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Unit information: Physical Activity , Disease and Public Health in 2023/24

Unit name Physical Activity , Disease and Public Health
Unit code PHEDM4013
Credit points 20
Level of study M/7
Teaching block(s) Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director Dr. Armstrong
Open unit status Not open
Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units)

None

Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units)

None

Units you may not take alongside this one

None

School/department School for Policy Studies
Faculty Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Unit Information

Why is this unit important?

This unit will critically review the role of inactivity in the aetiology of disease and the role of physical activity in the prevention and management of disease, highlighting the different roles of physical activity at different life stages. The unit will review key issues in identifying the optimal physical activity recommendation for public health, enabling students to understand the links between physical activity and health for people of all ages and across a range of lifestyles and backgrounds. This unit also contains a parallel theme related to communicating your science with the lay public, thereby developing a wider range of transferable skills valued by future employers.

How does this unit fit into your programme of study

PADPH is the second unit of the course to focus on examining the evidence base for the role of lifestyle factors (in this case, physical activity) in the prevention and management of chronic disease. It will develop your understanding of why we should be concerned about physical activity behaviour in relation to health.

Your learning on this unit

An overview of content

This unit will critically review the role of inactivity in the aetiology of disease and the role of physical activity in the prevention and management of disease, highlighting the different roles of physical activity at different life stages. The unit will review key issues in identifying the optimal physical activity recommendation for public health, enabling students to understand the links between physical activity and health for people of all ages and across a range of lifestyles and backgrounds. This unit also contains a parallel theme related to communicating your science with the lay public, facilitating your development of a wider range of skills valued by future employers.

How will students, personally, be different as a result of the unit

Students will have gained new subject specific knowledge in relation to the relationships between physical activity, disease, and public health. They will have also gained new transferable skills in critically communicating science with a lay audience.

Learning outcomes

  1. Be familiar with and able to critically appraise the theory and evidence base for physical activity in the aetiology of chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, osteoporosis and mental disorders.
  2. Understand the key issues involved in optimising health at different life stages and transitions including childhood and adolescence, middle age, and older age.
  3. Be aware of and critically evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of physical activity assessment methods
  4. To develop science communication skills required for communicating scientific content critically to a lay audience

How you will learn

The unit will be delivered through blended learning involving a combination of lectures, group discussion and self-directed exercises.

How you will be assessed

Part 1: 1500-word critical review for a lay audience (50%; covers ILO 1,3,4).

Part 2: A one-page (A4 size) infographic to present the evidence for the role of physical activity in the prevention and/or management of a chronic disease and a 1000-word summary (50%; covers ILO 1-4).

Subject to the university regulations for taught programmes, unsuccessful students may be offered an opportunity for reassessment in the failed element(s). This will comprise the same task as the original assessment.

Resources

If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.

If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. PHEDM4013).

How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks, independent learning and assessment activity.

See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.

Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit. The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.

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