Course syllabus for Epidemiological Methods for Outcome Evaluation of Public Health Interventions

Specific entry requirements

A Bachelor's degree or a professional degree equivalent to a Swedish Bachelor's degree of at least 180 credits in public health science, healthcare or other relevant social sciences subject area. And proficiency in English equivalent to English B/English 6.

That the student has completed courses with approved results equivalent of 45 credits on the specific specialisation at the Master's Programme in Public Health Sciences.

In order to qualify for the registration in the course the student should have attended the courses 4FH083, 4FH082 and 4FH086 offered in the program, or should have acquired corresponding knowledge.

Outcomes

The goal of the course is to provide the students with theoretical knowledge and practical skills for the evaluation of complex public health interventions related to the sustainable development goals (SDGs). Upon completion of the course, the student should be able to:

Knowledge and Understanding

• Describe the strengths and limitations of different study designs for effect evaluation of public health interventions.
• Explain how bias can affect interpretations and conclusions regarding casual relationships in public health interventions.
• Identify relevant outcome measures for conducting effect evaluations of public health interventions.

Competens and Skills

• Formulate relevant research questions, according to the PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome), that relate to effect evaluation of public health interventions.
• Develop an evaluation plan for a specific intervention relevant to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

Judgement and Approach

• Justify the choice of study design based on their consequences for internal validity, feasibility, and ethical aspects.
• Assess the implications of evaluation results for research and for the development of policy and practice.

Content

The course consists of lectures, seminars, and interactive workshops in the following areas:

• Evaluation goals: efficacy, effectiveness, equity, and impact
• The complexity of public health interventions and outcome measures
• Introduction to economic evaluation
• Observational, quasi-experimental, and experimental study designs
• Time-related aspects of outcome evaluations
• Statistical issues and sample size calculation in outcome evaluations
• Writing study protocols

The course also includes lectures that present real examples of different types of evaluation designs, where interventions at the individual, group, community, and policy levels are illustrated through everything from observational studies to experimental designs.

The course also consists of independent and group work aimed at developing a plan for outcome evaluation related to a concrete intervention, where theoretical knowledge is applied.

Examples of public health areas for application include infectious diseases, tobacco use, risky alcohol use, promotion of physical activity, overweight and obesity, safety promotion and injury prevention, reproductive health, and mental health.

Teaching methods

A combination of working methods will be used: lectures, seminars, group work, interactive workshops, individual assignments, literature review; study visits and oral presentations.

Formative evaluation sessions are compulsory. Absence from compulsory moments is to be compensated through individual tasks with corresponding learning outcomes.

Examination

The individual examination consists of a written exam comprising two parts: (1) multiple‑choice questions, and (2) short essay questions.

Formative evaluation is conducted continuously throughout the course, consisting of short individual exercises, group work, and oral presentations in front of instructors and students. These components aim to enable in‑depth discussion of application and methods. The results of this formative evaluation are not graded, but both submission of preparatory assignments and participation at each session are mandatory.

The examination will be graded as "Not passed" (U); "Passed" (G); or "passed with distinction" (VG).

Compulsory participation
The examiner assesses if, and in that case how absence from compulsory educational elements can be compensated for. Before the student has participated in educational elements or compensated the absence in accordance with the examiner's instructions, the final course results will not be reported. Absence from a compulsory educational component may imply that the student cannot compensate for missed compulsory educational elements until the next time the course is given.

Limitation of number of occasions to write the exam
Students who have not passed the regular examination are entitled to participate in five more examinations. If the student has not passed the exam after four participations he/she is encouraged to visit the study advisor. If the student has failed six examinations/tests, no additional examination or new admission is provided.
The number of times that the student has participated in one and the same examination is regarded as an examination session. Submission of a blank examination is regarded as an examination. An examination for which the student registered but not participated in will not be counted as an examination.

If there are special grounds, or a need for adaptation for a student with a disability, the examiner may decide to deviate from the syllabus's regulations on the examination form, the number of examination opportunities, the possibility of supplementation or exemptions from the compulsory section/s of the course etc. Content and learning outcomes as well as the level of expected skills, knowledge and abilities may not be changed, removed or reduced.

Transitional provisions

Examination will be provided during a time of two years after a possible cancellation of the course. Examination can take place according to an earlier literature list during a time of one year after the date when a major renewal of the literature list has been made.

Other directives

Course evaluation will be carried out in accordance with the guidelines established by the Committee for Higher Education.

The course language will be English.

Literature and other teaching aids

Mandatory literature

Katz, M. H. (2010). Evaluating clinical and public health interventions: A practical guide to study design and statistics. Cambridge University Press.

Recommended literature

Compulsory course reading consists of scientific articles, reports and diverse materials related to the topic of the course. The reading material will be distributed during the course.