Public Health Course Research Articles

Developing and implementing a teledentistry educational model in a predoctoral dental program.

Teledentistry (TD) education has become essential to ensure that future dentists acquire the requisite competencies to navigate the evolving landscape of dental care. However, there is a dearth of comprehensive prior research that outlines a specific pedagogy for integrating TD education and training into the predoctoral dental curriculum. This article describes the development and implementation of an innovative TD educational model for predoctoral dental students. The dental public health course for fourth and fifth-year students was redesigned to include a TD educational model, comprising four components: foundational knowledge and case discussions, critical thinking activities, designing TD programs, and hands-on and field training. Student feedback was gathered through a questionnaire. Out of 47 students enrolled in the course, 39 responded to the questionnaire. The feedback was predominantly positive, with most students expressing satisfaction with the instructor's performance, particularly in providing adequate help and feedback. Students felt the TD sessions gave them a solid foundational understanding of TD and helped them grasp its various modalities. However, some students desired more hands-on clinical training and faced time constraints that affected their ability to fully understand the material and complete assignments. Integrating the TD educational model into the predoctoral dental curriculum has significantly improved the learning experience. This model has equipped students with essential practical and hands-on TD experience, preparing them for the dynamic field of dental practice and enabling them to meet the diverse needs of patients in various settings.

Honors Track in Global and Occupational Health: a students’ perspective from Humanitas University

Abstract Background To meet an increasing interest in global health, more opportunities for medical students should be created. Humanitas University (Milan, Italy) has debuted a new extracurricular activity called “Honors Track in Global and Occupational Health” (HT-GOH), to allow students critical insights into the field at the beginning of their career. Objectives HT-GOH is a two-year programme, led by expert professors in the field. The main aim is to circumvent limitations of global health education at individual institutions, achieved through a combined presence and online approach that allows for international collaboration with experts and attendance of online lectures and travel abroad for practical experiences. Complemented by monthly meetings, participation to workshops, seminars, conferences, and the discussion and literature review of crucial global health topics. Results The six participating students are actively promoting discussions, exchange of ideas, and literature findings on many global health issues. They audited courses in other universities and are building connections within the field. The active involvement of the students and their increasing interest in the global health debate can be seen by their participation in this abstract and the conference. The effectiveness of the programme is being evaluated through monthly feedback by students. Conclusions The programme allows for an initiation to research work, promoting collaboration between students and exploration of a variety of topics under the guidance of experts. The nature of a specific programme allows for a more individualized approach and greater development of skills unique to each student. This HT represent a valid approach to global health education, especially in settings in which this field is only taught in the context of a public health course. Key messages • A new programme at Humanitas University offering an innovative approach to the field of global health to interested students. • The students’ perspective towards an integrated approach to global health in medical schools.

Active education for reducing the attainment gap in a public health course in the United Kingdom (UK)

Abstract Background A diverse cohort of students join our UK postgraduate public health programme. We wanted to reduce attainment gaps between students. Active and inclusive educational activities may be important mechanisms for reducing attainment gaps as well as promoting student wellbeing. Our aim was to explore how active and inclusive curriculum design could support development of public health functions (e.g., designing interventions to address health inequalities) whilst reducing attainment gaps. Objectives Our 12-week module included a project to model determinants of adolescent’s health inequalities and design an evidence-based intervention to address determinants. Informed by Fink’s taxonomy and the assessment for learning framework, we designed educational activities (i.e., small group work and presentations, ethnographic visits, discussions with stakeholders) and assessments (i.e., group poster presentation and individual critical reflection) to structure the project. We assessed attainment gaps in student marks and surveyed student attitudes to the project (1 = strongly disagree; 5 = strongly agree). Results 53 students (9 groups) completed the assessment with the following marks: poster (M = 61, SD = 7), critical reflection (M = 59, SD = 9), overall mark (M = 59, SD = 10). More students received ‘fails’ and ‘distinctions’ when only the critical reflection was considered (p < 0.001). Students (N = 39; 72% response rate) agreed that activities were intellectually stimulating (M = 5, SD = 0.8), supported their learning (M = 4, SD = 0.8) and made them feel included (M = 5, SD = 0.7). Active learning approach (i.e., benefits of interactions; creating effective groups); student’s caring and commitment; choice and inclusivity; complex and authentic tasks; informal, formal and timely feedback were highlighted. Conclusions Evidence that an active and inclusive approach functions to reduce attainment gaps is equivocal but appears to promote engagement, inclusion and learning. Key messages • Active learning strategies combined with authentic and flexible tasks and rich in feedback stimulate student’s interactions, inclusivity, and learning with potential for reducing attainment gaps. • Active and authentic education requires educators to work on how to properly implement these strategies.

