Module HEAS43310: PUBLIC POLICY, HEALTH AND HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Department: Health [Queen's Campus, Stockton]

HEAS43310: PUBLIC POLICY, HEALTH AND HEALTH INEQUALITIES

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To extend students’ understanding of the social determinants of health, the social gradient in health and the role of public policy and practice in tackling health inequalities in the UK and beyond.

Content

• Introduction and key concepts. Social epidemiology, social determinants of health and health equity and implications for policy
• Health and health equity impact assessment of policies
• Theoretical approaches to understanding health inequalities and their relevance for policy development
• Challenges in policy implementation, the commissioning cycle and interventions to address inequalities
• Health equity and governance
• Future directions in public policy and health

Learning Outcomes

• The theoretical and conceptual background to health inequalities
• The influence of social, environmental and economic factors on inequalities in population health
• The evidence base for tackling health inequalities
• Relationships between public policies, health and health inequalities
• Policy implementation and evidence into policy and practice

• The ability to communicate effectively across specialised subject and professional areas
• The ability to think independently, discriminate, problem-solve, and use judgement devising policy and programmes and assessing their expected health effects
• The ability to work effectively in inter-professional and inter- agency contexts and to critically assess the relevance and validity of others’ views and contributions to health improvement plans and strategies

• Literature searching– students should be able to conduct literature searches,and evaluate and appraise evidence from a range of sources
• Team working - they should be able to work in uniprofessional and interprofessional teams
• Communication – they should be able to effectively communicate complex material
• Presentation - they should be able to select, synthesise and present complex material
• Thinking - they should be able to think critically and creatively and to argue coherently
• Reflection - they should be able to learn through reflection on practice and experience

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lecturing - Describes the social gradient in health - Explains theoretical approaches to health inequalities - Examines the social determinants of health - Summarises the evidence base around interventions to reduce inequalities in health - Outlines public policy responses to health inequalities - Examines practice and implementation issues
• Tutorials and seminars - Allow students to work through concepts in more detail, providing both teacher and peer led input, promoting discussion and developing communication and group working skills
• Structured reading - Allows students to pursue topics in greater detail enabling both familiarity with key texts and a deeper understanding of the subject knowledge generally
• Independent study, research and analysis - Focuses student knowledge more deeply by pursuing aspects of the module that are of special interest to themselves and exploring specific applications in their field of study.
• Library research - Promotes independent lifelong learning skills as well as promoting learning from a variety of sources
• Essay assessment will test students’ critical knowledge and understanding of key concepts, their ability to argue coherently and communicate effectively in writing, and to reflectively assess their proficiency in thinking through how social determinants of health and the social gradient in health can be addressed via both public policy and professional practice

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

A draft essay for the 70% summative which builds upon the arguments presented in the classroom debate.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University