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 PUBLIC HEALTH

1.0          Background

The Bachelor of Public Health programme was developed in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service. The programme was planned to run for FIVE years in the first instance. In the first five years only candidates with diploma certificates who are already working in the health service are considered and admitted to Level 200. This undergraduate programme is to offer opportunities for middle level health professionals to upgrade themselves and promote continuing professional development. The programme content is designed with the view to developing capacity to improve the implementation of public health programmes and interventions. It is intended to help develop mid-level public health practitioners who will work at the district and programme levels in the Ghana Health Service and its Allied institutions. The first batch of students was enrolled in October of the 2010/2011 academic year.

 

1.1          PROGRAMMES AVAILABLE UNDER THE BACHELOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The programme options available are:

1. Public Health Nursing
2. Nutrition
3. Applied Environmental Health Sciences
4. Disease Prevention and Control
5. Health Information Systems
6. Health Promotion
7. Population Mental Health

 

• FIELDWORK

Field practice in June – August is mandatory every year for students at level 300. Students are required to participate in a field practicum of at least 8-10 weeks duration. Experiences to be gained include: community diagnoses, report writing, developing implementation strategies, and presenting reports at community meetings.

 

During this period, students are given the opportunity to work at a district or health department. Students will then develop papers relevant to their practicum experience, into a project.

 

The student will be provided with an opportunity to take a principal role in the development and conduct of a project within a community or a health department. The student will apply the principles learned in the classroom to planning, implementation, analysis and interpretation of the project. The project is to be completed within one academic year. The amount of time the student will spend at the agency or health department is expected to vary according to the needs of the project. The student will generally be expected to spend a greater time conducting background research, collecting and analysing data, writing up results and interpretation for the final report. Examples of field work projects could include programme evaluations, needs assessments, surveys, intervention implementation and analysis of existing data. Each student will conduct this field work under the direction of a faculty member.

 

• DEPLOYMENT OF BACHELOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMME

Candidates with diplomas will have their diploma coursework evaluated and admitted into Level 300 if it is found out that they have undertaken all the Level 200 courses offered in the programme and credited with those courses, otherwise they would be admitted into Level 200.

 

3.0        THE BACHELOR OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMME 

 

2.1          ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS 

The general University Admissions regulations and requirements shall apply in addition to the following:

 

• DIPLOMA

Candidates with Diploma in health or related sciences who satisfy the requirements for admission shall enter at Level 200 (the second year of the 4-year bachelor’s degree programme). Students admitted to Level 200 may be given exemption for some courses based on previous studies.

 

• Credits for Courses undertaken.

Candidates who have taken prescribed level 200 courses at the Diploma level will be credited with such courses.

 

The Requirements:

• Candidates with Diplomas awarded by University of Ghana, Institutions recognized by or affiliated to the University of Ghana and Institutions under the Ministry of Health shall require an FGPA of 3.2 or better/equivalent and shall attend a selection interview.
• Diplomas awarded by institutions other than those indicated in (i) above may be considered eligible on recommendation by a special committee to be appointed by the Dean.

The committee shall assess the candidate’s transcripts and the course content of the diploma to determine the suitability of his/her previous training and make recommendations accordingly, to the Dean.  Shortlisted candidates shall be required to sit an entrance examination  and attend a selection interview.

2.2          ACADEMIC SESSION/ STRUCTURE

The academic year shall be two semesters. The First Semester session covers the period of August –                  December and the Second Semester runs from January – May.  Each Semester is structured as follows:                    13 weeks of Teaching

1 week of Revision

3 weeks of Examination

 

2.2.1        REGISTRATION

For a student to obtain credits in any course, he or she must be admitted into the School and must be properly registered for that course during the official registration period at the beginning of each semester. The student shall plan his/her courses in consultation with his/her course Advisor.

 

• INTERNSHIP TRAINING

Students shall be affiliated to relevant institutions for their internship training during the long vacation of Level 300.

• DURATION OF PROGRAMME

The duration of the Bachelor of Public Health Programme for individuals entering at various levels shall be as follows:

Level 100 entrants: Minimum of 8 semesters and maximum of 10 semesters

Level 200 entrants: Minimum of 6 semesters and maximum of 8 semesters

Level 300 entrants: Minimum of 4 semesters and maximum of 6 semesters

A Student who is unable to complete the programme within the stipulated maximum period shall forfeit all accumulated credits and lose his/her studentship.

Such a student may however re-apply for admission into the University.

The minimum and maximum periods are calculated from the date of first registration.

 

2.5          STUDY PROGRAMME FOR THE BACHELOR’S DEGREE

The Total Study Programme for the BSc. Public Health shall comprise the following:

• General University Requirement
• Faculty Requirement
• Core Courses as determined by the school
• Elective Courses as determined by the School/Department

 

2.5           General University Requirement

1. UGRC 220-238- Intrduction to African Studies
2. UGRC 110 – Academic Writing I
3. *UGRC 210 – Academic Writing II
4. UGRC 150 – Critical Thinking and Practical Reasoning
5. *UGRC 130 – Understanding Human Societies

These are requirements for graduation by all students irrespective of their level of entry.

*Note: UGRC 130 – Understanding Human Societies will be replaced by GSPH 106 – Health Behaviour and Society and UGRC 210 – Academic Writing II will be replaced by GSPH 214 -Writing for Public Health.

2.6           MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM WORKLOAD PER SEMESTER 

• A full-time student shall be required to carry a minimum workload of 18 credits per semester and a maximum of 21.

 

• Under special circumstances, a student may, with the approval of the Dean of Faculty, be allowed to carry a workload outside these limits, provided that the minimum workload will not fall below 15 credits per semester.

3.0          EXAMINATIONS

• Continuous Assessment

There shall be a continuous assessment of each course taken and marks obtained shall contribute 30% towards the final grade while the end of semester examination contributes 70% of the final mark. (Except for practicals or related courses which may be assessed entirely by continuous assessment).

 

• Long Essay/Project Work

Long Essay/Project Work shall be submitted for assessment before the start date of lectures for the second semester. In default the candidate shall be asked to submit the Long Essay/Project Work the following semester and shall be treated as a Repeat Examination, with all its implications.

 

• End of Semester Examinations

• Each course, with the exception of a Project, shall normally be completed in one semester.

 

• A final (end-of-semester) examination shall normally be required as a part of every course. An examination schedule showing time and place of examination for each course shall be published each semester.

 

• The time allotted to the examination papers shall be as follows:
  • – Credit Course – 1 hour
  • – Credit Course – 2 hours
  • or 4 – Credit Course -2 to 3 hours

 

3.1          ELIGIBILITY FOR EXAMINATION

• A student shall attend all such lectures, tutorials, seminars and practicals and undertake all other assignments as are approved by the University.
• Further to (3.1(i)), a student shall be expected to attend lectures, tutorials, practicals and execute all assignments given.
• Each Department shall, with the approval of the Academic Board, determine the requirements for the course they offer. A student who does not fulfil the requirement shall not be allowed to take the examination for that course.
• In any case, a student who is absent for a Cumulative Period of 25% from all lectures, tutorials, practicals and other activities prescribed for any course in any semester shall be deemed to have withdrawn from the course. Such a student shall not be permitted to sit for the semester examination.

 

• Credit Hours Required to Graduate
• Requirement

A candidate shall be deemed to have:

• Satisfied all General University and School requirements;
• Obtained passes in all courses and subjects;
• Accumulated all the credits for all the courses at Levels 100, 200, 300 and 400 as appropriate for the candidate’s level of entry.

Entry into Level 100

1. Students can take a maximum of 142 credits hours and pass at least 132 credits hours including all core courses.

Entry into Level 200

1. Students can take a maximum of 118 credits hours and pass at least 102 credit hours including all core courses.

4.2          Eligibility 

• A Bachelor’s Degree appropriately designated shall be awarded to a candidate who has been properly admitted to the University, has followed the approved courses of study over the prescribed period and has satisfied the conditions.
• University requirements:
  1. Evidence of regular enrolment
  2. Discharge of all obligations owed to the University                                      A pass in all University required courses
  3. Satisfactory performance in the appropriate University Examination.

(c)           School/Department Requirement(s)

Satisfactory Discharge of such requirement(s) as may be prescribed for the degree.

