Enrolments for 2020 have closed.
Determinants of Health
Postgraduate | ACU-PUBH630 | 2020
Course information for 2020 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Entry requirements
- Part of a degree
- Duration
- -
FEE-HELP available
Determinants of Health
About this subject
On successful completion of the Determinants of Health unit, students should be able to:
- Demonstrate advanced knowledge of the different types of health determinants and their significance to public health practice
- Evaluate the impacts, interactivity and distribution of health determinants at a community or population level, and how these relate to complex public health/societal issues
- Critique current debates on social and behavioural determinants of health, particularly in relation to personal and social responsibility for health
- Evaluate social, political, ethical, economic and ecological considerations and their impact on public health interventions and practice
- Assess risks to health present within the environment using practice-based frameworks and recommend appropriate evidence-based interventions
- Introduction to health determinants
- Major types of health determinants, including prevalence and population distribution
- Historical aspects: discovery and debates over health determinants
- Causal processes and pathways
- Key health determinants
- Biological determinants of health: genetics, body structure and function
- Behavioural determinants of health: risky behaviours (e.g. tobacco use), and protective behaviours (e.g. seatbelt use)
- Social and economic determinants of health: e.g. gender, cultural background, education, financial resources, and employment status.
- Environmental determinants of health: e.g. air quality, water quality, soil/land quality, climate, geography, built environment, and food environment
- Implications for creating healthy societies
- Current ethical and political debates regarding social and behavioural determinants: e.g. individual versus collective responsibility
- Interactions between determinants and relationships to manifestations of ill-health
- Approaches to identifying key health determinants, and effective interventions
- Environmental health: assessment, management and control of specific environmental health issues
- The need for inter-sectoral action on health determinants
Health is determined by many factors within and beyond the health sector, so public health practitioners must have a detailed understanding of these factors in order to improve population health and wellbeing. This subject aims to teach students essential knowledge of the various biological, behavioural, economic, social and environmental determinants of health, inequalities in their distribution within the population, and approaches to addressing them. Students will learn about the evidence and key debates on health determinants, and the implications for creating healthy and equitable societies. Complex public health/social issues involving multiple health determinants, such as rapid urbanisation, homelessness, poverty, and under-employment will be explored. The subject will then consolidate student understanding of health determinants by focusing on environmental health, examining the management of environmental determinants of health, their interaction with other determinants of health, and the promotion and maintenance of healthy environments.
A range of assessment procedures will be used to meet the unit learning outcomes and develop graduate attributes consistent with University assessment requirements. In order to successfully complete this unit, students need to obtain an aggregate mark of greater than 50%.
For PUBH630, assessments will consider both theoretical and practical aspects relating to health determinants and environmental health. The assessment strategy allows students to progressively develop their knowledge and skills in identifying determinants of health and their implications for public health practice. In order to develop the knowledge and skills required to achieve the learning outcomes and Graduate Attributes, students first undertake a written assessment task to demonstrate their understanding of the evidence and key debates on determinants of a specific health issue. They will extend and synthesise their understanding through an environmental health assessment and intervention plan. Assessment for this unit will conclude with a brief practice reflection task, enabling students to analyse how the knowledge gained in this unit will influence their future public health practice.- Written Task - Responsibility for health (40%)
- Environmental health assessment & intervention simulation (50%)
- Practice reflection (10%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
Established in 1991 after amalgamating four eastern Australian Catholic tertiary institutes, Australian Catholic University now has seven campuses, from Brisbane to Melbourne and welcomes students of all beliefs. Specialising in arts, business, education, health sciences, law, theology and philosophy, ACU encourages its students to think critically and ethically and bring change to their communities and offer this online through Open Universities Australia.
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Entry requirements
To enrol in this subject, you must be admitted into a degree.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.