PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY AND PRACTICE

PHE5PAP

2019

Credit points: 15

Subject outline

This subject provides an introduction to the ways we can intervene to improve health, the ethics of intervention and the challenges to be faced when trying to implement and evaluate intervention effectiveness. The subject covers the array of public health strategies: from individual health education, through to school, workplace and community based interventions, regulation, and policy (local, national, international). By linking to cases introduced in other core subjects, the student's understanding of the characteristics and merits of alternative policy and practice intervention strategies is matched to what he or she is learning about the nature of public health issues in PHE5WPH, the cultural and social determinants of health and health related behaviours in PHE5SCP, and the generation and use of evidence to assess public health problems and evaluate their solutions in PHE5HDD.

School: School of Psychology & Public Health

Credit points: 15

Subject Co-ordinator: Sally Fawkes

Available to Study Abroad Students: Yes

Subject year level: Year Level 5 - Masters

Exchange Students: Yes

Subject particulars

Subject rules

Prerequisites: N/A

Co-requisites: N/A

Incompatible subjects: N/A

Equivalent subjects: N/A

Special conditions: N/A

Learning resources

Readings

Resource Type	Title	Resource Requirement	Author and Year	Publisher
Readings	Oxford Handbook of Public Health	Prescribed	Guest C, Ricciardi W, Kawachi I, Laing I. (eds) 2013	OUP
Readings	Public Health Practice in Australia. The Organised Effort	Recommended	Lin V, Smith J and Fawkes S (Eds) 2014	Allen and Unwin
Readings	Public Health Policy and Politics	Recommended	Baggot R. 2012	Macmillan

Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes

01. Describe effective intervention strategies to improve public health articulating the role of disease prevention, health protection, health promotion, emergency responsiveness and health policy in promoting health and reducing inequalities.

Activities:: Engagement with staff, reflection on case study materials, reading, interaction with peers

02. Critically appraise potential evidence based intervention strategies to address a health problem with a specific population or community.

Activities:: Engagement with staff, reflection on case study materials, reading, interaction with peers

03. Analyse alternative interventions strategies with regard to a public health code of ethics.

Activities:: Engagement with staff, reflection on case study materials, reading, interaction with peers

04. Select and apply criteria to prioritise health problems and their possible solutions.

Activities:: Engagement with staff, reflection on case study materials, reading, interaction with peers

City Campus, 2019, Semester 1, Blended

Overview

Online enrolment: Yes

Maximum enrolment size: N/A

Enrolment information:

Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Sally Fawkes

Class requirements

Unscheduled Online ClassWeek: 10 - 22
One 1.0 hours unscheduled online class per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via blended.

TutorialWeek: 10 - 22
One 2.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 10 to week 22 and delivered via blended.

Assessments

Assessment element	Comments	%	ILO*
Four multiple choice exercises (1,500-words equivalent)	Covers understanding of basic concepts, terminology and methods. The format allows for rapid feedback as subject unfolds	20	01, 02, 03, 04
Group exercise (1,000-words equivalent, per student)	Exercise involves application of critical appraisal skills	30	02
Written report (3,000-words)	Essay in the form of a briefing to a health minister will outline the case for intervening to improve population health, articulating the strategy and justifying it on the basis of the priority assigned to the problem taking into account any ethical implications of the preferred intervention strategy	50	03, 04

Online, 2019, Semester 1, Online