Developing a Public Health Course to Train Undergraduate Student Health Messengers to Address Vaccine Hesitancy in an American Indian Community.

The purpose of the Diné Teachings and Public Health Students Informing Peers and Relatives about Vaccine Education (RAVE) project was to develop strategies for health communication that addressed COVID-19 vaccine safety for residents of the Navajo Nation. The RAVE project developed a 16-week course using the Diné Educational Philosophy as a framework to train Diné College (DC) public health undergraduate students (n = 16) as health messengers to share COVID-19 vaccine safety information with unvaccinated peers and relatives. An online community survey (n = 50) was used to assess DC community vaccination perceptions to guide course development. The two primary reasons survey participants got vaccinated were to protect the health of others [82% (n = 41)] and to protect their own health [76% (n = 38)]. A pretest/post-test and a retrospective pretest (n = 13) were implemented to determine course effectiveness. A finding approaching significance was related to student confidence in being health messengers (9.1% increase). RAVE offers the first example in the published literature of successfully training American Indian undergraduate students in the context of a public health course to contribute to the response workforce during a public health crisis.

Conceptualization and teaching health advocacy in undergraduate medical education:a document analysis.

Health advocacy is considered to be a core competence for physicians, but it remains unclear how the health advocacy role, despite being described in overarching competency frameworks, is operationalized in undergraduate medical education (UME). This study aimed to identify how health advocacy is conceptualized and taught in undergraduate medical curricula. We performed a qualitative analysis of curriculum documents from all eight medical schools in the Netherlands, all of which offered competency-based UME. Thematic analysis was used to code all the documents and generate themes on health advocacy conceptualization and teaching. To categorize the emerging themes, we used the framework of Van Melle et al. for evaluating the implementation of competency-based medical educational programs. Health advocacy was mostly conceptualized in mission statements about social responsibility of future physicians, related to prevention and promoting health. We found key concepts of health advocacy to be taught mainly in public health and social medicine courses in the bachelor stage and in community-based clerkships in the master stage. Specific knowledge, skills and attitudes related to health advocacy were taught mostly in distinct longitudinal learning pathways in three curricula. Health advocacy is conceptualized mostly as related to social responsibility for future physicians. Its teaching is mostly embedded in public health and social medicine courses and community-based settings. A wider implementation is warranted, extending its teaching to the full width of medical teaching, with longitudinal learning pathways providing a promising route for more integrative health advocacy teaching.

Growing Curiosity: Three Strategies to Foster Engagement in Large Classroom Settings Among Generation Z Public Health Undergraduate Students

As undergraduate public health programs continue to grow across the United States, it is important to tailor public health pedagogy in large classroom settings to meet the learning styles of diverse Generation Z students. Generation Z students are unique as they have grown up in an uncertain economic and political environment, tend to be more open minded and open to engagement and feedback, and have a unique set of technology skills and expectations for in classroom learning. We present a case study of a three-pronged approach to effectively scale up introductory public health courses in large classroom settings to meet the learning styles for Generation Z through: (1) Integrating Technology, (2) Emphasizing Real World Skills, and (3) Providing Clear and Defined Rubrics. This combination of student digital prowess and connectedness presents unique opportunities for instructors to adopt unique teaching tools and assessment modalities to appeal to a diverse student population.

Teaching Critical Reflection on Epistemic Injustice: The Case of a Collaborative International Public Health Course

We present pedagogical reflections on teaching the concept of epistemic injustice through an undergraduate course run collaboratively at campuses in Kyrgyzstan, Palestine, Sierra Leone, and the United States. Our course, entitled Solving Each Other’s Public Health Problems, enabled students to engage with epistemological power structures by playing the role of both international development donor and local beneficiary. By building on discussions of realworld issues, fostering interpersonal relationships, modeling productive discourse through transparent feedback and providing intellectual space for selfreflection and empathy, the course provides a pedagogically transformative framework for international collaborative education.

