflection, and each section also has a quiz to check your understanding of some of the concepts in that section. Again click on the hyperlinks to take you to these items in each section.
We encourage you to reflect on what you have learned or comment on the course. When you click on the blue hyperlink in each section labelled reflection, you will be able to add a new topic or respond to a previous one. You may want to share your learning from this and other readings, comment on the topics from your own experience, comment on others' posts, or provide feedback on how we can improve the content and presentation. You can also comment through adding a blog entry - the blog menu is in a block top right of the course page. Click on Add an entry about this course and you can make a comment and attach a document if you want. You can also view all other entries about the course, and view all entries you have made in the OOC site if you are enrolled in other courses, for your portfolio.
In the final section you will see that you can gain a Certificate of Completion - the requirements for this are to view the Resources in each section and gain a pass mark in the quiz at the end. This is a self-directed course, to be taken at your own pace. We encourage you to reflect on the issues, maybe make notes as you go along as this is a good way to be sure that you can internalise the information presented and the lessons to learn from it. This can then become part of your personal development plan.
If you are stimulated to learn more, Peoples-uni has a number of modules for individual study for CPD or towards an MPH
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
This section outlines the population approach to prevention. An understanding of this approach is key to many preventive programmes in the field of Public Health. By the end of the section you should be able to appreciate the importance of taking a population approach to prevention.
Reflect on the difference between the population and high risk approaches to prevention. Can you think of ways in which either approach may be relevant to your own work?
This section defines and describes the theme of Health Promotion. By the end of the section, you should be able to understand the principles of Health Promotion and the part it may play in disease prevention.
Reflect on the role of Health Promotion in preventing a disease of importance in your setting
In this section we will take a brief look at the social and cultural determinants of health. By the end of the section you should be able to understand that social and cultural determinants are important in disease causation and prevention.
Reflect on how to mitigate the impact of social or cultural influences on disease in your own setting
In this section we will take a brief look at the policy implications of prevention. By the end of the section you should be able to understand how policy settings are crucial to the implementation of disease prevention.
Reflect on what policies you might try to develop to implement a prevention strategy in your setting
As with any intervention, prevention programmes need to be evaluated. This section aims to provide an introduction to the issue of evaluation; irrespective of your profession and where you work it is essential that you continuously evaluate whatever you do. In some aspects, evaluation is not optional and indeed may be a mandatory requirement. At the end of the section, you should be able to understand how to apply a simple evaluation framework to any project or intervention, know how to identify develop indicators that allow you to demonstrate the results of the project, and be able to identify 'succeses' and 'lessons learned' for future projects.
Consider what evaluation framework you would apply to a prevention project in your setting
Take this quiz - a score of 7/10 will qualify towards a certificate