96281 - Epidemiology and Hygiene

Learning outcomes

The course aims to give students a global and integrated vision of the concept of health and disease with greater attention to the problems related to the open community of a dynamic and fluid society. At the end of the course the student must demonstrate that he has acquired the knowledge implemented in the educational-training path, for a better understanding of those issues relating to the learning of skills, abilities and knowledge relevant to the professional role in place.

The learner therefore acquires skills and methods for an understanding and an approach aimed at addressing and clarifying complex problems.

Course contents

Health and disease

Definition and objectives of prevention

Epidemiological methodology: definition and aims.

General epidemiology of diseases

The measures: frequency, incidence and prevalence.

Main descriptive epidemiological measures: absolute values, rates and ratios; prevalence rate and incidence rate; crude, specific and standardized rates.

Epidemiological studies: prevalence, case-control, cohort and experimental. Advantages and disadvantages.

Risk assessment and cause-effect relationships: absolute risk, relative risk, attributable risk, odds ratio.

Critical reading of a scientific article: scientific evidence, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, confounding factors and bias

The teaching participates in the University's teaching innovation project

Readings/Bibliography

Barbuti S.-Fara G.M.-Giammanco G.-and others: Hygiene Preventive Medicine Public Health. EdiSES 2018

Teaching methods

Cycle of frontal teaching lessons, delivered in multimedia mode (pc-slides)

Assessment methods

For the teaching of "Epidemiology and Hygiene" the method of verifying the results, aimed at ascertaining the adequate preparation of the students and the ability to effectively communicate the topics covered by the teaching carried out, is written, with a mark expressed out of thirty; the learner will have to prepare a written paper on the topics covered by the lessons, to be presented to the teacher in compliance with the timing and methods established for the exam. This assessment, always individual, takes place in conditions that guarantee in-depth analysis, the objectivity and fairness of the evaluation in relation to the teaching provided.

In the academic year 6 exam sessions are scheduled for 2024-25. Based on the teaching calendar, the exam can be taken in the following periods:

January-February 2025: 2 appeals

June-July 2025: 2 appeals

September 2025 2 appeals.

To check the dates and register for the exams you need to access "AlmaEsami".

Teaching tools

The teaching material presented in class will be made available by the teacher

Office hours

See the website of Federico Volpe