Academic Catalogs

PUBH A200: Introduction to Public Health

Course Outline of Record
Item Value
Curriculum Committee Approval Date 05/18/2022
Top Code 083700 - Health Education
Units 3 Total Units 
Hours 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54)
Total Outside of Class Hours 0
Course Credit Status Credit: Degree Applicable (D)
Material Fee No
Basic Skills Not Basic Skills (N)
Repeatable No
Grading Policy Standard Letter (S), 
  • Pass/No Pass (B)
Associate Arts Local General Education (GE)
  • OC Behavioral Science - AA (OD3)
Associate Science Local General Education (GE)
  • OCC Social/Behavioral Sci - AS (OSD)

Course Description

This course presents an overview of the disciplines of community and public health. Topics include the basic concepts and terminologies of public health; an overview of various public health professions and organizations; the study, prevention, and control of diseases in the community; the analysis of the social determinants of health; strategies for eliminating disease, illness, and health disparities among various populations; community organizing and health promotion programming; school health promotion; environmental health and safety; and an overview of the healthcare delivery system in the United States. Emphasis will be placed on developing knowledge and preliminary skills to advocate for community and public health effectively. Enrollment Limitation: HLED A200/PUBH A200H; students who complete PUBH A200 may not enroll in or receive credit for HLED A200 or PUBH A200H. ADVISORY: Eligibility for ENGL C1000. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC. C-ID: PHS 101.C-ID: PHS 101.

Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)

  1. Describe the approach used in public health to identify a contributory cause of a disease or other condition and establish the efficacy of an intervention.
  2. Identify criteria for evaluating the quality of public health data and information from a variety of sources.
  3. Explain the steps in the evidence-based public health process

Course Objectives

  • 1. Identify eras of public health from ancient times to the early 21st century
  • 2. Define the meaning of and distinguish the difference of personal community, public and population health
  • 3. Illustrate the uses of health care, traditional public health and social interventions in population health
  • 4. Identify a range of determinants of disease
  • 5. Explain the steps in the evidence-based public health process
  • 6. Demonstrate the use of basic epidemiological methods, such as the analysis of rates, and the definition of cases, population at risk, risk factors, incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality.
  • 7. Explain the role that evaluation plays in establishing effectiveness as part of evidence-based public health
  • 8. Identify different types of public health data and assess and utilize credible information resources on community health current issues, such as the Internet, social media, media outlets, and libraries
  • 9. Analyze current public health issues and describe how they affect societal well-being among specific populations of age, sex, ethnicity, minority, education and socioeconomic status.
  • 10. Illustrate how socioeconomic status, and culture affects health
  • 11. Identify ways that interventions at the individual level and at the social level can reinforce each other to influence behavioral change
  • 12. Explain the principles of social marketing
  • 13. Explain the scope of health law, policy and ethics
  • 14. Illustrate the potential tensions between individual rights and the needs of society using public health examples
  • 15. Discuss key principles that underlie the ethics of human research
  • 16. Describe the burden of disease caused by communicable and non-communicable diseases
  • 17. Describe the ideal criteria for a screening program
  • 18. Explain the multiple risk factor intervention approach to control of a non-communicable disease
  • 19. Identify the roles that vaccinations can play in preventing communicable diseases
  • 20. Identify a range of conditions that make eradication of a disease feasible
  • 21. Outline strategies for prevention, detection and control of infectious and chronic disease
  • 22. Identify the components of environmental risk assessment and apply them to an environmental hazard
  • 23. Discuss the meaning of interactions and how they may impact the size of risks
  • 24. Describe the relationships between clinical health professions and public health
  • 25. Describe the basic structure and financing of health care in the United States
  • 26. Describe the basic features of local, state and federal public health agencies in the United States
  • 27. Identify different public health disciplines, professions and organizations, and explain how each contributes to the field of public health.
  • 28. Outline the process of community organizing, building and health promotion programming.
  • 29. Describe the interplay between health determinants, such as environmental conditions, social, behavioral and cultural factors, and biological considerations, and explain the role of each in determining local, national and global health organization and policy.