 

4.3          CLASSIFICATION OF BACHELOR’S DEGREE

• All end-of-semester examination results from Level 200 shall be taken into account in the computation of the Final Grade Point Averages (FGPA) for the classification of the bachelor’s degree.
• The GPAs form Levels 200 to 400 shall be of equal weighting.
• In the determination of the FGPA, a weighted average of all repeat courses shall be used, as for instance, a

3-credit course with a ‘D’ at first attempt and an ‘A’ at the second attempt shall attract a total of 6 credits in the computation of the Grade Point Average of that particular course.

 

 

SUMMARY OF COURSES FOR THE B. PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAMME.

The study programme for the B. Public Health will comprise the following

1. General University requirements
2. Core Courses
3. Prescribed Electives

General University Requirements

UGRC 110 Academic Writing I

UGRC 150 Critical Thinking and Practical Reasoning

UGRC 220-238 Intrduction to African Studies

*UGRC 130 Understanding Human Societies will be replaced by GSPH 106 Health Behaviour and Society and UGRC 210 Academic Writing II will be replaced by GSPH 214 Writing for Public Health.

 

COURSES FOR LEVEL 100 AND 200

All Courses at levels 100 and 200 are Core (compulsory)

 

Level 100			Semester 1
Course Code			Course Title                                                                            Credit
GSPH 101			Anatomy & Physiology                                                       3
GSPH 103			Basic Science                                                                        2
GSPH 105			Basic Concepts in Food and Nutrition                        2
GSPH 109			Basic Concepts in Medical Sociology I	2
UGRC 110			Academic Writing	3
UGRC 150			Critical Thinking and Practical Reasoning	3
Total				15
Level 100			Semester 2
Course Code			Course Title	Credit
GSPH 102			Introduction to Public Health	2
GSPH     104			Computing in Public Health	2
GSPH 106			Health Behaviour and Society	3
GSPH 112			Introduction to Psychology	2
GSPH 114			Human Growth and Development	2
GSPH 116			Community Entry and Organisation	2
GSPH 118			Public Speaking and Presentation	2
Total				15
Level 200			Semester 1
Course Code		Course Title		Credit
GSPH 203		Epidemiology: Principles and Methods		2
GSPH 205		Medical Anthropology: Cultural Foundation  for Health and Illness		2
GSPH 207		Introduction to Biostatistics		2
GSPH 209		Introduction to Microbiology		3
GSPH 211		Introduction to Pharmacology		2
GSPH 213		Introduction to Public Health Ethics		2
GSPH 215		Basic Principles of Environmental Health		2
Total				15

 

 

 

Level 200                                                              Semester 2 Course Code                            Course Title                                                                  Credit  GSPH 202                                 Ecological Approach to Health                                         2 GSPH 204                                  The Health Care System in Ghana                              2 GSPH 208                                 Population, Health and Development                              3 GSPH 212                                  Introduction to Research Methods                              2 GSPH 214                                 Writing for Public Health                                                  3 UGRC 220-238                        Intrduction to African Studies                                           3 Total                                                                                                                                          15 COURSES AT LEVEL 300 AND 400
Level 300                                                              Semester 1 CORE COURSES FOR LEVEL 300 (All Options)
Course Code                      Course Title				Credit
GSPH 305                           Principles of Disease Control				3
GSPH 307                           Public Health Nutrition				2
GSPH 309                           Primary Health Care System				2
GSPH 311                           Environmental Health and Sanitation				2
GSPH 313                         Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes I				2
Core				11
Electives				7-10
Total                                        Electives (level 300)				18-21
Course Code	Course Title						Credit
GSPH 315	Research Methods I						2
GSPH 301	Child Survival Programme: Expanded Programme  of Immunization						2
GSPH 303	Reproductive Health:  Maternal Health Care						2
GSPH 319	Neglected Tropical Diseases						2
GSPH 317	Introduction to Health Policy						2
GSPH 321	Zoonotic Infections						2
GSPH 323	Non-Communicable Diseases						2
GSPH 325	Environmental Quality and Sanitary Inspection						2
GSPH 327	Municipal Sanitary Services and Amenities						2
GSPH 329	Hygiene of Food Processing and Handling						2
GSPH 331	Introduction to Population and Health						2
GSPH 333	Database System Management I						3
GSPH 335	Health Data Management						2
GSPH 337	Information Security						2
GSPH 339	Nutrients and their Metabolism						2
GSPH 341	Assessment of Nutritional Status						3
GSPH 343	Malnutrition and Food Security						2
GSPH 345	Contemporary Issues in Health Promotion						2
GSPH 347	Health Communications Theory and Practice						2
GSPH 349	Research Methods in Social and Behavioural Sciences						2
GSPH 351	Information          Technology           Application                 in            Health management		Care				2
Level 300 CORE COURSES FOR LEVEL 300 (All Options)						Semester 2
Course Code                Course Title						Credit
GSPH 304                     Fundamentals of Public Health Surveillance						2
GSPH 312                     Management and Leadership of Health Services						2
GSPH 314                     Health Management Information Systems						2
GSPH    322                  Research Methods II						2
GSPH 324                     Public Health Seminar I						2
Core						10
Electives						8-10
Total                                  ELECTIVES (Level 300)						18-20
Course Code		Course Title				Credit
GSPH 302		Infant and Young Child Feeding				2
GSPH 306		Child Survival: Management of the Sick Child				2
GSPH 308		Family Planning Methods and Practice				2
GSPH 316		School Health Services I				2
GSPH 318		Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety				2
GSPH 326		Global Climate Change and Health Effects				2
GSPH 328		Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases				2
GSPH 332		Integrated Disease Surveillance Systems				3
GSPH 334		Geographic Information Systems I				2
GSPH 336		Water Supply and Treatment				2
GSPH 338		Solid Waste Management				2
GSPH 342		Pest and Vector Control				2
GSPH 344		Environmental Exposure Assessment				2
GSPH 346		System Analysis and Design				2
GSPH 348		Data Analysis and Presentation (HMIS) I				3
GSPH 352		Applied Nutrition				2
GSPH 354		Nutritional Surveillance				2
GSPH 356		Life style and Nutrition				2
GSPH 358		Behaviour Change Communication				2
GSPH 362		Mass Communication in Health Education and Public Health				2
Level 400		Semester 1

CORE COURSES FOR LEVEL 400 (All Options)                Credit

GSPH 405		Introduction to Gender and Health Care	2
GSPH 410		Project Work	8
GSPH 413		Scientific Communication including Report Writing	2
GSPH 415		Public Health Ethics	2
Core			10 (-4)
Electives			8-11
Total			18-21

 

 

ELECTIVES (Level 400)

Course Code		Course Title	Credit
GSPH 401		Biostatistics for Public Health	2
GSPH 403		Reproductive Health IV – Comprehensive Care for HIV/AIDS	2
GSPH 405		Introduction to Gender and Health Care	2
GSPH 407		School Health Services II	2
GSPH 409		Reproductive Health and Culture	2
GSPH 411		Health problems of infants and children	2
GSPH 417		Database Management II	2
GSPH 421		Public Health Surveillance of Chronic Diseases	2
GSPH 423		Emergency/Preparedness and Outbreak Investigation	2
GSPH 427		Domestic and Industrial Waste Water Disposal	2
GSPH 429		Health Aspects of Housing	2
GSPH 431		Gender and Environmental Health	2
GSPH 433		Public Health Legislation, Regulation and Enforcement	2
GSPH 435		Human Excreta and Sewage Disposal	2
GSPH 437		Introduction to Field Epidemiology	2
GSPH 439		Geographic Information Systems II	2
GSPH 441		Clinical Data Classification and Coding I	2
GSPH 443		Electronic Health and Data Systems	2
GSPH 445		Data Base Systems and Management II	2
GSPH 447		Food and Nutrition Policy	2
GSPH 449		Communication for Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle	2
GSPH 451		Nutrition Transition in Ghana	2
GSPH 453		Diet and Disease	2
GSPH 455		School Feeding Programmes	2
GSPH 457		Food Safety and Hygiene	2
GSPH 459		Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion	2
GSPH 461		Principles and Practice of Community Organisation	2
GSPH 463		Psychological Influence on Health	2
GSPH 465		School Based Nutrition Education	2
GSPH 467		Adolescent Health: Social and Behavioural Perspective	2
Level 400		Semester 2
CORE COURSES FOR LEVEL 400 (All Options)
Course Code                                              Course Title                                                     Credit GSPH 410                                                    Project Work                                                     8 GSPH 414                                                   Public Health Seminar II                                 2 GSPH 420                                                   Field Attachment                                        2 Core                                                                                                                                           8 (-4) Electives                                                                                                                                   10-13 Total                                                                                                                                          18-21

