Foundations of Public Health and Epidemiology

Course Description

This course provides a comprehensive introduction to the core principles, concepts, and practices of public health and epidemiology. It explores the historical development, scope, and essential functions of public health, alongside the fundamental methods used to study the distribution and determinants of health-related states in populations. Key topics include disease prevention strategies, epidemiological study designs, measures of disease frequency and association, health systems, surveillance, and outbreak investigation. Emphasis is placed on the application of epidemiological reasoning and evidence-based approaches to public health decision-making. The course is designed to equip learners with the foundational knowledge and analytical skills necessary to understand population health dynamics and contribute effectively to public health practice and research.

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

1. Explain core principles of public health and the history of its development.
2. Describe epidemiological study designs and their applications in public health research.
3. Analyse health data using basic statistical methods and interpret epidemiological results.
4. Evaluate disease surveillance systems and their role in public health monitoring.
5. Propose community-based interventions to address public health challenges.
6. Assess the impact of environmental, social, and behavioural determinants on population health.

Course Outcomes:

By the end of the course, learners will be able to:

1. Summarise the evolution of public health and explain its foundational principles, including prevention, health promotion, and population health.
2. Differentiate between various epidemiological study designs and illustrate their use in addressing specific public health questions.
3. Perform basic statistical analyses and interpret epidemiological measures such as incidence, prevalence, and risk estimates.
4. Critically appraise the structure and effectiveness of disease surveillance systems in monitoring and controlling health threats.
5. Design context-specific, community-based interventions to tackle priority public health issues.
6. Assess how environmental, social, and behavioural determinants influence health outcomes and contribute to health inequalities.