Environmental Assets for Health

In this course we take an interdisciplinary approach to environmental determinants of health. Health promotion, disease prevention, urban planning and decision-making come together in a field research assignment resulting in an advisory report on healthy neighbourhood design in a real life setting. Themes covered include climate change events and health protection; nature and urban green assets to health; urban design and environmental justice; healthy workplace and healthy hospitals; and their influence on people's health and vulnerable groups. The central questions in this course are: what are causal mechanisms of environmental determinants and health; how can EcoHealth systems research into these mechanisms be designed and conducted; and how can such EcoHealth research inform and influence decision-making on urban neighbourhood design? Data are collected on a topic and in a living neighbourhood by choice. Methods include spatial mapping and neighbourhood auditing; browsing public atlas and health database collections; and academic literature study.

• Explain physical and social determinants of health from an EcoHealth perspective and describe how these determinants affect human health and vulnerable groups

• Draw implications from health and environmental data and the academic literature for spatial design

• Collect and analyse data from public databases and apply spatial mapping tools in two comparative neighbourhoods

• Assess exposure to environmental health risks and resources and compare similarities and differences between both neighbourhoods

• Apply the above in a scientifically substantiated advisory report for the design of a 'healthy' neighbourhood

• Assignment report (50%) An advisory report written by two students.
• Written test with open and closed questions (50%)

ZSS06200 Fieldwork Safety HSO10806 Introduction to Health and Society;
YRM10306 Research Methods in the Social Sciences;
HSO10306 Global Health.
For students from other educational programs than BSc of Health and Society (BGM), introductory readings are available.

• A list with weblinks to mandatory and supplementary literature will be made available in Brightspace.