SGLK15007U Strategies for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention

Volume 2025/2026
Education

MSc Programme in Global Health - compulsory

Content

The purpose of the course is to introduce students to the theories and strategies of health promotion and disease prevention.  

The course will focus on selected structural interventions, such as taxation and pricing, as well as bio-medical interventions including vaccine- and drug-based strategies, and behavioural change related to health promotion. It will also cover approaches to planning and evaluating health promotion interventions in low-, middle- and high-income commmunity settings.

Students will learn strategies to reduce health-related inequalities and apply relevant skills acquired from previous courses. 

More specifcally, the couse will introduce methods, tools and skills necessary to facilitate health promotion and disease prevention activities concerning individuals, families, groups, and communities. This also includes interactions between health providers, individuals and social groups.

There will be a focus on analysing the roles of stakeholders and actors, such as in the co-creation of health-related interventions, as well as health care systems and their interaction with the population and other sectors within a broader socio-political context. This segment will also address the decolonization of the global public health agenda. 

Addionallly, the course explores existing knowledge and experiences in health promotion and disease prevention through digital approaches, including those driven by artificial intelligence (AI). 

Discussions will include values and ethics in health promotion and disease prevention, priorities and dilemmas in health interventions.

Students will acquire skills in developing products and strategies relevant to  decision-makers, media, organizations, and population groups. This will involve using a variety of tools and strategies accross different media, including social media and AI-driven platforms.

Learning Outcome

Intended learning outcomes:

Knowledge

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Describe and critically discuss the approaches, theories and strategies of health promotion and disease prevention

  • Critically discuss approaches to planning and evaluating health promotion and disease prevention programmes in Global South and Global North settings
  • Describe strategies to reduce health-related inequalities

  • Describe and critically discuss barriers and possibilities related to the use of digital approaches, including AI-driven interventions and social media, in health promotion and disease prevention

  • Critically discuss dilemmas related to values and ethics in health promotion and disease prevention, including the decolonization of the global health agenda

   

Skills

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Contribute academically to an interdisciplinary environment

  • Plan activities to counteract global health problems by exisisting evidence to inform the development and implementatiion of health promotion and diease prevention strategies 

  • Develop health-related advocacy products and strategies relevant to decision-makers, media, organizations, and population groups, using a variety of tools and strategies across different media

 

Competencies

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • Describe and critically discuss central theories of health promotion and disease prevention, including those related to health behaviour, empowerment, planning, intervention, and communication

  • Identify and critically discuss strategies to reduce health-related inequalities in communities in both the Global Sount and Global North 

  • Critically analyze evidence and criteria for evaluating the effects of health promotion and disease prevention-related interventions

For credit transfer students:
If you are applying for the course as a credit transfer student, you must have successfully completed courses in both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies, each worth 5 ECTS. Please attach documentation of corresponding competencies, including course descriptions and exam results, with your application.
The course will include a combination of lectures, group work, facilitated group sessions and portfolio development.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 54
  • Preparation
  • 57
  • Exercises
  • 20
  • Exam
  • 75
  • Total
  • 206
Written
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester
Peer feedback (Students give each other feedback)
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Portfolio
Type of assessment details
Type of examination:

Portfolio exam, oral exam for the re-examination


Initial exam
Two portfolios, dealing with selected themes from the course, are developed individually during the course, one of which will be assessed and graded. During groups sessions, the students will be supported in developing their portfolios. The exam office will, by drawing one of the two portfolios and thereby determine which portfolios will be assessed.

Re-examination
An oral exam will be used to evaluate students who did not pass the initial portfolio-based exam. The oral exam will cover the entire curriculum and all themes discussed in the course. The oral exam will be based on drawing of two questions (slips) related to the curriculum and themes covered throug-out the course. After a short time for preparation allowing the student to use teaching materials and personal notes, the student will be asked to answer and discuss the question and aspects presented in the two questions.
Aid
All aids allowed

All aids are allowed for the exam including access to internet and the use of Generativ AI. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the text, including ensuring that the text is not factually incorrect, plagiarized, or contains copyrighted material. AI/LLM’s may not be used as an actual author or a scientific source cf. Vancouver Guidelines.

Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
One internal examiner
Exam period

See the exam schedule

Re-exam

The re-exam will be an 30 min. oral exam, inkluding evaluation, with 30. min. preparation.

 

For the re-examination

Students are allowed to use all aids during the preparation for the oral exam, including online teaching materials, AI-driven platforms and tools, and personal notes.

 

 

Criteria for exam assesment

To achieve the maximum grade of 12, the student must demonstrate proficient learning abilities in the following areas:

 

Knowledge

  • Describe and ciritically discuss the approaches, theories and strategies of health promotion and disease prevention

  • Discuss approaches to planning and evaluation of health promotion and disease prevention programmes in low-, middle- and high-income contexts
  • Describe strategies to reduce health related inequalities

  • Critially discuss the use of digital platforms, including AI-driven and social media approaches, in health promotion and disease prevention

  • Explain dilemmas related to values and ethics in health promotion and disease prevention

   

Skills

  • Demonstrate a critical understanding of the rolle and importance of transdisciplinary approaches in development and implementation of health-related interventions 

  • Plan activities to counteract global health problems by identifying existing evidence to inform the development and implementation of of health promotion and diease prevention strategies

  • Develop health-related advocacy products and strategies relevant to decision-makers, media, organizations, and population groups, using a variety of tools and strategies across different media

 

Competencies

  • Describe and discuss central theories of health promotion and disease prevention, including those related to health behaviour, empowerment, planning, intervention, and communication

  • Identify and critically discuss strategies to reduce health related inequalities both in the Global South and Global North 

  • Critically analyze evidence and criteria for evaluating the effects of health promotion and disease prevention-related interventions