Methods of Public Health Research [ESP11]

Detailed information about this course:

Description

Faculty: Prof. Lex Burdorf, Ir. PhD

This course provides an introduction to essential study designs and analytic methods available to public health researchers to describe the influence of important determinants on public health and to evaluate effects of primary preventive intervention on public health. This course focuses on population health rather than individual health and explains why different designs and methods are required, such as ecological studies and multilevel analysis. The course targets three key issues: (1) summary measures of population health, such as life expectancy, (2) measures of association and relative importance of specific causes for population health, such as population attributable fraction, and (3) evaluation of population interventions through community trials and study designs based on natural experiments instead of RCT. Designs and methods will be illustrated in lectures and exercises and application will demonstrate their usefulness in current hot topics, such as health inequalities; causes and consequences of ageing; avoidable diseases such as cancer; and evaluation of complex societal interventions.

The course will be relevant to those who have a basic knowledge of epidemiology, and who wish to start a career in public health research.

Teaching methods:
This course will use lectures, exercises, and group discussion as teaching tools.

Objectives

• Understand key research designs and analytic methods in Public Health research.
• Understand background, causes, and consequences of key issues in population health.
  

Participant profile

PhD students and public health professionals who want a structured insight into the best methods to address current population health problems.

Assessment

Attendance