Public Health: Science, Politics, Prevention (LÝÐ101F)

The course provides an overview of definitions, history, aims, legislation, methods and ethical considerations in public health and public health sciences. The course lays emphasis on global public health as well as on the Icelandic health care system, its administration and funding in comparison with health care systems in other nations. An overview is provided on Icelandic and international databases on health and disease and possibilities for their utilization in research and policy making for health promotion. In addition, current public health issues at each time are emphasized.

Determinants of health, health promotion and disease prevention (LÝÐ104F)

The course provides an overview of the main determinants of health in a westernized society (such as Iceland) and preventive interventions at different levels of such societies. With main emphasis on planning, implementing and documentation of the effectiveness of interventions aiming at general health promotion and primary prevention, the course also covers examples of secondary and tertiary prevention. The students get training in planning their own preventive interventions.

Epidemiology - a quantitative methodology (LÝÐ107F)

The course is an introduction to epidemiological research methods and causal inference. An overview is provided on measure of disease occurrence, measures of outcome (relative risks), and study design (experiments, intervention studies, cohort studies and case-control studies). Emphasis is on systematic errors and on methods to avoid such errors in planning (study design) and in data analyses. Students get training in reviewing epidemiological studies.

Sleep, health and recovery (ÍÞH049F)

The course will discuss of the importance of sleep and sleep’s great role in relation to sports, recovery, and health. The subjects in the course are based on sleep need and architecture for various age groups, importance of sleep for training and recovery, both for physical and mental health. The course will be based on studies on sleep and its associations with sport and health sciences. 

Nutritional epidemiology (NÆR701F)

The aim of the course is to increase students‘ understanding of the main research methods in nutritional epidemiology and to enhance students‘ ability to understand nutrigenomics.

The course will cover the basics of epidemiology and nutritional epidemiology.  Methodology in nutritional epidemiology will be covered in depth and special topics in this field introduced.  The field nutrigenomics will be explained.    

R Programming (MAS102M)

Students will perform traditional statistical analysis on real data sets. Special focus will be on regression methods, including multiple regression analysis. Students will apply sophisticated methods of graphical representation and automatic reporting. Students will hand in a projects where they apply the above mentioned methods on real datasets in order to answer research questions

Theories and Perspectives in Disability Studies (FFR102F)

This course focuses on the historical development of theories and perspectives on disability. Emphasis will be on ideologies that have influenced policies, services and disabled people everyday lives and social participation (i.e. normalization, independent living and human rights conventions). Considerable time will be devoted to exploring the new discipline Disability Studies, its origins, main characteristics and relations to other scholarship. Different theoretical perspectives on disability will be examined and the influence of particular theoretical approaches on the development of disability theory. Theoretical discussion will be connected to the disabled people's movements, human rights (including the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities), national and international policies, law and the social situation of disabled people.

Managerial economics and health services (HJÚ142F)

The course aims at introducing students to economical issues as well as managerial accounting affecting health services. The same issues affect all factors whether the institutions in question are large or small and no matter if publicly or privately held. The appearance of these factors will be studied and how to affect them in a positive way. Concepts addressed:

• Supply, demand, factors of production, elasticity.
• Variable-, fixed-, direct- and indirect costs
• Taxation and externalities. Private- and public goods.
• Trade and comparative advantage. Circular flow of the economy.
• Cost of living, indexes and national accounts.
• Financial accounting, income statement and balance sheet.
• Cost accounting, managerial benchmarks.

General Gender Studies (KYN101F)

The course addresses the main issues in gender studies through the lens of diversity in modern societies. The gender perspective is applied to provide an overview of the status and condition of men and women. The origins and development of the fight for women’s rights and gender studies as an academic field. The main concepts of gender studies are introduced, including sex, gender, essentialism and constructivism. Finally, the course looks into how gender necessarily intersects with other social factors.

Teaching Arrangement: The course is based on flipped learning, which means that all lectures will be available on Canvas. On-campus and distance students attend weekly discussion sessions at the university or on Teams, and online students participate in weekly discussions on Canvas

Biostatistics I (LÝÐ105F)

This course is an introduction to statistics in the life sciences. The course covers the following topics. Types of data: categorical data, count data, data on continuous variables. Descriptive statistics; numerical statistics and statistical graphs. Probability distributions, the binomial distribution, the Poisson distribution and the normal distribution. The definitions of a random sample and of a population. Sampling distributions. Confidence intervals and hypothesis testing. Comparison of means between groups. Statistical tests for frequency tables. Linear and logistic regression with ROC analysis. Survival analysis with the methods of Kaplan-Meier and Cox. The course is based on lectures and practical sessions in computer labs. In the practical sessions exercises are solved with the statistical software package R and the RStudio environment.