 

 

 

ELECTIVES (Level 400)

Course Code           Course Title                                                                                     Credit 

GSPH 402	Health Promotion and Education	2
GSPH 404	Health Care for Aged and Elderly	2
GSPH 406	Mental and Social Health Care	2
GSPH 408	Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes II	2
GSPH 412	Health Promotion and Disease Prevention	2
GSPH 416	International Health Regulations	3
GSPH 418	Global Health Security	2
GSPH 422	Environmental Health Promotion and Education	2
GSPH 424	Institutional Development and Sector Management	2
GSPH 426	Environmental Epidemiology	2
GSPH 432	Medical Records and Management	2
GSPH 434	Public Health Programme Planning and Evaluation	2
GSPH 436	Clinical Data Classification and Coding II	2
GSPH 438	Nutrition Rehabilitation Programmes	2
GSPH 442	Food Laws and Regulations	2
GSPH 444	Nutrition Seminar	2
GSPH 446	Change Interventions for Chronic Disease	2
GSPH 448	Rights for the Health of Women and Children	2
GSPH 452	Reproductive Health in Developing Countries	2
GSPH 454	Mental Health as a Public Health Issue	2
	COURSE DESCRIPTIONS LEVEL 100 COURSES
GSPH 101	Anatomy & Physiology

Definition and the scope of anatomy; organization of the body systems, the cell, embryology, body cavity and its contents; digestive, respiratory and circulatory system the nervous system; human metabolism other physiological processes.

The various organs of the body, their functions in health and illness; The various body s ystems such as the blood system, the lymphatic system, the nervous system, the cardiovascular system etc. Normal values of the body functions and their relationship to health and illness.

 

GSPH 103            Basic Science                       

Mechanics (Laws of motion, levers and pulleys, work energy and power), Optics (law of reflection, real and virtual images, reflection and refraction, dispersion of light, lenses and lens aberrations, optical instruments eg human eye, magnifying glasses, microscopes and telescopes), electricity and radioactivity.

The students will be introduced to measurements, conversion factors, atoms and elements, electronic configuration, the periodic table. Discuss chemical bonding, ionic and covalent bonds, bond polarity. Electrolytes and non- electrolytes, acids and bases, ionization of water, pH scale, buffers. Solutions, water as solvent, nature of solute- solvent interactions, concentration of solutions, structure and oxidation of alcohols, aldehydes and ketones. amino acids, protein structure denaturation of proteins by temperature, enzymes and their effects on reactions in the body, nucleic acids, DNA and RNA, base pairing.

Basic concepts in genetics, Sickle cell disease, thalassemias and related genetic diseases, genetic screening, principles of parasitism, parasitic groups and their relation to disease, insects of medical importance, principles of pest control.

 

GSPH 105            Basic Concepts in Food and Nutrition

Agriculture, food storage, food systems and food security; food preservation, food development and sensory characteristics; nutrients and food sources; carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals; cultural economic and traditional factors that shape food habits

 

GSPH 109            Basic Concepts in Medical Sociology                            

This introductory course will examine the basic concepts of medical sociology with particularly focus on the perspective on health and illness and health care systems. The course will assess the social aspects of health including the problems addressed by health care institutions, societal response to disease and sickness and institutional and organizational setting of health care systems.

 

LEVEL 100. 

SEMESTER 2

GSPH 102            Introduction to Public Health      

Definition of public health; the dimensions of public health, preventive medicine, social medicine, community health, and community medicine; three levels of prevention, primary, secondary and tertiary; key public health functions. The enter relationship between human beings and their total environment

 

GSPH 104            Computing in Public Health                            

Basic concepts of the computer and the peripherals, web structure and email. Introduction to Epi info, data base structure, questionnaire development, data collection, data screens and data entry, data cleaning and basic data analysis.

 

GSPH 106            Health Behaviour and Society                        

Define health, society, social groups, illness, sickness, health care, mental illness. Interface of social system and culture, levels of social change, social dimension of healthcare system meaning for the individuals and institutions. The functions and structures of politics and religion and its effects on society and individuals will also be examined.

 

GSPH 112            Introduction to Psychology I                           

Define social psychology, basic concepts of symbolic interactionism, cognitive basis of role making and role taking related to health situations, establishing horizontal and vertical linkages deviance and identity. Theories biological foundations of behavior, sensation and perception, basic principles of learning, information processing, memory, language, intelligence, motivation, emotion, personality, social behavior, mental disorders and therapies.

 

GSPH 114            Human Growth and Development                                 

Birth of human being, inherited and environmental factors, changes in adolescence, adults, family systems and lifestyle. Challenges of adulthood, Ageing, death and dying,

 

GSPH 116            Community Entry and Organization                            

The course content includes: Community structure and governance, community resources, community organization, Community entry and needs assessment; Communication channels, advantages and disadvantages; Health education/promotion; Community participation; gender roles in community organization and communication.

 

GSPH 118            Public Speaking and Presentation                                  

Introduction to public speaking, the process of communication; models of communication, knowing your audience, performing audience analysis, listening, adapting to an audience –the goal statement, organising a speech, selecting and narrowing ideas for presentation, beginning and ending a presentation, difference between oral and written style, supporting ideas with arguments, informative speaking, persuasive speaking, speaking in groups.

 

LEVEL 200

SEMESTER I

GSPH 203:          Epidemiology: Principles and Methods        

Measures of disease frequency, rates, ratios; descriptive studies, analytic studies geographic comparisons, temporal comparisons ;survey sampling ;epidemiological study design; surveillance

 

GSPH 205:   Medical Anthropology: Cultural Foundation for Health and Illness 

This course will help the student to understand the societal and cultural determinants of health. The content of the course will include the definition and concept of culture and health; the practice of medical anthropology; Social structures and conceptions of disease; treatment and outcome; influence of culture and religion on behavior in relation to health and diseases; health decision making, modern and traditional systems for health care and culture and social epidemiology.

 

GSPH 207:          Introduction to Biostatistics                            

Descriptive statistics; sampling techniques, summary measures, measures of central tendency, measures of dispersion, normal distribution, data presentation, measures of association.

 

GSPH 209:         Introduction to Microbiology                          

Foundation and overview of microbiology, the structure and functioning of fungi, bacteria and viruses, the methods used to culture, control and study these organisms in the laboratory, Isolation, Classification and Identification of Microbes.

 

GSPH 211:         Introduction to Pharmacology                        

General principles of pharmacology; mechanism of drug action; classification, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, introduction to toxicology, principles of adverse   drugs reactions; poisoning including insecticides and agrochemicals. Reactions to common domestic chemicals including corrosives and heavy metals such as in the digestive, neurological, cardiovascular systems. Introduction to safety monitoring.

 

GSPH 213            Introduction to Public Health Ethics                            

Traditions and values in public health, social determinants of health, ethical analysis and decision making, ethics and pandemic power, participation and disparities, research with human subjects, professional ethics, cross -cultural ethics

 

GSPH 215            Basic Principles of Environmental Health  

The course will include the following: 1. Definitions: Environment, health, environmental health, environmental health hazards. 2. Classification of the elements of the environment (physical, biological, chemical, radiological). 3. Sources of environmental health: waste materials (human, industrial, etc) and support media (food, water, soil, air). 4. Methods of transmission of environment hazards from source to objects at risk. 5. Impacts of environmental hazards on man, animals and the environment. 6. Methods of control of environmental hazards. 7. Applications of concepts and principles.

 

LEVEL 200

SEMESTER 2

GSPH 202            Ecological Approach to Health                       

Environment and human biology, climate, chemical pollution, food production, food conservation; poisons and toxic agents, organic pollution of water; effects of environmental degradation: greenhouse effect of ozone layer depletion, desertification

 

 

GSPH 204            The Health Care System in Ghana                

This course will cover the concepts of health systems and public health, national health systems, historical development of Ghana’s health system, challenges and strategies for health systems.  Measures to meet challenges of the health system.