Quality of multiple choice question items: item analysis

Background: There are different types of exam formats for educational assessment. Multiple choice questions (MCQs) are frequently utilized assessment tools in health education. Considering the reliability and validity in developing MCQ items is vital. Educators often face the difficulty of developing credible distractors in MCQ items. Poorly constructed MCQ items make an exam easier or too difficult to be answered correctly by students as intended learning objectives. Checking the quality of MCQ items is overlooked and too little is known about it. Therefore, this study aimed to assess the quality of MCQ items using the item response theory model. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among MCQ items of public health courses administered to 2nd year nursing students at Injibara university. A total of 50 MCQ items and 200 alternatives were evaluated for statistical item analysis. The quality of MCQ items was assessed by difficulty index (DIF), discrimination index (DI), and distractor efficiency (DE) using students’ exam responses. Microsoft excel sheet and SPSS version 26 were used for data management and analysis. Results: Post-exam item analysis showed that 11 (22%) and 22 (44%) MCQs had too difficult and poor ranges for difficulty and discriminating powers respectively. The overall DE was 71.3%. About forty (20%) distractors were non-functional. Only 8 (16%) MCQs fulfilled the recommended criteria for all-DIF, DI, and DE parameters. Conclusions: The desirable criteria for quality parameters of MCQ items were satisfied only in a few items. The result implies the need for quality improvement. Continuous trainings are required to improve the instructors’ skills to construct quality educational assessment tools.

Debate as an Active Learning Pedagogy Among Pharmacy Students in a Public Health Course

ObjectiveTo evaluate the impact of a debate activity on pharmacy students’ knowledge of public health and health policy topics. MethodsForty-six second-year pharmacy students in a required public health and health policy course debated universal healthcare coverage for Americans using the Lincoln-Douglas oral debate format. Demographic data, including age and gender, were collected. Knowledge (before/after) of universal healthcare principles was assessed via a rubric-embedded quiz related to the activity objectives. The students’ perceptions of the educational value of the debate were assessed before and after the debate using a 12-item Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree through 5 = strongly agree) and open-ended questions. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were conducted using SPSS v25 and Atlas.ti version 9, respectively. Wilcoxon t tests were conducted to compare preknowledge and postknowledge scores. An α level of 0.05 was utilized. ResultsForty-two students completed the perceptions survey, yielding a 96 % response rate. The mean age was 24 ± 4 years and primarily female (63 %). Most students had no previous experience with debates (80.4 %) and there was a statistically significant improvement in knowledge after the debate from 66.5 % ± 13.4 % to 80.7 % ± 12 % , for a total increase of 14.2 %. Open responses indicated that students believed their overall knowledge about other healthcare systems increased and they developed literature review and communications skills. ConclusionThe debate activity enhanced the students’ knowledge and assessment of controversial public health issues that will be useful during their pharmacy education and careers. The students perceived that the debates enriched their learning.

Protocol for designing and evaluating an undergraduate public health course on sexual and reproductive health at a public university in California

IntroductionComprehensive sexuality education (CSE) is associated with positive sexual and reproductive health (SRH) outcomes, including increased contraceptive use, lower rates of unintended pregnancy and prevention of sexual violence. However, implementation of and requirements for CSE vary across the United States which can negatively impact students, both during and beyond high school, including among college students. Methodsand Analysis: This paper describes the research protocol for a multi-staged approach for designing, implementing and evaluating an SRH course for up to 60 undergraduate students at a public university in California. Before the class is offered, we will conduct 20 in-depth interviews with current students, educators and course design experts to learn from their experiences and seek their guidance on course design. To evaluate the course, enrolled students will complete a pre-course and a post-course survey before and after class is taught, to assess students’ attitudes and values relevant to educational concepts and the format and delivery of the course and its modules and activities. Approximately 20 students will take part in an in-depth exit interview, after completing the course, to gather perceptions about how the course impacted their knowledge and behavior. The goal is to refine materials for future in-person course offerings and develop a prototype for a fully online version of the course. DiscussionThis study introduces a novel university-level course to provide young adult students comprehensive, evidence-based education on sexual and reproductive health from a public health perspective. The program leverages existing CSE efforts, enhancing them with academic rigor, inclusive content and digital inclusion. This approach, inclusive of diverse sexual orientations, content on pleasure and sexual violence prevention, aims to fill existing gaps in university curricula and also set a new standard in CSE. The project's innovative and multidisciplinary design offers a model for broader impact within a large public university system and beyond.