Lecture Content

Principles of Population Health Public Health: The Population Health Approach History and accomplishments of public health officials and agencies Public Health defined - Personal health vs public health Approaches available to protect and promote health Health care Traditional public health Social intervention Core functions of public health professions and institutions Factors that determine occurrence of disease, disability and death Epidemiology and Evidence-based Public Health Burdon of disease Mortality/Morbidity Incidence Prevalence Case-fatality Health disparities and inequities among ethnic and minority groups Population comparisons vs ecological studies Etiology and contributory cause Case-control (retrospective) studies Cohort studies Prospective studies Randomized clinical trials Experimental studies Program planning and evaluation Primary, secondary, tertiary intervention P.E.R.I.E. process Problem Etiology Recommendation Implementation Evaluation Tools of Population Health Health Information and Health Communications Health Informatics/Data Single case or small series Vital statistics Surveys/sampling Self-reporting Sentinel monitoring Syndromic surveillance Health Communications Quality standards for health information Using information to make health decisions Community Organizing and Health Promotion Programming Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health Socioeconomic status, culture and health Community concerns including, but not limited to addiction, obesity and violence  Influencing factors to individuals behavior change Social marketing in public health Maternal, infant and child, adolescent, adulthood and elder health Health Law, Policy, and Ethics Bioethics Police power Health care policy Public health vs individuals rights Human subjects Belmont Report Institutional Review Boards Preventing Disease, Disability, and Death Non-Communicable Diseases Burden of disease Screening processes Multiple risk factor reduction Communicable Diseases Burden of disease Tools to address burden of communicable disease Barriers (isolation and quarantine) Immunizations Screening/case findings Treatment Prevention Eradication No animal reservoir Short persistence in environment Absence of long-term carrier state Disease produces long term immunity Vaccination establishes long term immunity Herd immunity Easily identified diseases Effective post exposure vaccination Environmental Health and Safety Unaltered/altered/built environments Clean air Clean water Garbage Food and drug safety Population control Injury prevention Emergency Preparedness Burden of disease Approaches to addressing environmental issues Risk assessments Hazard Exposure Risk Public heal th assessments Ecological assessments Interaction analysis Systems analysis Genetic disease Health Professionals, Healthcare Institutions, and Healthcare Systems Health Professionals and the Health Workforce Healthcare Institutions Inpatient facilities Outpatient facilities Quality assessment – structure, process and outcome measures Healthcare Systems Governmental systems Medicare Medicaid Employment based systems Uninsured and underinsured Public Health Institutions and Systems Public Health Institutions and Systems Essential public health services Assessment Policy development Assurance Research Government public health agencies Federal agencies State agencies Local health departments Global public health agencies

Method(s) of Instruction

  • Lecture (02)
  • DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
  • DE Online Lecture (02X)

Instructional Techniques

Lecture, discussion, media, computer demonstration, Internet exploration, guest speakers

Reading Assignments

Students will spend 3 - 4 hours a week reading assigned chapters from the textbook, instructor handouts and articles from online sources.  Students will be required to read peer-reviewed articles for inclusion in their projects.

Writing Assignments

Student will spend approximately 1 - 2 hours a week completing written assignments and examinations. Students will complete case studies, providing responses in written format.  All projects will be referenced with proper APA formatting.

Out-of-class Assignments

Students will spend approximately 2 - 3 hours a week completing group projects, case studies, written assignments and informational interview from the field of public health. Health Disparity Paper: Students work in groups to identify a health disparity, including the use of data to identify disproptionate impacts and vulnerable populations.  Students use research and data sources from govenmental and appropriate professional organizations to identify potential etioogy, determinatns of health, and interventions.  They will make a recommendation for intervention on the primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Career Profile: Students will research a public health career, including educational requirements, salarly, working conditions, and scope of work.

Demonstration of Critical Thinking

Students are required to complete case studies that provide opportunities to practice and demonstrate critical thinking as they apply public health constructs to situations.

Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration

Students are required to complete written assignments and projects that provide opportunities to practice and demonstrate problem solving as they work within a group to complete a common task.

Eligible Disciplines

Health: Masters degree in health science, health education, biology, nursing, physical education, kinesiology, exercise science, dietetics, or nutrition OR bachelors degree in any of the above AND masters degree in public health, or any biological science OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.

Textbooks Resources

1. Required Riegelman, R.. Public Health 101: Improving Community Health, 3nd ed. Sudbury: Jones and Bartlett, 2018 2. Required Schneider, M.J.. Introduction to Public Health, 6th ed. Jones Bartlett Learning, 2020 3. Required McKenzie, J.F. Seabert, D. An Introduction to Community Public Health, 10th ed. Jones Bartlett Learning, 2021

Other Resources

1. Instructor handouts