 

GSPH 208           Population, Health and Development                           

Factors affecting population distribution, implications of population distribution,Components of population change, factors in historical decline and mortality and morbidity, general overview of demographic analysis, vital registration, population growth and distribution, mortality measurements, fertility measurements; population policies and programmes in Ghana

 

GSPH 212            Introduction to Research Methods                

The course will introduce the formulation of research questions, research objectives, describe the qualitative methodology, purposive sampling, sample size determination, Construct variables, and discuss the generalization, validity and reliability. Data analysis including thematic and network analysis and presentation

 

GSPH 214            Writing for Public Health                                

Writing readable health messages, summarizing, important points, write lists, choosing a style that is easy to follow; using the active voice; defining difficult words by context clues

 

LEVEL 300

SEMESTER 1

GSPH 301            Child Survival Programme: Expanded Programme on Immunization 

Global and national immunization strategy; types of vaccines; vaccine management, maintenance of the cold chain system, organization of immunization sessions, improving access and coverage of immunization; community mobilization for vaccination programmes,  monitoring and supervision of immunization activities; immunization surveillance, vaccination coverage survey

 

GSPH 303            Reproductive Health: Maternal Health Care   

Maternal health care : antenatal care, labour and postnatal care; emergency obstetric care strategies, appropriate technologies for monitoring pregnancy and labour; Definitions of maternal death, identifying maternal deaths, facility based maternal deaths review, verbal autopsy for maternal death, epidemiology of maternal mortality in Africa; near miss obstetric events. Issues relating to reproductive morbidities in women.

 

GSPH 305            Principles of Disease Control          

Burden and trends of infectious diseases, Determinants of infectious disease, natural history of infectious disease, management and control strategies, problems and challenges, specific interventions for selected infectious diseases

 

GSPH 307            Public Health Nutrition                                    

Various food groups, carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, trace elements; specific micronutrient deficiencies, Vitamin A deficiency , iron deficiency and anemia, iodine deficiency disorder ; nutritional requirements of pregnant and lactating women, infants and children; obesity and related conditions; growth monitoring and promotion; under- nutrition; community based nutrition programmes; nutritional surveillance, growth monitoring and promotion. Retrieval of medical data, develop and modify questionnaires.

 

GSPH 309            Primary Health Care System                                         

Definition of primary care and history, common health problems, maternal and child health care, including family planning, nutrition, immunization, safe water supply, basic sanitation, locally endemic diseases and what can be done to prevent and control them.  Treatment of common diseases and injuries. Preventive, promotional, and rehabilitative services for the individual, family and community. Community involvement in the formulation and implementation of health care activities. Discussion on continued dialogue with the community and health care professional. The role of primary care in the National health care system.

 

GSPH 311            Environmental Health and Sanitation                          

The course will introduce students to the basics of environmental health and sanitation and will cover environmental epidemiology, toxicology, policy and regulation. Students will have the opportunity to study various agents of environmental diseases- including zoonotic and vector-borne diseases, toxic mental and elements, pesticides and other organic chemicals. Students will also be introduced to the application of environmental health and sanitation in the area of water and air quality, food safety, solid and liquid water and occupational health.

 

GSPH 313            Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes                                 

Formative evaluation research, project monitoring-process evaluation; evaluation-effectiveness evaluation, framework for evaluation-inputs, outputs, outcome and impact, programme indicators, data collection methods, types of analysis, key elements of evaluation plan, scope of the evaluation, methodological approach, implementation plan, dissemination and utilization of results

 

ELECTIVES (LEVEL 300)

GSPH 315            Research Methods                                              

The course introduces the basic concepts of research including a historical perspective. Discusses the scientific method for research, advantages and disadvantages, describes the research process and explains the various components of the research process. It explores several methods of formulating a research question. It introduces the formulation of general objectives and specific objectives. The courses address the formulation of research hypothesis and it relations with the research question.

 

GSPH 317            Introduction to Health Policy      

Factors influencing public social policy development, Environmental context of reform, the role of different players within the policy process, effective use of modern tools in policy making, forging consensus in policy making research., Agenda setting, Policy design factors, policy background, policy process variables, policy participation, policy implementation

 

GSPH 319            Neglected Tropical Diseases                                                            

Burden of neglected tropical diseases, prevalence of trachoma, soil transmitted helminthes, schistosomiasis lymphatic filariasis, treatment of neglected tropical diseases. Prevention of NTDs and global effort to control and eliminate NTDs.

 

GSPH 321            Zoonotic Infections                                             

The burden of  zoonotic diseases, prevalence and control of zoonotic diseases, surveillance and control of emerging and re-emerging diseases and the challenge of veterinary public health, global trends in emerging infectious diseases, wildlife and zoonoses.

 

GSPH 323            Non-Communicable Diseases                                         

Definitions, Types of non-communicable diseases and the burdens especially those relevant to Ghana. Risk factors and their management and strategies for prevention and control. Non-communicable diseases; cancer registers and other registers used in disease control.

 

GSPH 325            Environmental Quality and Sanitary Inspection       

Concepts of environmental quality (hygiene);Practice at community level (prevention of contamination of land, premises and infrastructures and pollution of water infrastructures (roads, drainage systems, parks, etc.) and the pollution of water bodies (beaches, river banks, etc).Identification of environmental hygiene problems at premises level (residential, commercial, industrial, institutional), public places (markets, lorry parks, beaches, river banks, lagoons, stadia, and open undeveloped lands).

Legislation: Role of legislation in environmental quality (hygiene) promotion; procedures for the making and review of national and local legislation; practices in Ghana. Sanitary Inspection: Environmental hygiene monitory by Sanitary Inspection; hygiene education; compliance enforcement and procedures. Institutional Arrangements: Institutional and development concept and principles; structure of appropriate department/units; sanitary inspection in Ghana. Identification of the sources of air pollution both indoor and outdoor.

 

GSPH 327            Municipal Sanitary Services and Amenities                               

Concept of provision of municipal sanitary services and amenities. Elements of municipal services: Public cleansing (streets, drains, markets, lorry parks, stadia, etc); maintenance of hygienic conditions at waste storage and disposal sites; pest control (mosquitoes, flies, rodents).

Elements of Municipal Amenities: Litter bins; waste storage site/containers and final disposal; Sites and facilities; public urinals and toilets; cemeteries; food and meat markets; public spots (parks and seats); developed beaches. Strategies for Financing Municipal Programmes (financing, modernization, maintenance, expansion, etc). Standards of design operation and maintenance.

Institutional arrangements for the municipal programmes.

 

GSPH 329            Hygiene of Food Processing and Handling                       

Definitions: Food-borne Diseases, Food hygiene, food infection, food intoxication. Principles: Food and nutrition; food-borne diseases: classification of diseases (infection, intoxication), causative agents, transmission mechanisms, manifestation; incriminating food; preventive measures.

Food and Safety Practices: (i) Raw food and meat (prevention of contamination, meat hygiene) (ii) Primary processing (hygienic practices, milling, packaging, storage, etc) (iii) Prepared foods (hygiene in preparation, storage, serving, etc)

Food establishments: Approval of sites, facilities, design of layout, display equipment, permits and certificates of operation. Food Inspection and Hygiene Education: (i) establishment of departments/units (ii) design of appropriate educational programmes.

Legislation: National and. local; permits/certificates, enforcement of legislation (notices, prosecution, sanctions).Institutional Arrangements: Roles of government, business association, etc; department/unit of local authority; mechanisms for inter-agency coordination and collaboration

 

GSPH 331            Introduction to Population and Health                        

Basic concepts of population growth and socio-economic development, rates and ratios, sources of demographic data, data evaluation, age-sex composition, ideal family size, fertility preference, measures of infant, foetal and perinatal mortality, construction of crude and adjusted mortality rates, demographic transition and Hoover theory.