What Predicts Graduate Public Health Student Success? Evidence for Admission Committees in a Post-Affirmative Action Landscape.

A severe staff shortage and a dearth of professionals from underrepresented backgrounds in the public health workforce are contributing to poor health outcomes in the United States. Schools and programs can mitigate these problems by admitting more graduate public health students overall and from underrepresented backgrounds. We identified predictors of foundational graduate public health course grades and graduate grade point average (GPA), sharing evidence to remove application factors that are admission barriers and do not predict student outcomes. We conducted a linear regression analysis on demographic and academic factors from 564 graduate public health applications for students at the University at Buffalo who received their degree from January 1, 2016, to February 1, 2021, analyzing age, race and ethnicity, sex, income, undergraduate degree, verbal and quantitative Graduate Record Examination (GRE) percentiles, and undergraduate GPA. Outcomes were grades in foundational public health courses and cumulative graduate GPA. Undergraduate GPA was the best predictor of graduate public health student success, explaining nearly 7% of foundational public health course grades and 29% of graduate GPA. Higher undergraduate GPA contributed to higher course grades and graduate GPA. GRE scores explained <1% of student outcomes. Our findings add to the growing body of research showing that standardized test scores may not predict graduate student outcomes and provide further evidence for the field of public health to consider removing this admission barrier. By doing so, institutions could admit more students to graduate public health programs who can bring needed skills to the market, further diversifying the workforce and public health faculty, to better meet population health needs.

Strategies for Preparing Future Public Health Leaders: Learning from Trailblazing Women in Health Education

Many female health education pioneers made seminal contributions to public health and social justice, yet these examples are not well documented in textbooks or integrated into public health curricula as pedagogical learning opportunities. Providing biographies and lessons learned from the past leaders within undergraduate health education curricula can help develop students’ skills as future leaders and address gender inequities in the field. Gender inequities in higher education as well as many public health practice settings result in lower salaries, slower career advancement opportunities, fewer supervisory positions, increased work-life conflicts, and heavier workloads. Developing women’s competencies in leadership and professionalism early in their careers is critical to meeting public health challenges such as COVID-19. We present four female health education trailblazers from different historical eras and various workforce sectors who exemplify leadership attributes (i.e., courage/risk taking, vision, advocacy, mentorship) and can be highlighted as a part of future health education curriculum. Innovative methods and approaches are provided for integrating these leadership lessons into undergraduate public health courses, in alignment with the HESPA II 2020 competencies. Learning from the past to inform the future is critical to inspiring and shaping the careers of emerging health educators.

Health Professionals’ Perspectives on Commercially Available Intravenous Nutrient Therapies: A Preliminary Report

Background: Intravenous nutrient therapies (IVNTs) have gained popularity on the commercial market. Targeted at people with a variety of ailments and needs, the procedures allegedly offer numerous benefits and quick results, widely advertised on the websites of drip bars and health clinics as well as in the available literature. What is less often presented is the point of view of the customers of such services and the opinions of health personnel. Although the latter perspective seems to be crucial, little is known about it. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to present the opinions and experiences of health professionals (n = 188) on commercially available IVNTs dedicated to adults. Methods: The study was conducted between April 2019 and March 2020 by means of a survey using an ad hoc questionnaire made available mainly to health professionals attending public health postgraduate courses at the Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Poland. Results: As many as 91.5% of the respondents had heard of commercially available IVNTs (mostly from the media), and 47.3% knew of a facility offering such services. Among the possible situations where the use of IVNTs would be justified, the most commonly mentioned was a diagnosed nutrient deficiency (37.8%), while the least common ones were libido problems (1.1%) and the need to speed up metabolism (2.1%). For 25.5% of the respondents, there was no good rationale for using IVNTs. As many as 15.4% had no opinion on the subject. Health risks of IVNTs were recognised by 95.2% of professionals, with the biggest concerns being the lack of full information on patients’ health status and medical contraindications (84%), the risk of overdose and interactions (77.1%), and hypersensitivity or allergic reactions (75.5%). Among the reasons for IVNTs’ popularity, the respondents listed not only fads spread by celebrities and social media (89.4%) and the need for quick, effortless remedies (77.1%), but also reasons inherent in the Polish healthcare system. As many as 80.3% of the respondents stressed the need for public health institutions to take a stand on commercial IVNTs. Knowing of an IVNT facility was not significantly associated with the opinions of professionals in key areas. Conclusion: Postgraduate public health courses are a good opportunity to engage health professionals in discussions about the current challenges, trends, and needs in the area of health promotion and healthcare. This study’s findings shed some light on the opinions about IVNTs held by health professionals, who are important stakeholders of the healthcare system. Thus, these findings may help to better understand the popularity of IVNTs and incorporate health professionals’ perspectives in future efforts aiming to increase the awareness of IVNT-related health risks among both professionals and patients.

