FutureLearn

Causes of Human Disease: Understanding Causes of Disease (FutureLearn)

Offered by University of Leeds,

Learn the epidemiological methods used to understand the causes of diseases and how social factors influence their development. What causes human disease? Why do some people get a disease but others don’t? Through this course, you’ll learn how epidemiologists are helping to find answers to these complex questions and how the health of a population is measured and analysed.

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By looking at stimulating case studies, you’ll explore how the social determinants of health contribute to human disease and how health inequalities exist. You will then look at health inequalities across the globe and investigate how and why different socioeconomic factors determine human health.

Syllabus

Week 1: Principles of population health
Week 2: Social determinants of health

What will you achieve?
By the end of the course, you'll be able to...

Explain how evidence is gathered through epidemiology to measure the health of the population and understand causes of human disease.
Discuss the social and environmental factors that contribute to causes of disease and poor health.
Summarise key features and differences of global patterns of disease with a focus on health inequalities.

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