Environmental Epidemiology

Code: CMS13673O

6 ECTS

Duration: 15 weeks/156 hours

Scientific Area: Biochemistry, Health Sciences

Teaching languages: Portuguese

Languages of tutoring support: Portuguese

Presentation

This Course focuses on environmental epidemiology as a tool for assessing the impact of environment on human health and identifying environmental determinants in human health, as well as the development of strategies to mitigate environmental problems thus an improvement of human health.

Sustainable Development Goals

3. Saúde de qualidade - Assegurar uma vida saudável e promover o bem-estar para todos, em todas as idades.

4. Educação de qualidade - Assegurar a educação inclusiva, e equitativa e de qualidade, e promover oportunidades de aprendizagem ao longo da vida para todos.

5. Igualdade de género - Alcançar a igualdade de gênero e empoderar todas as mulheres e meninas.

8. Trabalho digno e crescimento económico - Promover o crescimento económico sustentado, inclusivo e sustentável, emprego pleno e produtivo, e trabalho decente para todos.

13. Ação climática - Tomar medidas urgentes para combater a mudança climática e seus impactos (*).

Learning Goals

This UC aims to provide fundamental concepts and tools in environmental health and epidemiology, including notions of environmental health and environmental surveillance, to define the impacts of environmental quality on human health and wellbeing resulting from environmental pollution (air, water, soil, climate change) taking into account prevention actions through environmental health education and changing life habits envisioning educated decision-making in Public Health.
It also aims at developing skills, namely:
-Understanding the fundamental concepts of environmental health and environmental law;
-Recognizing environmental risk factors and understanding their impacts on human health and well-being;
-Understanding the uses and applications of environmental surveillance and recognizing its value as an instrument to minimize risks to health and well-being;
-Understanding and value research in environmental epidemiology and execute decision-making based on scientific observation.

UNIT 1. Environmental Health
1.1. Fundamentals of environmental health;
1.2. Definition of fundamental concepts;
1.3. Environmental law: characterization and general principles;
1.4. Environmental risk factors for human health and well-being;

UNIT 2. Environmental Epidemiology
2.1. Fundamentals of Environmental Epidemiology
2.2. General aspects of surveillance in environmental epidemiology;
2.3. Epidemiological variables in environmental epidemiology;

UNIT 3. Measurement in Environmental Epidemiology
3.1. Fundamentals of epidemiological measurement in the environment;
3.2. Inference - Sampling - Indicators - Causality;
3.3. Outbreak investigation and definition of mitigation strategies;

UNIT 4. Epidemiological Studies in Environmental Health
4.1. Research studies or design in epidemiology
4.2. Analytical studies and databases.
4.3. Experimental or environmental intervention studies
4.4. Contribution of epidemiological data to the decision-making process in Public Health

Teaching Methods

Theoretical-practical (36h), Seminars (9h) and tutorials (3h).
Oral exposure using audiovisual media will be used and case study will be performed, promoting the debate and the application of concepts, fostering the knowledge deepening.