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Understanding five major topics in health

Five Big Issues in Health

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In this minor five major topics in health are discussed: occupational health, sexual health, physical activity, food consumption, and drugs and addiction. Each health topic will be discussed from various viewpoints: physiological, psychological, societal, social-cultural, and ethical viewpoint.

The minor is advanced and interdisciplinary and consists of five courses, each discussing a current health topic. Through lectures, excursions, practicals and assignments, you will seek answers to questions such as:

  • What do we need to support workers to reach the increased retirement age in good health? (Health@Work)
  • How can we prevent unplanned pregnancies among young girls, and sexual transmitted diseases among the elderly? (Sexual Health)
  • Can we save humanity by stimulating healthy and sustainable diets? (Food for Thought)
  • Is exercise the medicine to lifestyle diseases? (Moving Matters in Health)
  • Why is it so difficult to treat addiction? (Drugs and Addiction)

Overview courses

  • Health @ Work

    The course focuses on several big issues in occupational health. It gives insight in workplace factors affecting health and tools for keeping chronically ill patients working. It also addresses the influence of health on work (participation). Students will work on a specific occupational group, map the most important risks for developing a work-related disease, and develop a worksite health intervention to reduce those risks. The occupational group will be used as guidance to gain insight into the models, theories, and methodological issues relevant for occupational health in general, and on aging workers and prolonged work participation in particular.

  • Sexual Health

    Threats and Opportunities: In this course, the focus will also be on opportunities of sexual behavior, such as creating new life and enjoying the presence of the other, being either male or female. Ethical dilemmas in relation to new methods of artificial human reproduction are discussed. Information is presented on sexual identity, transforming one’s identity and its relation to health.

  • Food for Thought

    This course focuses on how food consumption practices are influenced by the wider food system, including the food supply chain as well as the food environment we live in. Food consumption will be discussed from a systems perspective and we will zoom in on the roles of citizens, consumers and  other relevant stakeholders in the food system. Students will work in small teams on a real-life question from an external stakeholder.

  • Moving Matters in Health

    The course ‘Moving matters in health’ introduces theoretical concepts and empirical methods and findings in the domain of exercise and its relation to (psychological and physiological) health.

  • Drugs and Addiction

    The course will allow students to become familiar with the epidemiology, psychology, neurobiology, psychopharmacology and therapy of addictive behaviour with a focus on nicotine, psychostimulant, heroin, cannabis and alcohol addiction as well as compulsive gambling.  Political and societal aspects of addictive behaviour will also be addressed.