Implementation of problem-based learning modules in an introduction to public health course.

With traditional lecture-based learning methods often criticized for their limited ability to foster critical thinking and cognitive engagement, problem-based learning (PBL) has emerged as a promising alternative. This research investigates the impact of PBL on student learning outcomes, specifically focusing on the development of higher-order thinking skills, communication, growth mindset, and metacognitive abilities. PBL was implemented in an undergraduate public health course at a private university in the southeast US. The study was conducted in the Spring of 2022 using a convergent mixed-methods approach. Quantitative data were derived from university-wide Quality Enhancement Plan surveys and a course-specific PBL survey, which were analyzed using Repeated Measures ANOVA to assess changes in student perceptions over time. Additionally, qualitative data from open-ended survey questions were analyzed through thematic analysis, providing deeper insights into the students' experiences and perceptions of PBL. Results indicated significant improvements in student communication skills, growth mindset, and metacognitive abilities across the semester. The thematic analysis of qualitative responses corroborated these findings, revealing enhanced team collaboration, active engagement in problem-solving, and increased comfort with complex real-world issues. The findings contribute to the growing body of evidence supporting PBL and offer practical insights for implementing PBL in public health education. The study also highlights the need for institutional support in adopting innovative teaching methods like PBL, emphasizing faculty development, resource allocation, and curriculum design.

Public health training in public institutions' speech-language-hearing programs in Northeastern Brazil: a curricular framework study.

To describe the characteristics of the initial public health training for speech-language-hearing therapists in Northeastern Brazil. The research was based on the curricular framework of public higher education institutions in the Northeast. The analysis approached each institution's general speech-language-hearing program data (state where it is located, total course load, and most recent curricular framework reformulation) and specific data on public health courses (their individual course load, the term when it is offered, syllabus content, whether it was theoretical, practical, both, or internship, and whether it was required or elective). The data show that eight public higher education institutions in the Northeast offer speech-language-hearing programs, whose pedagogical frameworks date from 2009 to 2021. The total course load of those related to public health ranges from 7.5% to 20.5% of the total program among those analyzed. Most courses were elective, exclusively theoretical, and were offered in the first half of the program. The initial public health training for speech-language-hearing therapists in public higher education institutions in the Northeast still seems to be based on traditional practices. These create a distance between students, public health, and practices that meet the principles of Health Unic System (in Portuguese - Sistema Único de Saúde) and the population's real needs, especially in primary healthcare.

Assessing capacities to strengthen intersectoral collaboration in Territorial Public Health Councils in the Republic of Moldova.

The government of the Republic of Moldova, endorsed the principle of Health in All Policies (HiAP) through its health sector reforms to address the rising burden of non-communicable diseases and health inequalities. Territorial Public Health Councils (TPHCs) were created to ensure the coordination and management of the population's health in their respective district. This study assessed the capacities of the TPHCs to identify areas in need of support for strengthening their intersectoral collaboration role in public health at local level. A mixed-method approach, using qualitative and quantitative techniques, was used to compare the perceptions of all TPHC members (n = 112) and invitees (n = 53) to council meetings from 10 districts covering all geographical areas of Moldova. The quantitative information was obtained using a cross-sectional survey, while the qualitative aspects were assessed within focus group discussions (FGDs). Half of all TPHC members, including 75% from groups with a non-medical background, did not attend a public health course within the last three years. Overall, groups with a medical background were more aware of the legislation that governs TPHC activity and intersectoral collaboration compared with those with a non-medical background. The FGDs of TPHC meetings revealed that members had an insufficient level of understanding of intersectoral collaboration to solve public health issues and lacked clarity about their place and role within the TPHC. HiAP implementation was found to be suboptimal with insufficient capacity at local level. TPHC members' ability to deal with public health issues were severely impaired by a general lack of knowledge and understanding of how to utilize the TPHC platform for maximum benefit. Reforming TPHC regulation is required in addition to extensive capacity building for TPHC members to increase member understanding of their roles as intended by TPHC regulations, including the facilitation of intersectoral collaborations.