 

GSPH 333            Database Management System I                     

The evolution of database systems, early database management systems, overview of database management system components, the storage manager, the query manager, the client server architecture. Introduction to Data Protection, overview of storage technology, backup and restore, remote copy and replication, basic security concepts, storage system security, policy based data protection, Information lifecycle management

 

GSPH 335            Health Data Management                                                

Collection, organization, analysis and presentation of health care data; vital and public health statistics; calculation of health care specific statistics, hospital utilization; mortality rates, autopsy rates, outpatient statistics; preparation of statistical reports; methods of ensuring data quality-accuracy, timeliness, completeness and validity

 

GSPH 337            Information Security

Information security management;  information security culture; misuse and abuse of computer systems; computer ethics and security; authorization and access control; malicious software in ubiquitous computing; statistical database security; copy protection system; information security culture; security governance and compliance; data warehousing, data mining and security

 

GSPH 339            Nutrients and their Metabolism                      

Nutrient utilization: digestion, absorption and metabolism, metabolic relationships among carbohydrate, protein and fat in the major tissues of the body

Reading List

 

GSPH 341            Assessment of Nutritional Status                   

Study the techniques used in assessing nutritional status of individuals and communities during health and disease using dietary, biochemical, and clinical and anthropometric measurements. Methods of measuring the dietary intake of individuals and communities; anthropometric measurements of individuals and communities and how to do them; biochemical assessments of individuals and communities; clinical and functional appraisal of nutritional status and vital statistics and nutritional surveillance as well as growth monitoring.  

 

GSPH 343            Malnutrition and Food Security                    

Relationships between diseases; nutrition and diets. Epidemiology of diseases with dietary origins Vitamin A deficiency disorders, Iron deficiency anaemia, Iodine deficiency disorders, dental disorders, GIT disorders, Gallstones, Cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes, cancers. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic diseases. Dietary management in therapy. Food fads and disease prevention. Management of food fads.

 

GSPH 345            Contemporary Issues in Health Promotion                                       

The course will deal with contemporary issues in promoting health and exploring concepts of health, wellness – illness continuum, levels of prevention, culture and values, sources of community information, health as a value, folk healing and professional care system. It will also introduce students to the communication process and ethics, barriers to effective communication, health care ethics, screening: advantages and disadvantages and sources and effects of stress.

 

GSPH 347            Health Communications Theory and Practice  

Communicating is key to the implementation of public health programmes. The course will introduce students to the various communication theories including theories of communication impact on behavior, various cognitive theories, social process theories, emotional response theories and mass media theories. The course will also provide students the opportunity to learn various frameworks for designing and producing communication strategies and how to introduce such strategies into intervention programmes and evaluate them.

 

GSPH 349            Research Methods in Social and Behavioural Sciences             

The course will introduce students to research methods to improve knowledge, theory and practice in the field. It will provide students the epistemological and theoretical framework to both quantitative and qualitative research methods in the social sciences. The course will assess the principles and applications of both quantitative and qualitative methods.  It will cover sampling methods, questionnaires, structured and unstructured interviews, ethnography, participant observation, participatory action research and ethical issues of research.

 

GSPH 351            Information Technology Application in Health Management II   

Managerial-oriented approach to the use of IT in organizations to improve quality and productivity. Case studies highlight new technology and applications, including fuzzy logic, neural computing, and hypermedia, problems many district teams encounter.

LEVEL 300          

SEMESTER II                    

GSPH 302            Infant and Young Child Feeding     

Nutritive needs of infants and young children, Breastfeeding and its challenges, Supplementary and complementary feeding, International code for breastfeeding,  feeding of the low-weight-birth infant, weaning practices, effects of early feeding on later life. Goals of nutritional management of infant and young children.

 

GSPH 304            Fundamentals of Public Health Surveillance              

Historical development of surveillance; planning a surveillance system, sources of health related information, collecting surveillance data, analyzing and interpreting surveillance data, use of surveillance data for public health action. Evaluating public health surveillance system.

 

GSPH 306            Child Survival: Management of the Sick Child          

Define IMCI, Improving case management skills of health-care staff, Improving overall health systems, Improving family and community health practices, algorithms for diagnosis and treatment of Acute respiratory Infections, Diarrhoea, malaria, ear infection, malnutrition and vaccination status. Community IMCI .

 

GSPH 308            Family Planning Methods and Practice        

Description of various contraceptive methods, mechanisms of action, failure rates, safety issues and warnings, barriers to increased use, a management of unsafe abortion, emergency contraception, approaches to delivery conducting situational analysis, family planning and HIV positive women.

 

GSPH 312            Management and Leadership of Health Services      

This course will cover the nature of management, different management skills, roles in the management model, planning and the planning process; organizing, division of work, delegation and coordination; leading and understanding and managing conflict for health services. The importance of leadership, the leading process, and leadership treats and styles. Interpersonal conflict, beneficial and dysfunctional aspects of conflict, sources of conflict, managing and resolving conflict.

 

GSPH 314            Health Management Information Systems                 

The course will aim at introducing students to the general concepts of health management information systems.  Description of various health management information systems used at all levels of the health system and their linkage will be made.

 

GSPH 316            School Health Services I                   

School Health service, including role of the school teachers and parents, Child growth and development, basic hygiene including oral hygiene, sanitation, nutrition including common foods , fruits and their nutrient value. Physical exercise and health.

 

GSPH 318            Introduction to Occupational Health and Safety                      

Pre-placement screening; Occupational lung diseases, silicosis, asbestos -related diseases, occupational asthma, and byssinosis; health monitoring and investigation of a hazard; use of protective clothing; sickness absence, measuring absence, basic statistics and misconceptions, factors known to influence sickness absence; rehabilitation and settlement at work; principles of toxicology

 

GSPH 322            Research Methods II         

The course will introduce proposal writing from formulation of research questions, research objectives, design of the study, data collection, analysis, discussion and presentation of results. Principle of ethical conduct of research, Grant writing and sourcing of funding to conduct research

GSPH 324            Public Health Seminar     I

Global public health diseases affecting developing countries; control measures in place for global public health diseases affecting developing countries.

 

ELECTIVES (Level 300)

GSPH 326            Global Climate Change and Health Effects                

Variety of effects associated with climate change in different regions on health, malaria, contamination   of water bodies, pollution adaptations of human communities to climatic change

 

GSPH 328            Control of Emerging and Re-emerging Diseases       

Emerging infections in historical context, geographical spread of infections, human demographics and behavior, climate and weather, international travel and commerce, war and famine, technology and industry, microbial adaptation and change, economic development and land use, development of multiple-resistant bacterial pathogens, emerging issues in blood borne infections, resurgent vector borne diseases.

 

GSPH 332            Integrated Disease Surveillance Systems                     

Overview of surveillance,  importance of surveillance, standard case definitions, standard methods for reporting priority diseases district –level indicators for monitoring quality of surveillance and response at the health facility, community –based surveillance,  alert thresholds, information flow in integrated disease surveillance, developing public health bulletin, IDSR contribution to epidemic preparedness.

 

GSPH 334            Geographic Information Systems I                               

Definition of geographical information system; spatial data; database management; data input and editing; data analysis; data editing; data quality issues; GIS project editing and management, use of GISs in surveillance and monitoring vector-borne diseases, environmental health, children and pedestrian

 

GSPH 335 Health Data Management     

Analysing public health data; validity of ICD 10 Hospital discharge data, applied spatial statistics for public health data, analysis of hospital data of chronic diseases such as cancer, diabetes.

 

GSPH 336            Water Supply and Treatment                         

Definition: Water resources, source of supply, portability, safeness etc.

Sources of Water Supply (Water resources): Sources: Surface water (rivers, lakes, dams, ponds, lagoons, sea water); Ground water (springs, water table); Rain water.

Uses of Water Resources: Human physiological requirement; Domestic (personal hygiene, food preparation, waste disposal); Industrial and commercial (manufacturing, food and drink services); Agricultural (irrigation, crop watering, etc); Public cleansing (drain cleansing); Fire fighting.

Water Associated Diseases: (i) Water’s role in disease transmission (ii) Classification of water-associated diseases (water-borne, water-based, water-washed, water-related)

Water Purification: Purpose: Provision of safe water for drinking; production of water meeting industrial standards.

Methods of Source Protection: Protection of sources of supply (springs, rivers, etc); Household methods (boiling, cloth filtration, chemical disinfection, etc); Conventional water treatment

Drinking Water (Quality) Standards: Parameters (Bacteriological, physical, chemical, radiological); Indicators and limit setting.

Water Supply Development: Classification of schemes: Rural Water Supply (sanitary wells, bore-hole supply, springs); small town supply (limited pipe-borne distribution; Urban supply (pipe-borne supply.

 

 

GSPH 338            Solid Waste Management

The course will examine the following: Definition: Waste, refuse, rubbish, recycling, waste management.

Classification of solid wastes by characteristics and source. Sources of solid waste generation: domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, hospital, institutions, etc.

Waste generation: Individual, community.

