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Please note: the information in the course manual is binding.
Upon successful completion of the course, students are able to:
- apply concepts and methods in the field of health geography,
- understand through which mechanisms environmental factors are related to health,
- describe, apply, and critically discuss policies in health geography,
- develop a questionnaire and analyze the data,
- write a concise scientific paper about the relationship between health and place, and
- produce a short video addressing a policy related to the relationship between health and place.
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Health and place are interrelated in all kinds of ways. The places where we are born, grow up, study, work, and travel, directly influence our health and well-being. Health geography is a sub-discipline of human geography, which deals with the interaction between people and the environment. Health geography views health from a holistic perspective, and it conceptualizes the role of place, location and geography in health, health-behaviours, well-being and disease (Dummer, 2008).
The main goal of this course is to provide students with an introduction to the field of health geography. In this course, topical themes for population health are discussed, such as the interaction between environment and health, as well as physical activity, healthy aging, and health inequalities. We will apply a socio-ecological perspective to population health problems, which means that we discuss questions such as: what are the micro and macro settings (e.g. household, neighbourhood, city, region, country) in which several environmental factors (e.g. physical, social, economic, political factors) may influence health outcomes?
Students will carry out small-scale investigations, and present their results in the form of a scientific journal article as well as a video. Students learn how to scientifically study questions in the field of health geography, and how answers to these questions can be used to prevent or reduce health problems. In this way, students discover how as a human geographer or spatial planner, they can study and influence the health and well-being of a population.
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