A formação em saúde coletiva nos cursos de fonoaudiologia de instituições públicas do Nordeste: um estudo a partir das matrizes curriculares

ABSTRACT Purpose To describe the characteristics of the initial public health training for speech-language-hearing therapists in Northeastern Brazil. Methods The research was based on the curricular framework of public higher education institutions in the Northeast. The analysis approached each institution’s general speech-language-hearing program data (state where it is located, total course load, and most recent curricular framework reformulation) and specific data on public health courses (their individual course load, the term when it is offered, syllabus content, whether it was theoretical, practical, both, or internship, and whether it was required or elective). Results The data show that eight public higher education institutions in the Northeast offer speech-language-hearing programs, whose pedagogical frameworks date from 2009 to 2021. The total course load of those related to public health ranges from 7.5% to 20.5% of the total program among those analyzed. Most courses were elective, exclusively theoretical, and were offered in the first half of the program. Conclusion The initial public health training for speech-language-hearing therapists in public higher education institutions in the Northeast still seems to be based on traditional practices. These create a distance between students, public health, and practices that meet the principles of Health Unic System (in Portuguese - Sistema Único de Saúde) and the population’s real needs, especially in primary healthcare

Community Health Scholars: a summer program developing a public health workforce pipeline for diverse high school students.

In response to the growing interest in public health and needs to both increase and diversify the public health workforce, opportunities to engage students early in their educational journey are essential. The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa launched the Community Health Scholars Program to provide activities for high school students to learn about and build enthusiasm for the field of public health. During the 6-week, in-person summer program, students underrepresented in higher education and who are from historically underrepresented communities completed a college course and participated in activities to enhance their successful entry into a higher education institution. The Community Health Scholars completed an introduction to public health course and gained an array of public health skills through different hands-on activities. The students gained self-confidence and expanded their social capital by attending workshops led by campus faculty, staff, and community partners. A final project highlighting what students learned about themselves and their community was part of a final program showcase. Here we share information about the process of developing the program, the components of the program curriculum, and feedback from both students of the initial cohort and program faculty, where overall satisfaction with the program was reported.

Teaching Community Engagement Through an Anti-Racism Lens: Lessons Learned From a Pilot Micro Course in Public Health and Health Care

Growing appreciation of the necessity of, and evidence-based strategies for, working collaboratively with communities in health promotion and related fields have been well documented. Yet community engagement, the umbrella term for many of these efforts, is rarely taught as a standalone course, nor is a critical component of community engagement –antiracism practice—typically included. Following a review of the literature, we discuss the contexts, pedagogical grounding and strategies, learning objectives and piloting of a “micro course” on community engagement using an antiracism lens at UC Berkeley’s School of Public Health. Designed for graduate students interested in community-based participatory research and practice but unable to take a full academic course in this area, the 30 hour pilot course drew a diverse mix of 16 students. Focused attention on racism, systematic racism, and antiracism practice was provided through lectures, in-class exercises, homework reflections, and the course final. Case-based examples of the critical role of antiracism practice in community engagement, particularly in and with BIPOC communities, were shared, and a range of strategies explored for building and maintaining cross-cultural partnerships and transforming our own institutions to better reflect antiracism practice. Challenges faced are highlighted, and lessons learned shared, including the imperative of creating, in both course planning and teaching, sharing our positionality and creating safe spaces for discussing any tensions that may arise.

Public Health Course and Health Education Presentation Assessment: Teachers, Peer, And Self-Reflection

Today, nurses become involved in many formal and informal meetings, and they were asked to present orally of one health issue.