Biostatistics II (Clinical Prediction Models ) (LÝÐ301F)

This course is a continuation of Biostatistics I and constitutes a practical guide to statistical analyses of student's own research projects. The course covers the following topics. Estimation of relative risk/odds ratios and adjusted estimation of relative risk/odds ratios, correlation and simple linear regression, multiple linear regression and logistic regression. The course is based on lectures and practical sessions using R for statistical analyses.

Global health (MAN0A3F)

Global health priorities are the focus of this course. The global burden of disease across countries will be scrutinized, as well as inequality and other important socio-economic determinants of health in a globalized world. Particular focus will be given to maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health from a global perspective, as well as health systems designed to provide good and timely services. Global nutritional challenges and mental health issues will be discussed as well as prevention and impact of infectious diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, cholera, Ebola and COVID-19. Other subjects for discussion and analysis with importance for health include violence, environment, culture, disaster and complex emergencies, as well as ethical issues. In addition, the work and policies of international institutions and development organizations will be discussed, including the Sustainable Development Goals.

R for beginners (MAS103M)

The course focuses on statistical analysis using the R environment. It is assumed that students have basic knowledge of statistics and will learn how to apply statistical methods they know in R. Main topics are loading data, graphical representation, descriptive statistics and how to perform the most common hypothesis tests (t- test, chi-square test, etc.) in R. In addition, students will learn how to make reports using the knitr package.

The course is taught during a five week period. A teacher gives lectures and students work on a project in class.

Introduction to Environment and Natural Resources (UAU102F)

The increase in human numbers and the scale of economic activity has put humans in a position to greatly influence environmental and resource change. Explaining the extent and impact of this influence or selecting and designing appropriate management methods is well beyond the theory and analytical tools of individual disciplines, such as economics, ecology, social or physical sciences. Before introducing the perspective and tools of various disciplines students must have at a minimum a basic understanding of the driving forces behind in addition to the physical and ecological principles of environmental and resource change. The aim of this course is to provide such a background. Some of the topics covered are:the ecological footprint, population growth, economic growth, technology and the environment, natural capital and ecosystem services, diversity as a resource, soil degradation, Pollution and health, Air, water and soil pollution. Climate change and ozone depletion. Urban smog and pollution from heavy industry. Municipal and hazardous waste. Freshwater resources, Marine resources. Forests and wetlands. Energy resources and Energy and the environment.

Trauma and its impact on health (LÝÐ0A0F)

This course describes trauma in childhood and adulthood, including violence, accidents, disasters and life-threatening illness and their association with mental and physical health. Emphasis will be placed on introducing the scientific foundation of the trauma field and understanding scientific articles in this area. The main topics of the course include:

• Prevalence of traumatic events and acute stress reactions.
• Mental health problems following trauma, such as posttraumatic stress disorder, anxiety, depression, sleep disturbances, substance abuse and prolonged grief.
• The disease burden of trauma, due to e.g., cardiovascular diseases, cancers, autoimmune diseases, and suicide.
• The influence of environmental and genetic factors in the development of psychological and physical diseases following trauma.
• Factors that promote recovery post-trauma and reduce the risk of long-term health problems.
• Evidence-based treatment options for PTSD.

The course is intended for students who want to increase their scientific knowledge of the relationship between trauma and health. It is only intended for postgraduate students. The course consists of lectures by the main supervisor and selected guest speakers who are experts in the field of trauma. Emphasis will be placed on discussions and active participation of students.

Epidemiology of Physical Activity (ÍÞH211F)

Objective: Provide students with the oportunity to deepen their knowledge about the interaction between lifestyle, exercise and health and by looking at research in the field. Moreover, to gain more knowledge about various lifestyle-related diseases and the effects of exercise and training on them, both through preventive measures (primary prevention) and as a treatment option (secondary prevention).

