Built environment and Health

Code:

OPT184

Acronym:

ACS

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Medicine

Instance: 2020/2021 - 1S (of 14-09-2020 to 07-02-2021)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Departamento de Patologia
Course/CS Responsible:	Integrated Master in Medicine

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MIMED	10	Mestrado Integrado em Medicina- Plano oficial 2013 (Reforma Curricular)	5	-	3	28	81

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

A need for a better understanding of the relation between the environment and health in cities as arisen with the growing urbanization.

The content of the present curricular unit was structured to include all aspects characterizing exposure, biodiversity and IAQ underlying eventual manifestations of symptoms and diseases associated with the built environment, as well as the state of the art of the environmental parameters, diagnosis of exposure-related diseases, and prevention and reactive intervention mechanisms.

The goals of the curricular unit are aligned with the objectives defined by the United Nations for 2030, in the “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” documentation, namely referring to goal no 3 – “Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all ages” – and goal no 11 – “Make cities and human sttlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable”.

Learning outcomes and competences

The content of the present curricular unit was chosen and structured in order for students to understand how human behaviors, building characteristics, urbanization and green spaces, associate with indoor air quality (IAQ) and public health.

Students should obtain knowledge and competences in the following areas: i) Advanced knowledge on environmental exposure, the mechanisms of biodiversity on immunomodulation, built environment and IAQ; ii) Access to biodiversity, ambient pollution exposure and associated diseases; iii) know how to identify sick building syndrome and  IAQ-associated diseases and exacerbations; iv) IAQ parameters; v) preventive and risk behaviors in the built environment; vi) hands-on assessment of the built environment and identification of consequent clinical occurrences in the occupants.  

Working method

Presencial

Program

The following syllabus will be applied, with the goal of providing students with the knowledge, practices and necessary attitudes for the comprehension of the built and urban environment structural parameters that influence air quality and human health, as well as the identification of symptoms and associated diseases:   

Basic science and legislation (seminars):

1. Indoor air quality parameters, associated symptoms and diseases, building characterization on the occupational context, risk behaviors in the built environment, preventive behaviors in the built environment, IAQ safety thresholds and legislation, decision trees for sick building syndrome diagnosis.
2. Exposome, urban environment and allergic disease.
3. Biodiversity, allergy and other non-communicable inflammatory diseases.
4. Physical activity, immune response and allergic disease;
5. The built environment context: the city, the suburbs and the infrastructures.

 

Practical work (tutorials and problem solving):

1. Identify diseases and exacerbations associated with the environment, through previously published clinical cases.
2. Understand IAQ reports and learn how to properly question occupants in order to find eventual sources of emissions.
3. IAQ assessment methodologies, biodiversity and greenness indexes, aeroallergen sampling and analysis.

       4. Recommendations and plans of action to improve IAQ          in specific built environment examples.

Mandatory literature

Diário da República; Portaria n.º 353-A/2013, 2013 (https://dre.pt/application/conteudo/331868)
World Health Organization; WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: dampness and mould (Available for free online)
World Health Organization; WHO guidelines for indoor air quality: selected pollutants (Available for free online)
World Health Organization; WHO Guidelines for indoor air quality: household fuel combustion (Available for free online)

Complementary Bibliography

World Health Organization; Urbanization and health, 2010 (http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/88/4/10-010410/en/)
Seto KC, Fragkias M, Guneralp B, Reilly MK.; A meta-analysis of global urban land expansion. , PLoS One, 2011
Cavaleiro Rufo J, Paciência I, Ribeiro AI.; Green Environments and Allergic Diseases in Children: a Scoping Review. , 2019
Cavaleiro Rufo J, Madureira J, Paciencia I, Aguiar L, Pereira C, Silva D, Padrao P, Moreira P, Delgado L, Annesi-Maesano I, Oliveira Fernandes E, Teixeira JP, Moreira A.; Indoor fungal diversity in primary schools may differently influence allergic sensitization and asthma in children., 2017
Paciência I, Cavaleiro Rufo J, Silva D, Martins C, Mendes F, Farraia M, Delgado L, de Oliveira Fernandes E, Padrao P, Moreira P, Severo M, Barros H, Moreira A.; Exposure to indoor endocrine-disrupting chemicals and childhood asthma and obesity., 2019
Cavaleiro Rufo J, Paciência I, Silva D, Martins C, Madureira J, Oliveira Fernandes Ed, Padrão P, Moreira P, Delgado L, Moreira A.; Swimming pool exposure is associated with autonomic changes and increased airway reactivity to a beta-2 agonist in school aged children: A cross-sectional survey.

Teaching methods and learning activities

Seminars, tutorials, problem solving, and case studies, distributed through 28 contact hours (3 ECTS)

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	30,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	10,00
Exame	50,00
Trabalho de campo	10,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	4,00
Estudo autónomo	53,00
Frequência das aulas	22,00
Trabalho de campo	2,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Students who obtain a rating lower than 10 in criterion B do not fulfill the minimum conditions.

Calculation formula of final grade

Criterion A (50%): 50 multiple answer questions exam.

Criterion B (50%): Evaluation sheets distributed throughout the seminars.

Examinations or Special Assignments

The discipline includes a practical test of risk assessment in a given built environment.