Maternal and Child Health

Code:

OPT_MSP12_27

Acronym:

MSP12_27

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Public Health

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical Education
Course/CS Responsible:	Master Degree Course in Public Health

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
MSP	11	Current Studies Plan	1	-	3	27	81

Teaching language

English
Obs.: Se todos os estudantes dominarem o Português as aulas serão lecionadas nesse idioma.

Objectives

Acquisition of knowledge about the main indicators, sources of information, epidemiological and statistical methods in research on Maternal and Child Health.

 

Interpretation and discussion of relevant scientific evidence in relation to Maternal and Child Health.

Learning outcomes and competences

It is expected that at the end of the course the students will be able to:

• identify and describe the main indicators of Maternal and Child Health;
• think critically about the particularities and the main challenges related to the sources of infomation;
• name the main risk factors and perinatal adverse outcomes;
• understand the importance of the first thousand days of life for preventing disease and promoting health;
• think critically about the causal nature of associations;
• understand how the exposome contributes for the scientific evidence in Maternal and Child Health;
• know and think critically about interventions and health policies.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

No prior knowledge is required.

Program

• Descriptive epidemiology and main maternal and child health indicators.


• Main sources of information in Maternal and Child Health, namely the medical records and the population-based birth cohorts.


• Main risk factors and main adverse perinatal outcomes.


• The first thousand days of life and the health programming.


• Causal inference in Maternal and Child Health.


• Exposome: theoretical concept, methodologies, projects and research results


• Interventions in Maternal and Child Health and health policies.

Mandatory literature

Russell S. Kirby, Sarah Verbiest; Kotch's Maternal and Child Health: Problems, Programs, and Policy in Public Health, 2021
John Ehiri; Maternal and Child Health: Global Challenges, Programs, and Policies, 2009

Teaching methods and learning activities

In theoretical classes, expository teaching methods, and knowledge sharing and discussion will be used. In theoretical-practical classes, participatory teaching methods in the context of the classroom will be used, namely practical exercises, thematic debates, analysis and discussion of scientific articles and investigation or intervention protocols, among others.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	40,00
Trabalho escrito	60,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	3,00
Estudo autónomo	42,00
Frequência das aulas	24,00
Trabalho escrito	12,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance of at least 75% of all classes.

Calculation formula of final grade

(oral presentation group work mark *0.4) + (written individual assignment mark *0.6)

Classification improvement

The student can improve the grade of the individual component, by submitting a new individual assignment (there is no improvement of the group work component).