The course is intended to introduce epidemiological research methods in the field of the relationship between physical activity and health and increase students' understanding and skills in reading scientific articles critically. How exercise affects health and reduces the risk of various lifestyle-related diseases will be explored. Research and observations on the interaction between movement-related lifestyles and different health factors will be discussed. The course will be taught in lecture format.

Health promotion (ÍÞH209F)

The main topic of this course is the importance and intitution of health promotion in various setting of society; the workplace, schools, sports as well as within the roam of people‘s leisure time. Various theories underlying health promotion will be introduced and the pros and cons of applying them in real life context will be discussed.  Students will have the platform to learn about the organization, execution and the process of health promotion. Special emphasis will be on introducing different methods to evaluate both the process and outcome of health promoting projects.

The course format is built on lectures and seminars. Active participation in class discussion, project productions and seminars is required.

Abnormal Psychology and Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (LÝÐ005F)

The course gives an overview of various models for defining mental disorders. Students are introduced to methods of current interventions and the results of outcome research. In addition, health will be defined and how thoughts are believed to influence health and health behaviour. The basic theory of Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) will be introduced and a theoretical overview of CBT, models, concepts and methods presented.

Welfare of Elderly People (ÍÞH051F)

 In the course, students will deal with the concept of aging, quantity and quality of life and individual differences. The students will also be dealing with changes in structure, capacity and endurance with age cardiovascular and pulmonary function, muscular strength and power. Students will read researches to increase their ability to make use of research outcomes and will do exercises in older people to understand better the condition of this age group. Students will be trained in preparing a research, use of computer programs that do statistical analysis and publish findings from researchs. The focus will also be on motor coordination, motor control and skill and the physical-psychological relationships.

Procedure

Lectures, discussions, researches and exercises.

Ethics of Science and Research (HSP806F)

The course is intended for postgraduate students only. It is adapted to the needs of students from different fields of study. The course is taught over a six-week period.

The course is taught 12th January - 16th February on Fridays from 1:20 pm - 3:40 pm.

Description: 
The topics of the course include: Professionalism and the scientist’s responsibilities. Demands for scientific objectivity and the ethics of research. Issues of equality and standards of good practice. Power and science. Conflicts of interest and misconduct in research. Science, academia and industry. Research ethics and ethical decision making.

Objectives: 
In this course, the student gains knowledge about ethical issues in science and research and is trained in reasoning about ethical controversies relating to science and research in contemporary society.

The instruction takes the form of lectures and discussion. The course is viewed as an academic community where students are actively engaged in a focused dialogue about  the topics. Each student (working as a member of a two-person team) gives a presentation according to a plan designed at the beginning of the course, and other students acquaint themselves with the topic as well for the purpose of participating in a teacher-led discussion.

Bioethics and Ethics of Medicine (HSP823M)

A discussion of some controversial issues in the field of bioethics, in particular those relating to developments in genetics and their possible effects upon medical services and health care policy.

Health behaviour and food choice (ÍÞH036M)

This course concerns health behaviour in general. The health behaviour of different age groups will be addressed as well as the association between biological factors, health behaviour and social status. How can behaviour, coping and stress affect health? Behaviour in relations to food and consumption habits is of particular interest. How is it possible to shape healthy habits from childhood, for example to influence food choice and overcome pickiness about food? Societal influence and the part of media is also addressed. The course literature is from various books and scientific articles from different fields and is intended to capture the subject in an interdisciplinary manner.

Epidemiology of Physical Activity (ÍÞH211F)

Objective: Provide students with the oportunity to deepen their knowledge about the interaction between lifestyle, exercise and health and by looking at research in the field. Moreover, to gain more knowledge about various lifestyle-related diseases and the effects of exercise and training on them, both through preventive measures (primary prevention) and as a treatment option (secondary prevention).

The course is intended to introduce epidemiological research methods in the field of the relationship between physical activity and health and increase students' understanding and skills in reading scientific articles critically. How exercise affects health and reduces the risk of various lifestyle-related diseases will be explored. Research and observations on the interaction between movement-related lifestyles and different health factors will be discussed. The course will be taught in lecture format.

Health promotion (ÍÞH209F)

The main topic of this course is the importance and intitution of health promotion in various setting of society; the workplace, schools, sports as well as within the roam of people‘s leisure time. Various theories underlying health promotion will be introduced and the pros and cons of applying them in real life context will be discussed.  Students will have the platform to learn about the organization, execution and the process of health promotion. Special emphasis will be on introducing different methods to evaluate both the process and outcome of health promoting projects.

