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Qualitative Methods in Public Health

People

Fossati A.

Course director

Description

Course Objectives

By the end of the course, students will become familiar with:

  • Principles of Public Health with emphasis on epidemiology and policy
  • Research and quantitative methods, including study designs
  • The main steps involved in conducting research studies
  • Psychometrics, and development methods of scales
  • Design and steps of conduction of systematic reviews
  • Structure and assessment frameworks of complex interventions in health
  • The broad array of research activities and projects carried out within the USI Institute of Public Health.
Course Description

Public health is the discipline that addresses health at the population level. The health status of the population and its broad determinants are the key objects of interest of public health. The main purpose of PH is to attain the highest level of health for all. As such, the challenge is grand, and the task is complex. This is why PH is a highly multidisciplinary field. Moreover, public health is an evidence-based discipline. This means that PH is grounded on the results of well-designed and equally well-conducted research studies. Most of these studies use mixed methods. In this course we will focus on the quantitative methods, with emphasis on epidemiology, which is the cornerstone of public health. We will alternate theoretical lectures with group activities. The latter are extremely important to exercise critical thinking while we apply the concepts and methods covered during the online lecture classes. This course provides also several opportunities to be exposed, contribute and collaborate to actual research activities that are carried out within the USI Institute of Public Health directed by Prof. Albanese.

Learning Methods

  • Frontal and online lessons
  • Practical group activities and readings
  • ePortfolio

Examination Information

Your final grade will be composed of two subgrades:

  • A final exam (quizzes) that covers topics of the course and contributes 50% to your final mark
  • Practical group activities and ePortfolio will account for the other 50% of your final grade.

Please, keep in mind that USI’s evaluations are on a 1-10 scale, where 6 is the threshold to validate the course. Evaluations may be rounded to .5

Required Material

Students are invited to use courses’ iCorsi platform to receive all teaching materials and practical activities

  • Lessons, readings and additional material on iCorsi
  • (suggested reading) Designing Clinical Research (IV edition) by Stephen B Hulley et
    al. (Lippincoot Williams & Wilkins 2013) [NOTE: an electronic copy of the book is provided in kind
    on iCorsi, its uses are restricted to the present class, and the copy must not be circulated, printed, sold or used in violations of the copyrights].

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