57138 - General and Applied Hygiene

Learning outcomes

The students will acquire basic knowledge of epidemiologic methods and the general principles of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. They will learn about the appropriate tools for a correct preventive approach towards problems of health/disease involving the individual and the collective group. In the second part of the course the students will look in more detail at methological aspects, prevention tools and health education measures with specific attention to their application to movement activity and sports.

Course contents

EPIDEMIOLOGY

Health, risk, disease. Health/disease dynamics. The state of health of the population. Scopes and methods of epidemiology. Determinism of diseases: causes and aetiologic agents; risk and risk factors. Definition of models and introduction to the epidemiological study of infectious diseases and multifactorial diseases.

GENERAL EPIDEMIOLOGY OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES  Microorganisms. Host-parasite relationships: parasitism-symbiosis, pathogenicity, opportunistic organisms, endogenic flora, “taxonomy” of pathogenic organisms. The bacteria cell, viruses: structure and mechanism of cell damage. Immune response. Sources and vehicles of infection, ways of transmitting infections.

THE BASES OF PREVENTION

General principles of individual, community and collective prevention. Primary, secondary and tertiary prevention. General guidelines for prevention of infectious diseases: direct prophylaxis (notification, quarantine measures, diagnostic ascertainment, health surveillance, epidemiologic survey, disinfection, disinfestation, sterilization), specific prophylaxis (immunoprophylaxis and chemoprophylaxis) and indirect prophylaxis.

HEALTH EDUCATION

Methods of analyzing needs and of selecting objectives, sharing of objectives. Methods of transmitting the message. Planning a health education campaign: priorities, objectives, indicators and actions. Targets for the campaign: individuals, groups (formal and informal), schools. Examination of specific projects of health education: diet and movement habits, doping.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PROPHYLAXIS OF COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Relations between physical activity and infectious diseases. Tetanus, swimming-pool infections (skin infections, gastroenteritis, conjunctivitis, otitis, meningitis) viral hepatitis, AIDS, bacterial meningitis. Immunoprophylaxis in the athlete: anti-tetanus, anti-hepatitis, anti-influenza, anti-meningococcal vaccines. Prophylaxis during international travel: traveller's diarrhoea, cholera, viral hepatitis, yellow fever, malaria, meningococcal meningitis.

EPIDEMIOLOGY AND PROPHYLAXIS OF NON COMMUNICABLE DISEASES

Cardiovascular diseases. Cancer. Diabetes. BPCO.

ENVIRONMENTAL HYGIENE

Hygiene in the school environment: building characteristics, indoor climate, indoor air quality, lighting and acoustics of classrooms and school gymnasium. Hygiene of sports facilities: problems concerning building characteristics, microclimate, sports equipment; CONI regulations; swimming pool hygiene, depuration methods of swimming pool water. Structural and procedural safety in movement activities for the prevention of accidents.

Readings/Bibliography

Hygiene:

Barbuti S, Fara GM, Giammanco G. Igiene, Medicina preventiva, Sanità pubblica, EDISES, Napoli, 2014

Ricciardi W. Igiene Medicina Preventiva e Sanità pubblica IDELSON GNOCCHI, 2013, IDELSON GNOCCHI, 2013

Brandi, Liguori, Romano Spica. Igiene e Sanità pubblica per Scienze Motorie. Antonio Delfino Editore, 2009

Igiene in Piscina, a cura di E. Leoni, Editore il Campo, 2007

Teaching methods

frontal lectures

Assessment methods

The end-of-course exam consists of an oral test and aims to verify the attainment of the teaching objectives:

- basic knowledge of epidemiology and general prophylaxis of diseases

- capacity to apply the basic knowledge of epidemiology and prophylaxis to infectious and multifactorial diseases for which physical and sport activities represent a risk factor or protective factor

- knowledge of the hygienic and safety norms for sports facilities and of the control procedures both inside and outside the structures 

The final mark for general and applied hygiene is calculated from the average of the marks obtained in 3 specific questions on topics inherent to the principal objectives of the course

Teaching tools

Teaching material: the teaching material presented during lessons will be made available to students in electronic format through the internet (http:/campus.unibo.it). Usernames and passwords are reserved for the students of Bologna University

Office hours

See the website of Erica Leoni