Hazards of solid waste accumulation in the community (health, land, degradation, property devaluation, etc) Methods of Storage, collection, transportation, treatment and final disposal.Financing and tariff systems for solid waste management.

Types of legislation and bye-laws needed for solid waste management.

Institutional arrangements: Central, regional, district and town level organizations, human resource development.

 

GSPH 339            Nutrients and their Metabolism 

Nutrient utilization: digestion, absorption and metabolism, metabolic relationships among carbohydrates, proteins and fat in the major body tissues, differences in digestibility of foods and physiologic  implications, influence of food and non-nutrienfood components, nutrient –nutrient interactions in foods, effects of macronutrients  and fiber.

 

GSPH 342            Pest and Vector Control                   

Definitions: Pest, vector, vector control, pesticide, insecticide, larvicide, adulticide, biolarvicide, etc.Importance of pest and vectors: Agents of disease transmission Causes of nuisance (biting, irritation, itching. Droppings, odour, etc); General Control Principles: Identification and morphological characteristics Biology (Life cycle, behavior, resting place, dispersal, ecology, food, etc) Public health importance: Diseases: Nuisance (irritation, biting, itching, droppings, odours, etc); Pest/Vectors and Disease:

Pesticide Classification, Formulation and Use Regulation of Pesticide Use: Legislation to control import and export, labeling, packaging, storage, transportation, safe use, etc. Institutional Arrangements: Central government (Agriculture, Health and Environment) Ministries, districts and local authorities; private sector (importers/retailers, pest control, service providers).

 

GSPH 344 Environmental Exposure Assessment     

Environmental exposures to chemicals and biological contaminants; study design issues relating to air water sediment and soil sampling, water protection inspection, water management and protection of water quality, monitoring air quality, measures for the protection of farmland quality

 

GSPH 346            Systems Analysis and Design                                          

The course will include the following: Basic definition-systems, systems analysis, information system, General overview of systems development, systems theory and relevance to information system, systems life cycle (SLDC)preliminary investigation, the analysis phase, the design phase, development stage, implementation, systems evaluation. System design tool-systems flow charts, Entity relationship diagrams, data flow diagrams, Hipo chart, Warnier Orr diagram, decision tree, pseudo code, data dictionary, application of systems analysis/design, systems management, systems professionals, systems engineers, analysts, designer, architect, owner, developer user.

 

GSPH 348            Data Analysis and Presentation (HMIS) I                  

Review of the database structure, the Ministry of Health HMIS, coding system, the basic indicators and their definition, analysis of defined dataset from the HMIS, generate basic indicators and presentation of data.

 

GSPH 352            Applied Nutrition                                                                               

Structure of nutritional programmes, mode of implementation and evaluation; effects of socio-economic factors on nutrition; how urbanization affects nutrition; mode and objectives of nutrition education to the public and methods of delivery and the role of local and international organizations in combating hunger and malnutrition.

 

GSPH 354            Nutritional Surveillance                                                    

Principles of disease surveillance and how it applies to nutritional diseases. Nutritional diseases of public health importance and their epidemiology. Surveillance of nutritional diseases of public health importance. Standard indicators for nutritional surveillance and how to collect data.

 

GSPH 356            Lifestyle and Nutrition                      

Relationships between diseases, nutrition and diets. Epidemiology of diseases with dietary origins, Vitamin A deficiency disorders, Iron deficiency anaemia, Iodine deficiency disorders, dental disorders, GIT disorders, Gallstones, Cardiovascular diseases, obesity and diabetes, cancers. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic  diseases. Dietary management in therapy. Food fads in disease prevention and management.

 

GSPH 358            Behaviour Change Communication                              

The course will introduce students to definition of principles and concepts such as behavior, communication and behavior change communication. It will also deal with the various steps to behavior change, health communication in cultural context, the challenges and considerations of behavior change communication.

 

GSPH 362            Mass Communication in Health Education and Public Health-3 credits                            

The course content will include mass communication theory and practice; community entry processes, media use as a health promotion/health communication strategy; use of radio, television, and the internet for health promotion; media use in health promotion campaigns (HIV prevention campaigns; malaria prevention campaign, tobacco campaigns); marketing and unhealthy advertising (alcoholic beverages); television and children’s health; marketing and social marketing; working with the media and writing media releases; Writing for the print media; cross cultural communication; communication with people with disability; pre-testing developed media materials; health sponsorships; coalition building, political lobbying and media advocacy for health.

 

LEVEL 400

SEMESTER I

GSPH 401            Biostatistics for Public Health                        

The course focuses on basic statistical concepts especially on types of measurement in public health. Basic concepts in data analysis, presentation of data and reports. The course will be very practical using data from Ghana Health

Service reports to illustrate the concepts and provide analysis of reports in public health

GSPH 403            Reproductive Health:  Comprehensive Care for HIV/AIDS   

Prevention of HIV transmission,HIV counseling and testing, opt out screening, prevention of mother to child transmission, antenatal couple counseling; anti retroviral therapy and prevention, perception of HIV risk; “3 by 5” initiative

 

GSPH 405            Introduction to Gender and Health Care                    

Health and social construction of gender, gender stereotypes, health beliefs and behaviors: resources for constructing gender, the social construction of disease, medical Institution and its construction of gender and health, gender and utilization of health services, gender and responses to symptoms

 

GSPH 407            School Health Services II:                               

Basic cause of common childhood diseases such as malaria common cold, HIV/AIDs, TB, helminthes infection, cuts and wounds, and methods to prevent them. Alcohol use and smoking and their effects on health. Local foods and fruits and their nutrient value and use. Monitoring and evaluation of school health programmes.

 

GSPH 409            Reproductive Health and Culture                 

Define reproductive health, cultural context of sexuality, cultural factors & determinants of use of family planning, sexual violence, female genital mutilation, Reproductive tract infections, and treatment, effects of contraception and health of mothers and children, adolescent fertility and contraception

 

GSPH 410            Project Work                                                                

 

GSPH 411            Health problems of infants and children                         

Definition of the childhood morbidity and mortality; causes of perinatal and neonatal mortality, prematurity and low birth weight; childhood diseases of public health importance.

 

GSPH 413            Scientific Communication Including Report Writing                              

Definition of scientific communication; writing a scientific paper; when to begin writing; preparing the text, abstract preparation, introduction, materials and methods, results, discussion, acknowledgments, citation of references, ethics in scientific publishing; The publishing process, conference  communications, oral presentation, poster presentation, scientific style.

GSPH 414            Public Health Seminar II

Global public health diseases and developing countries, Poverty and health, measurements of poverty and health; indicators of the Millennium Development goals

 

GSPH 415            Public Health Ethics          

Traditions and values in public health, social determinants of health, ethical analysis and decision making, ethics and pandemic power, participation and disparities, research with human subjects, professional ethics, cross -cultural ethics.

 

ELECTIVES (Level 400)

GSPH 417            Database Management II                                                 

Database concepts-database files, types, records field, advantages and disadvantages of DBMS, types of database organization, features of  data-query, report data dictionary, utilities systems recovery, database application development; overview of storage and indexing; database profession, new developments in database management, data service delivery, diagnosis, health information management and administration, ethics of using databases, health database systems, features of application software, developing databases for health systems.

 

GSPH 421            Public Health Surveillance of Chronic Diseases          

The course content will include the new public health priorities, characteristics of chronic disease surveillance, reporting of chronic disease surveillance, behavioural determinants of health and disease, determinants of population health, global burden of disease approach, risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. The epidemiology and prevention of diabetes mellitus, Neoplasms, HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis will be reviewed.

 

GSPH 423           Emergency/ Preparedness and Outbreak Investigation           

The course will investigate the steps in outbreak investigation and the importance of team work in the investigation of outbreak and the role of Laboratory in the disease outbreak investigation.

 

GSPH 427            Domestic and Industrial Waste Water Disposal  

Principles: Definitions: Waste, Waste water, Sullage, Sewer, Soil pipe. Sources of waste water: Domestic,

Commercial, Industrial, etc.Classification: Liquid, Semi-liquid, Turbidity, colour, Odour; Characteristics: 1) Composition (water, solids, dissolved matter Degradability (organic decomposition, clarification, gaseous emissions, etc) Facilities/Infrastructures for disposal of waste waters: Street drains, Storm water drain (natural, built), house drains, open spaces, ponds, etc. Development and Management of Drainage: Drainage network design, construction and maintenance. Private and public premises’ connections, Legislation and bye-laws and enforcement. Institutional Arrangements: Roles of District Assemblies and local councils; definition of the responsibilities of property owners; monitoring and promotion of development.

