PS242 Public Health and Environment
Programme: B.A. Environmental Studies
Credit value: 12
Level: Year 2, Semester 4
General objectives
Environment and health are two interrelated factors
that have a great importance for the daily life of humans. This module aims at
providing students with the required knowledge and understanding of which
factors affect our human life and how we can improve the health situation of
society, with particular reference to environmental contexts and the situation
in Bhutan.
Learning
outcomes
On completion of
this module, students will have gained an understanding of:
- public health
issues and the kinds of infectious and non-communicable diseases and their
causes and cures;
- food,
nutrition and the importance of a balanced diet for human health;
- malnutrition,
it’s causes, consequences and possible solutions;
- family
planning and birth control;
- cultural and
social aspects of public health;
- occupational
health and safety;
- effects of
environmental pollution on human health.
Approach to
learning and teaching
The module will
consist of 15 teaching weeks, one self-study week and two examination weeks.
Each week will consist of:
- 3 theory
lectures during which the theoretical background will be discussed;
- 2 practical
classes which will be used for laboratory practical, reading and analysis
of scientific articles and opinion articles, guest lectures, presentations
and group discussions and a field trip with report to observe the health
and sanitation situation in the college surroundings;
- 3 periods of
self-study this will be used for self-study of the theory available,
collecting information, and preparing papers and presentations.
Assessment
● End
of semester examination 60%
●
Individual assignments 20%
● Group assignments 30%
Course
content
·
importance and status of public health coverage;
health policies and planning for the whole population; communicable diseases –
water born diseases; air borne diseases; biology of viruses, bacteria and
eukaryotic parasites (lab sessions); diseases common to humans and animals (lab
sessions); the spread of infectious diseases through different gene pools in
history and the world, and their influencing factors; likely emergence of newly
evolved infectious diseases in the future; future outlook for the prevention
and control of highly infectious diseases with special reference to HIV and
Aids – immunization and quarantine;
·
non–communicable diseases; types and their
characteristics; causative factors; genetic disorders and diseases; cancer,
diabetes and obesity; prevention and control;
·
concept of balanced diets and nutrition for
healthy life and healthy population; physiological requirements for proper
nutrition; critical nutritional needs of pregnant and lactating mothers,
growing child and teenagers; nutrients for growth, repair, energy supply,
maintenance and regeneration of body processes; the functions of nutrients in
the body; the role of nutrients and water in the body; sources of nutrients and
nutrient value in food, cooked and uncooked – protein, fats, carbohydrates,
fibre, mineral elements and vitamins; the effects of sugar on dental cares and
on weight control; effects of the use of beverage with high alcohol contents in
the body; effects of excess salt intake on health;
·
malnutrition status in the country; causes of
malnutrition in children, how it affects adults’ public life; malnutrition as a
cause of diseases in adult life; deficiency diseases; a discussion on lack of
iodine in hilly waters; the effects of cooking methods on nutrient content of
food; importance of balanced diet for growing children and teenagers; public
health policy, monitoring and evaluation for nutrition for children and
teenagers in primary and junior high school food programmes; public health
regulation in industry processed foods and nutritional standards; choices and
risk of processed and artificially grown foods in the market; importance of
relying on organically grown food; discussion on social, cultural and economic
factors influencing health of the individuals;
·
concepts of family planning, choices of methods,
child spacing, merits and demerits of a large family size, regulation, policy
incentives and debates for family size; issues of reproductive health; some
serious ethical and legal issues in public health – abortion, in-vitro
fertilization, unwanted pregnancies, rape, suicide, sex preferences for child,
drugs, alcohol, smoking, genetic engineering and new organisms; family care and
public care for the elderly, aged, disabled and displaced population; public
issues on sanitation and hygiene;
·
discussion on importance of occupational health
and safety standards and acts for the workers, record keeping/inventory,
training, policies, regulations, monitoring, evaluation and enforcement on the
following: construction sites, mining areas, industrial plants, factories,
workshops, laboratories, hospitals, waste disposal sites, lumbering, road
construction, and other workstations; permissible noise level; exposure limits
to hazardous chemicals and radioactive substances; auditing of hazardous work
places, products and substances; employers’ liability for compensation;
compensation for employees resulting from poor enforcement of safety standards
– accidents, injury, work related diseases, disabilities and death; compliance
for safety standards and regulations; workers’ health monitoring, public
education for safety at home and work places; health risk assessment and labour
wages; discussion on occupational diseases; public health hazards from waste
disposal and landfills, and from pollution of rivers and water bodies; visits
to local factories and work stations.
Reading list
- Grindar, G.,
Sattar, E. M. and Kang, J. S. eds. 1989. Readings
in Population Programme Management
- Jain, Anrudh
eds. 1992. Managing Quality of Care in Population Programme.
Kumarian Press.
- Lapham, R. J.
and Simons, G.B. eds, 1987. Organizing effective family planning
Programmes. National Academy Press, Washington, D.C.
- Mc Neill,
William H, 1976. Plagues and Peoples. Doubleday Dell Publishing
Group, Inc.
- Ness, T. V.
and Satia, J. K., 1978. Managing Family Activities at the Clinic Level,
APDC.
- Sattar, E. (ed.),
1986. Management Perspectives on Population Programmes. ICOMP.