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Public health practitioners need a sound understanding of the theory and application of health promotion, as well as the improvement of population health and wellbeing, as an integral part of their work. In this subject, students will be introduced to evidence-based health promotion frameworks, models and methods, along with theories of behaviour change and health behaviour models. Measurement of impact and effectiveness of health promotion programs, critical appraisal of current health promotion policies/initiatives and debates within health promotion practice will also be considered. The subject will also emphasise the importance of contextual issues in health promotion, along with partnership, participation, change and capacity.  Emergent issues and approaches in health promotion, such as use of social marketing and digital media will also be considered. The aim of this subject is to understand health promotion theory in order to apply a practice-oriented approach. Students will demonstrate their understanding by critiquing current health promotion practice and then developing their own health promotion initiative.

Health Promotion

ACU-PUBH649 Preparation for Practice is one of two subjects (PUBH649 Preparation for Practice and PUBH655 Practice Placement) which will apply and consolidate learning acquired in the Master of Public Health program to prepare students to practice as public health professionals. PUBH649 Preparation for Practice comprises a range of educational activities which will prepare students for PUBH655 Practice Placement. In PUBH649 Preparation for Practice, students will undertake coursework including modules on sourcing placement, skills strengthening and practice reflections.ACU0 PUBH649 Preparation for Practice is linked to the Australian Qualifications Framework and supported by educational theory on the importance of experiential learning for preparing students for professional practice.In the subsequent subject, ACU-PUBH655 Practice Placement, students will build on knowledge acquired in PUBH649 Preparation for Practice and complete a project consisting of a practice-based public health activity or fieldwork that involves the integration of knowledge and skills across multiple public health areas. In AICU-PUB655 Practice Placement, students are to demonstrate core public health competencies as appropriate, including community engagement and ethical practice. Overall, PUBH649 Preparation for Practice and ACU-PUBH655 Practice Placement aim to enable students to apply and integrate their public health skills and knowledge within a summative public health practice experience.

Get ready for work in public health settings. You’ll explore placement opportunities and work on applications. Consolidate what you’ve learned in your Master of Public Health as you prepare to enter the workforce. 

Preparation for Practice

Public health advocacy involves individuals and organisations who operate locally, regionally, nationally and globally to address policies, products and practices that compromise people’s health. Advocacy is a critical skill for all practitioners to effectively promote and protect population health and wellbeing. Advocacy is often needed to transform research into policy and practice. This subject enables students to refine their existing communication skills by building their knowledge of the “art of advocacy” and the various ways this can be used to influence decisions and outcomes to improve health. Students will examine various facets of advocacy, including: approaches to advocacy; persuasiveness, rhetoric, method, audience, presentation and evaluation; nested advocacy within larger approaches; and challenging existing values or practices. Students will then consider the various factors that underpin effective, valid and appropriate advocacy, such as: community engagement, consultation and empowerment; community/organisational relationships; and respectful communication methods.  In considering health advocacy in a global context, this subject will also include cultural responsiveness and cross-cultural communication. Finally, this subject will apply critical analysis to advocacy “tools” (existing or emergent) such as social marketing, new media approaches, focused health campaigns, fundraising, celebrity advocacy and competitive advocacy in health.

Health Advocacy

Optimal nutrition is a cornerstone of human health and well-being. Food security is a means by which optimal nutrition is delivered to individuals, communities and populations. This unit will introduce students to the major concepts and issues around global nutrition and food security. Emphasis will be placed on the Nutrition Transition phenomenon, which reflects the interconnectedness of food consumption, health (and illness), socioeconomic and environmental factors, and sustainable development. Students will explore challenges to nutrition and food security from the standpoints of availability, access, utilisation and stability, as well as other risk factors and broader issues of food industry influence, culture and colonisation, globalisation and new media. Causes of major nutrition issues, their prevalence and severity will be examined, along with their impact on health and development. Application of community-/population-level nutritional assessments and interventions will then be considered, especially in the context of developing countries and humanitarian response to crises. This unit will conclude with models for the development of programs and/or social enterprises aimed at improving food security. This unit aims to familiarise students with global nutrition concepts and food security.