GSPH 429            Health Aspects of Housing                              

Definitions: Housing, premises, workplace, ventilation, illumination, town planning, zoning, building code, building permit, etc; Health problems attributed to housing (diseases, injuries, nuisance, etc);Town planning (physical planning) principles for development of communities (layout, zoning, etc) Criteria for assessing healthfulness of housing: Fundamental physiological needs; Protection against contagion (diseases); Protection against accidents; Legislation: Building Code, permits, building inspection and enforcement of code; demolition; Institutional Arrangements: Establishment of department/unit for regulation of building construction; human resource development; logistics.

 

GSPH 431            Gender and Environmental Health Care                                     

This course introduces students to the construction of gender and sex and gender as a theoretical concept. It also looks at the historical, international, and domestic perspectives of gender, the social structures that affect the development of individual and society’s health, and how gender influences the construction of public health in different societies. The course will provide some understanding into societal patterns of health, disease, and wellbeing, and the socio-cultural determinants that affect people’s experiences and expectations of health. This course examines some health issues where gender plays an important role: reproductive health, sexual health, health policy etc.

 

GSPH 433 Public Health Legislation, Regulation and Enforcement   Definitions: Legislation, Acts, Regulations, Bye-laws, enforcement, sanctions.

Role of Legislation: Establish governmental institutions and agencies (eg. Local Government Administration, Food and Drugs Board, etc); Regulations, Standards and tariff systems.

Pressures that initiate legislation: Problems with public cooperation, revenue mobilization, demand for projects and services, etc.

Relevant legislation for Environmental Health (i) National (e g. Environmental Health Policy of Ghana,

Environmental Protection Agency), (ii) Local (e g. District Assembly bye-laws on sanitation), Procedures for Enactment of Legislation

Monitoring and Enforcement: Establishment of department/office/unit for monitoring and enforcement; provision of appropriate courts (e g.Sanitary courts); mechanisms for inter-agency coordination and collaboration.

 

GSPH 435            Human Excreta and Sewage Disposal                          

Definitions: Human excreta, night soil, sanitary waste, degradability and sewerage.

Principles: Prevention of risk of exposure (hygienic handling), treatment to reduce hazardousness and facilitate disposal. Collection and transportation (cartage, sewerage).Treatment methods and systems: On/off site systems, types of facilities (toilets, urinals).Final disposal methods (land, water, sea disposal)

Institutional Arrangements: Relevant organizations and stakeholders: Central Government (Ministry of Water Resources, Works and Housing, EPA, District/Local Government, Waste Collection Service Providers, Households, establishment of district departments/units to regulate services, sector organization.

 

GSPH 437           Introduction to Field Epidemiology                               

Definition of field epidemiology, operational aspects of epidemiologic investigations, conducting a field investigation, surveys and sampling, using a computer for field investigations, analyzing and interpreting data,

 

GSPH 439            Geographic Information Systems II              

Definition of geographical information system; spatial data; database management; data input and editing; data analysis; data editing; data quality issues; GIS project editing and management, use of GISs in surveillance and monitoring vector-borne diseases, environmental health, children and pedestrian

 

GSPH 441            Clinical Data Classification and Coding I  

History and development of disease classification, the structure and conventions of the International Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems; tenth Revision, Basic coding principles, retrieval of relevant information from health records for the classification of diseases and procedures in medicine.

 

GSPH 443            Electronic Health and Data Systems                                            

Definition of electronic health record, difference between electronic health record and electronic medical record; structure of electronic health records, context of use of electronic health records, functions of an electronic health record, informed consent and electronic health records; standardization of electronic health records; implementing security and access control for an electronic health record, access to electronic health records, security infrastructure and archives for electronic archives and electronic health records; secondary uses of electronic health records, medico-legal purposes, quality management, education research, policy development/health service management, health statistics analysis and trend analysis

 

GSPH 445            Data Base Systems and Management II                      

Database concepts-database files, types, records field, advantages and disadvantages of DBMS, types of database organization, features of  data-query, report data dictionary, utilities systems recovery, database application development; overview of storage and indexing; database profession, new developments in database management, data service delivery, diagnosis, health information management and administration, ethics of using databases, health database systems, features of application software, developing databases for health systems

 

GSPH 447      Food and Nutrition Policy               

The course is designed to help students know the role of policy in food and nutrition programming at the national level. The course will engage the students in discussing how policies are developed and evaluated.

 

GSPH 449            Communication for Nutrition and Healthy Lifestyle                 

The premise of this course is that nutritional and life styles problems are caused by human behavior and have longterm implications. To address and create long-term solutions to these problems, behavior needs to change. This course provides students with a practical introduction to the strategies, methods and tools of nutrition and health life styles communication that effectively leads to changes in behavior. The field-based skills gained through this course will provide students the skills of communicating nutritional and health life styles messages for changing behaviors. The course will focus on nutritional and healthy life styles and social marketing strategies to ensure desired changes in behavior.

 

GSPH 451            Nutrition Transition in Ghana        

The concept of nutrition transition, obesity trends in the developing world, biological factors, genetic factors, ecological factors, food availability and dietary intake; obesity and cardiovascular diseases.

 

GSPH 453             Diet and Disease                                                                 

Nutritional measurement, chronic diseases, epidemiology of chronic diseases, relationship between nutrition and chronic diseases, public health impact of nutrition in chronic diseases.

 

GSPH 455            School Feeding Programmes                           

History of school feeding, school health and nutrition recovery, school feeding as a nutrition intervention, school feeding to improve child cognitive development, school feeding and short and long term –food and security, designing school feeding programmes, evaluating school feeding programmes.

 

GSPH 457:      Food Safety and Hygiene                                                    

Principles, science and technology of Food preservation, Food deterioration, food additives; food toxins, bacterial contamination. Food quality and acceptance; quality characteristics of foods and their measurement

Development of specifications and standards of quality, sampling for quality control;

Policies and guidelines for regulating and monitoring public food safety and hygiene; HACCP, Codex; Personal hygiene in food safety regulation; Pest management in food storage and transport; Food poisoning; epidemiology of food contamination

Health effects of eating spoiled foods; toxins in food; Food chain and bioterrorism

Agencies involved in food safety and hygiene control: FDB, Standards board, Port Health

 

GSPH 459            Intervention Strategies for Health Promotion            

Health promotion interventions have become important aspect of health care provision in recent years. A number of health promotion programmes have failed to achieve their intended goals due to the fact that appropriate strategies were not put in place regarding the broader environment within which such programmes were implemented. Sometimes the effectiveness or ineffectiveness of a strategy is dependent upon time and season the intervention is implemented.

The course will deal with the following: Introduction to intervention strategies, definition of terms; (health promotion, intervention, strategy), strategic frameworks for health promotion, the Need for health promotion interventions, past and present health intervention strategies (planning, implementation, monitoring, sustainability, partnership building, evaluation), factors that determine the choice of strategies and communication as a strategy for intervention.

 

GSPH 461            Principles and Practice of Community Organization               

Community involvement in the implementation of health interventions has become an important part of intellectual discourse. This course aims at providing a general understanding of the basic principles behind community organization for health. It is also intended to expose students to community entry processes towards community organization for health. It will deal with the following: definition of terms and concept (Community, organization, community entry, community organization), the concept of community, types of community (geographical, professional, etc), principles of community organization, steps in community organization (stages of community organization), community analysis (strengths, weaknesses, available resources, potentials, etc), major stakeholders in the community (governmental and nongovernmental agencies, traditional institutions, youth, religious and other identifiable groupings), importance of community entry for health intervention (identification of community and group leadership, social marketing.

 

GSPH 463            Psychological Influence on Health                                                

Health Psychology is an area that studies the social, behavioural, cognitive and emotional factors that influence the maintenance of health, development of illness and disease, course of illness or disease and client/patient as well as family’s response to illness and disease. Generally, understanding how social factors relate to the promotion and maintenance of good health/wellness gives way to an appreciation of the causation, prevention and treatment of illness.