The course format is built on lectures and seminars. Active participation in class discussion, project productions and seminars is required.

Global Health (LÝÐ045F)

The course provides an overview of public health in a global perspective. A special emphasis will be placed on the United Nation‘s Sustainable Development Goals and the Icelandic government’s plan of implementation. Additionally, specialists from different sectors will cover selected topics which may include health predictors, determinants of health and burden of disease in low income countries, social inequality, as well as policies that might improve primary health care and public health in those areas; the effects of conflict, insecurity and natural disasters on health; and relief worker experiences working in disaster areas.

The course may include a field trip to an institution in the fields of foreign policy, aid work or refugee resettlement in Iceland. 

Biostatistics III (Survival analysis) (LÝÐ079F)

The course covers methods for analysis of cohort studies using methods for time to event or survival analysis. It is based on the course Biostat III – Survival analysis for epidemiologists in R at the Karolinska Institutet: See (https://biostat3.net/index.html): "Topics covered include methods for estimating patient survival (life table and Kaplan-Meier methods), comparing survival between patient subgroups (log-rank test), and modelling survival (primarily Poisson regression, Cox proportional hazards model and flexible parametric models). The course addresses the concept of 'time' as a potential confounder or effect modifier and approaches to defining 'time' (e.g., time since entry, attained age, calendar time). The course will emphasise the basic concepts of statistical modelling in epidemiology, such as controlling for confounding and assessing effect modification." 

Epidemiologic Methods (Epidemiology II) (LÝÐ085F)

The aim of the course is to increase students‘ understanding of advanced methods in epidemiology and to enhance students‘ ability to interpret results and assess the quality of scientific research in epidemiology.

The course will cover positive and negative confounding, matching, propensity score, effect modification and interaction, instrumental variables, causal diagrams, and missing data. Scientific articles in epidemiology will be studied and discussed.

Public Health Nutrition (NÆR611M)

Course description:

The course introduces the main topics and challenges of public health nutrition, but also methods and approaches in the field of health promotion. Emphasis will be placed on health promotion projects in the field of nutrition in the West but also in developing countries. Nutrition is placed in the context of other health-related behaviors, people's situations and lifestyles. The main theories about health-related behaviors will be introduced, which factors control consumption behavior and what can be important if changes are made to health-related behaviors. The main nutrition-related prevention and health promotion projects in Iceland as well as foreign projects will be presented. Students gain skills in organizing public health projects in the field of nutrition and how research results can be used for prevention and measures aimed at improving health. All the main steps in shaping and preparing a project, its implementation and evaluation of results will be discussed.

We try to answer following questions as well as others:

Do we really control what we eat - or do we have limited choices?

Is public health determined solely by politics?

Is nutrition literacy an important concept?

Is your diet ruining Mother Earth's health?

Do you get something to eat if there is a war abroad?

What is your responsibility for starving children in the world?

What really governs the world?

Do you want to be involved in changing the world?

Create health promotion projects of your choice.

Risk behavior and resilience among adolescents (UME206F)

The course focuses on young people’s risk behavior (e.g. drug use, deviance, inconsistent school attendance) and resilience related to various pedagogical, social, educational, and psychological factors. Subjects dealt with in the course will for example be young people’s social development, communication skills, mental disorders, sexual reproductive health, trauma and their view on different challenges in their life. Different preventive measures will be discussed and the role of homes, schools and recreations in different preventions. A special focus is on developmental research that explores the relationship between developmental growth and risk behavior. Projects are designed to seek understanding on how young people perceive risk factors in their lives.

The course is offered as a distant education course. Teaching lessons will be recorded and put on the CANVAS education management system but if there is real time teaching then it will be recorded and put on CANVAS. Discussion lessons are once a week (60 min.) were students can choose between being in-house or online. The same goes for essay presentations which are at the end of the semester.

Factors of Influence in Ageing: Environment, Social Relationships and Health (ÖLD201F)

The goal of this course is to deepen students' knowledge of gerontology and geriatrics. The social, biological and psychological aspects of aging will be discussed. Services for older adults  will be discussed in general as well as caring for special needs. Icelandic and international research will be presented. Various theories in gerontology will be examined and their effects on attitudes towards and services for older people. Cross discipline teamwork will be discussed with emphasis placed on working with various professions.