Global Nutrition and Food Security

We are constantly reminded that health is global in nature, affecting populations irrespective of country, culture and ideology. Responses to challenges in health therefore need to be global as well, transcending national boundaries, governments and health care systems. In addition, global health depends on development and prosperity that is achieved without irreversible depletion of natural resources and exploitation of environments. This subject will equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge related to global health and sustainable development. Students will learn about health as a human right, the concept of social justice as well as sustainability in health and the sustainable development goals. They will distinguish the terms international, global and globalization; they will identify who are the main players in global health and critique the roles that these players have; they will discuss goal setting for global health improvement as well as global health inequalities, and global health and environmental health; the role of multi-national corporations will be examined; threats to global health and sustainability will be identified. The aim will be to equip students with sufficient knowledge about global health to be able to interpret trends in the global health literature as well as deepen students appreciation of the interdependence of global health and sustainable development using contemporary examples and case studies.

Global Health and Sustainable Development

If public health embodies the organised effort of society to protect and promote health, then public health law and policy is fundamental to achieving that organised effort. The aim of this subject is to enable students to develop the knowledge, understanding and skills necessary to use law and policy to improve public health. Following introduction to fundamental legal concepts, students will examine key areas of public health law relating to health protection, practitioners, systems and services, as well as specific issues or situations that pose a risk to health. Students will also consider policy development, implementation and analysis, and the role of politics, interests, evidence and economics in shaping policy. Students will then apply their knowledge and understanding to the process of law reform and policy change, with emphasis on public health advocacy for improving law and policy and thus improving public health and wellbeing.

Public Health Law and Policy

Disease prevention and management strategies constitute major areas of public health action and are key to reducing mortality and the population-level burden. COVID 19 has demonstrated that communicable diseases can very quickly become global pandemics, requiring public health emergency responses. Non-communicable diseases are also a cause of death and disability globally, including in low and middle income countries. Injuries, such as falls in older people and road traffic accidents in young people, also contribute substantially to the global burden of disease. This unit will equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge needed to effectively prevent and manage communicable and non-communicable disease or injury in various settings, including public health emergencies. Students will learn about communicable disease using a case study (e.g. COVID 19). Areas covered will include public health surveillance and emergency responses including the treatment strategies, and preventive strategies (e.g. case containment through quarantine/physical distancing, contact tracing, vaccination). Students will also examine integrated models for non-communicable disease management. This unit aims to introduce students to disease prevention and management strategies with a focus on communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases and injuries.

Disease Prevention and Management

Health is determined by many factors. Public health professionals must have a detailed understanding of these factors to improve population and individual health and wellbeing. Students will learn to critique the evidence on health determinants and the implications for creating a society conducive to health. Complex public health/social issues involving multiple health determinants will be explored. The unit will help students consolidate their critical analysis of health determinants , the interaction between determinants and the promotion and maintenance of healthy social and physical environments. This unit aims to provide students with the opportunity to develop a critical understanding of the determinants of health, inequalities in their distribution within the population, and the ability to discuss approaches to addressing these inequalities critically.

Determinants of Health

Epidemiology is an integral area of practice that informs and supports public health action to prevent disease and promote the health of populations. Within this practice, students need to apply skills and knowledge to understand and analyse the causes and distribution of disease within populations to determine how best to respond to a situation. In this unit, students will acquire comprehensive knowledge of fundamental epidemiological concepts and methods, including study designs, measures of frequency and association, bias and confounding, data collection and management for public health monitoring and surveillance. Students will build an understanding of the importance and relevance of epidemiology to public health research and practice with an emphasis on patterns of disease distribution in Australian and international contexts, and further develop skills to be able to apply these principles within real world scenarios.The aim of the unit is to develop knowledge, skills and understanding of epidemiological principles and methods for application to key practice areas such as: screening and diagnostic test evaluation; critical appraisal of epidemiological research articles and systematic reviews; social/behavioural epidemiology and chronic disease.

Epidemiology

An in depth understanding of the history and principles of public health is vital to becoming an effective public health professional. In this unit, students will examine the principles of public health and consider key historical developments that have shaped public health, with an emphasis on the broader social and economic influences. Students will examine public health values and ethical principles indicating how they support public health scope of practice. The assessment of evidence used in public health will be introduced particularly as it relates to priority setting and policy development in health care. . Students will apply their understanding of the principles for public health in activities that exemplify key debates, difficulties and resourcing dilemmas of contemporary public health challenges. The aim of this unit is to provide students with the opportunity to evaluate the historical milestones in public health that have shaped it as a discipline and through critical analysis of the key principles that underpin public health practice develop experience in using tools used in the discipline.

History and Principles of Public Health

Australian Catholic University Postgraduate Public health Subjects | Open Universities Australia

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