Module overview
The primary objective of this module is to provide an overview of the conceptual, methodological and empirical basis for quantifying levels of health in individuals and populations, including the construction of a range of different summary measures that combine information on mortality and non-fatal health outcomes. The course aims to give students an understanding of the technical basis for measurement in international work on population health; and to give students an appreciation of the uses and limitations of these methods in policy-making and priority-setting, particularly in developing countries.
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Understand the construction of aggregate indices of health from survey data in low and high income countries
- Appreciate the perspectives and emphases that different academic and professional disciplines place on global health in research, programmes and policies
- Be able to apply the key measurement tools for assessing levels of health and making meaningful comparisons of differentials in health between and within populations
- Have gained knowledge relevant to disciplinary training about the biological, behavioural, genetic, and socio-economic influences on the burden of disease and ill-health in populations; and, on inequalities in health status across and between populations
- Be aware of the contribution of 'objective' measures of health, including anthropometry and biomarker measures, to understanding patterns of health
- Appreciate how demographic processes and changes have an impact on population and reproductive health in different regions of the world
- Have gained knowledge about the international efforts to measure population health outcomes through analysis of routine and survey data and to be able to describe some of the main strengths and limitations associated with such assessments
- Have learnt about some of the data available in population-based cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that can be used to examine the demographic and social determinants and differentials in health across the life course
Syllabus
The topics covered in this module will focus on quantitative approaches to measuring health and risk factors to ill health including:
- What is health? Definitions and domains.
- Sources and measures of disease incidence and prevalence.
- Asking questions about health and well-being.
- Measurement scales for health.
- The attributable burden of disease: DALYs and other summary measures.
- Risks, rates and ratios: comparative risk analysis - smoking.
- Measuring underlying health risks e.g. health behaviours such as diet, sexual behaviours etc.
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
If full face-to-face teaching has not been resumed, teaching will include a mixture of synchronous and asynchronous online methods which will include lectures, short exercises, discussion boards, workshop activities and videos. A range of resources will also be provided for further self-directed study. Face-to-face teaching opportunities will be explored depending on circumstances and feasibility. Assessment 100% coursework.
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Teaching | 26 |
| Independent Study | 74 |
| Total study time | 100 |
Resources & Reading list
Internet Resources
Further useful literature can be found by consulting.
The Future of the Public's Health in the 21st Century.
Journal Articles
Murray CJL and others (2012). Disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) for 291 diseases and injuries in21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2010. The Lancet, 380(9859), pp. 2197-223.
Kindig, DA, Stoddart G. (2003). What is population health?. American Journal of Public Health, 93, pp. 366-369.
McDonald JT & Kennedy S (2004). Insights into the 'healthy immigrant effect': health status and health service use of immigrants to Canada.. Social Science & Medicine, 59(8), pp. 1613-1627.
Ratzan SC, Filerman GL, LeSar JW. (2000). Attaining global health: Challenges and opportunities. Population Bulletin, 55(1), pp. pp.52.
Wilkinson RG & Pickett KE (2006). Income inequality and population health: A review and explanation of the evidence. Social Science & Medicine., 62(7), pp. 1768-1784.
Lim SS and others (2012). A comparative risk assessment of burden of disease and injury attributableto 67 risk factors and risk factor clusters in 21 regions, 1990-2010: a systematic analysis for theGlobal Burden of Disease Study 2010.. The Lancet, 380(9859), pp. 2224-60.
Szreter S (2003). The Population Health Approach in Historical Perspective. American Journal of Public Health., 93(3), pp. 421-431.
Rockett IRH. (1999). Population and health: An introduction to epidemiology. Population Bulletin, 54(4), pp. pp.48.
Crimmins E, Kim JK, Vasunilashorn S (2010). Biodemography: New approaches to understanding trendsand differences in population health and mortality. Demography, 47(1), pp. S41-S64.
Lopez, Alan D., et al. (2006). Global and regional burden of disease and risk factors, 2001: systematic analysis of population health data.. The Lancet, 367(9524), pp. 1747-1757.
Koplan JP, Bond TC, Merson MH, Reddy KS, Rodriguez MH, Sewankambo NK, Wasserheit JN; Consortium of Universities for Global Health Executive Board (2009). Towards a common definition of global health.. Lancet, 373(9679), pp. 1993-1995.
Montgomery M. (2009). Urban poverty and health in developing countries. Population Bulletin, 64(2), pp. pp.20.
Evans R, Stoddart GC. (1990). Producing Health, Consuming Health Care. Social Science & Medicine, 33, pp. 347-1363.
Kindig DA. (2007). Understanding Population Health Terminology. Milbank Quarterly, 85(1), pp. 139-161.
Textbooks
Barry B Hughes, Randall Kuhn, Cecilia M. Peterson, Dale S. Rothman & Jose R. Solorzano (2011). Improving Global Health: Patterns of potential human progress Volume 3.. Oxford University Press.
Lindstrand A et al. (2006). Global health: an introductory text book. Lund: Studentlitteratur.
Ewles, L. (2005). Key topics in public health: essential briefings on prevention and health promotions.. Elsevier,: Churchill Livingstone.
Crisp N. (2010). Turning the world upside down: The search for global health in the 21st Century. London: Royal Society of Medicine Press Ltd.
Murray CJL and others (2002). Summary Measures of Population Health: Concepts, Ethics, Measurement and Applications. Pub: Geneva: World Health Organisation.
Marmot M & Wilkinson RG (Eds.) (2009). Social Determinants of Health. Oxford: OUP.
Skolnik R. (2008). Essentials of global health. Massachusetts: Jones & Bartlett Publishers Inc..
Kathryn H. Jackobsen (2008). Introduction to Global Health. Jones & Bartlett Publishers.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
There will be opportunities to evaluate your progress through formative assessments throughout followed by a final summative assessment based on three online assignments.
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External