GSPH 465            School Based Nutrition Education                

Nutrition, health and academic performance. The School as a vehicle for nutrition interventions. School-based nutrition interventions as a component of school health program. School-based nutrition education, nutritional status assessment of school age children, school feeding policy, program implementation and monitoring. Pre-school age feeding. Food choice and preferences of school-age children. School feeding dietary quality. Costs and benefits of school-based nutrition interventions.

GSPH 467            Adolescent Health: Social and Behavioral Perspective            

This course is designed to assist students to learn about adolescent social and behavioral environmental of adolescent health using theoretical frameworks based on contemporary theories and strategies. Students will examine how adolescent behavior impacts their health within the context of individuals, groups and communities and its

Public health implication of adolescent health. It will also cover key issues that concerns adolescents including adolescence sexuality and sexual health, contraception, teenage pregnancy and abortion, peer influence, substance abuse, adolescent friendly programmes and recreational activities.

 

CORE COURSES FOR LEVEL 400 (All Options)

GSPH 410                             Project Work                                                        8 Credits

GSPH 414                             Public Health Seminar II                                    2 Credits

GSPH 420                             Field Attachment                                                 2 Credits

 

LEVEL 400 

SEMESTER II

ELECTIVES (Level 400)

GSPH 402           Health Promotion and Education                  

The course will equip the student with basic knowledge on the theories and principles of health promotion and education. It will enable students to understand the complex and dynamic nature of health promotion processes, and how to relate these to underlying themes of social and health inequalities and to a broader societal values and practices. The course will provide a multidisciplinary approach to health promotion from a sub-Saharan Africa and an international perspective.

 

GSPH 404            Health Care for Aged and Elderly                         

The course will introduce students to major public health problems (both communicable and non-communicable diseases) of the aged and elderly which include; food borne diseases; emergence of antimicrobial resistant bacteria; sexually transmitted diseases; vector borne diseases; vaccine preventable diseases on the one hand and Diabetes mellitus, obesity, high blood pressure, hypertension, stroke on the other hand. Students will be introduced to the provision of palliative care for people with chronic conditions and complex care needs and provision of primary health care for the aged and elderly. The course will also deal with nutrition and healthy eating, health promoting physical activity and promoting healthy weight.

 

GSPH 406            Mental and Social Health Care                                                      

The course will deal with the theories and principles of medicine, mental health and the socio-culture context of seeking care for mental health. In recent times, mental health has become an important public health issue. Student will get the opportunity to acquire the skills of taking history and assessing individual status of mental health. In addition to this, the course will teach students the various forms of mental health conditions including depression, mania and cyclic mood change, anxiety, psychosis, dementia and mild cognitive impairment and substance abuse and dependence. The course will stress on how to manage such conditions at the community level.

 

GSPH 408            Monitoring and Evaluation of Health Programmes II                            

Framework for monitoring and evaluation of programmes; structure and responsibilities of the monitoring and evaluation systems of various control programmes; data collection, collation and management, Methodological frameworks for evaluating health programs, Health evaluation categories & indicators, Typologies of indicators for evaluation of public health services, Research designs for evaluative studies, How to quantify effects of health programmes, Reporting health evaluation.

 

GSPH 412            Health Promotion and Disease Prevention                  

The key challenge facing illness prevention today is how to effectively communicate public health messages to the population at risk of getting certain diseases. This course will seek to introduce students to health promotion theories and principles that will equip them to effectively communicate public health issues to the general population. Students will be given the opportunity to plan and implement community based health promotion activity and involve the mass media in the activity.  Particular attention will be paid to communicable (malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS) and non-communicable diseases (heart disease, cancer, and diabetes). Issues relating to adopting responsible and health behaviors to avoid ill-health will be addressed.

 

GSPH 416            International Health Regulations                                  

Definition of International Health Regulations; Purpose and scope, principle and responsible authorities; information and public health response; points of entry; public health measures; communicable disease control; health documents; general provisions; core capacity requirements for surveillance and response; core capacity for designated airports, ports and ground crossings; international cooperation; legislation.

 

GSPH 418            Global Health Security                                     

Definition of global health security, tropical infectious diseases, bioterrorism, trafficking of illicit drugs, smuggling of people, illegal weapons sale, dumping of unsafe and ineffective pharmaceuticals, food security

 

GSPH 422           Environmental Health Promotion and Education     

This subject will provide students with an opportunity to identify, develop and evaluate practical applications of health promotion with particular in environmental health. The subject introduces the principles and theory of health promotion within environmental and community development framework.  Principles that guide education for health and planning education sessions will be critically examined.

 

GSPH 424            Institutional Development and Sector Management for Environmental Health

Definition: Institution, sector, vision, mission statement, management; development; Institutional development process: stages of development, pressures for institutional developments, etc.; Diagnosis (assess ment) of institutional strengths and weaknesses and management of change; Sector organizational development: Constraints to sectoral performance; pressures for sectoral change, etc; Framework for assessing sectoral organization; sector institutions and their roles;Special topics: Decentralization principles; local government system in Ghana; private sector participation.

 

GSPH 426           Environmental Epidemiology                                                          

Environmental epidemiology and assessment of chemicals and biological contaminants; study design issues relating to air water sediment and soil sampling, water protection inspection, water management and protection of water quality, monitoring air quality, measures for the protection of farmland quality, statistical methods for environmental epidemiology.

 

GSPH 432           Medical Records and Management                               

Evolution and the development of the health record; the context of health records management; the principles and practices of health records management; appraisal; storage and access issues; confidentiality and security issues; organization and management of health records service: patient identification and registration procedures, indexes and registers, filing and retrieval systems, admission and discharge procedures.

 

GSPH 434           Public Health Programme Planning and Evaluation               

The course will involve introducing students to the history of health program planning, planning and evaluation cycle, public health pyramid, use of public health pyramid in programme planning and evaluation, defining community, community needs assessment, sample construction, sample size and ethics and evaluation.

GSPH 436            Clinical Data Classification and Coding II                 

Structure and applications of internal classification of health interventions; structure and application of the international classification of diseases for oncology (ICD-O); General principles and guidelines for the development of disease registry; Role of disease registry in health care delivery and research; specific development and implementation of registry system for non-communicable diseases such as cancers, development of communication and presentation skills

GSPH 438            Nutritional Rehabilitation Programmes      

Protein-energy malnutrition in young children, under-nutrition, nutritional marasmus and kwashiorkor; hospital based rehabilitation of severe malnutrition, acute phase, rehabilitation phase, catch-up growth, methods to detect cases of severe malnourished children in the community, distribution of supplement foods to children,

 

GSPH 442            Food Laws and Regulations                                            

International and national laws, regulations, policies and conventions related to processing, packaging, marketing, distribution, and usage of foods. Food standards and quality. Emphasis on public protection and safety aspects of food laws and regulations. Role of international and national level agencies in the application, enforcement and monitoring of food laws (WHO, FAO, Codex, WTO, FDB, GSB). Food laws and public safety advocacy.

 

GSPH 444            Nutrition Seminar                                                                              

The course will attempt to expose students to the role nutrition plays in healthy living and longevity. It will provide students the opportunity to review and learn from both international and national research work on nutrition and health.

 

GSPH 446            Change Interventions for Chronic Disease                 

The course focuses on understanding theory-based chronic and lifestyle interventions at different levels of change (individuals, networks/groups, organizations and communities).  The course will deal with research as pects of change interventions and this will take students through formative (qualitative) research, Community-based participatory research, intervention Design and evaluation. Key theories that students will be introduced to will include transtheoretical model, social cognitive theory, theory of reasoned action/Planned behavior, health belief model, social networks and social support, mass communication, social marketing

 

GSPH 448            Rights for the Health of Women and Children          

The rights for the health of women and children in Ghana; laws and legislations for women and children’s rights ; lapses in the legislations on the rights and health of women and children;  enforcement  of legislations on the rights for the health of women and children, design and implementation of programmes to promote women and children health rights.

 

GSPH 452            Reproductive Health in Developing Countries                                           

Healthy sexuality, sexual violence, reproductive tract infections, family planning including long term methods and services, pregnancy and child bearing, interventions to reduce maternal mortality. Organizational issues for reproductive health programmes.

 

GSPH 454            Mental Health as a Public Health Issue       

The course will cover emerging and contemporary debates in mental health. mental health challenges facing both younger and older people, the influence of the life-course and life events on mental health alongside the development and significance of personality, the wider implications and possibilities for mental health services, the use of alternative and complementary approaches.