PREVENTION AND HEALTH EDUCATION

Module Hygiene

Dublin Descriptor 1 – Knowledge and understanding
The student knows the basic concepts of health and disease, the main determinants of health (biological, environmental, social, behavioural) and the levels of prevention (primary, secondary, tertiary) in relation to nutrition.
The student is familiar with the fundamentals of general hygiene and descriptive epidemiology, with particular reference to the role of epidemiology and prevention in studying infectious and chronic‑degenerative diseases of nutritional interest.

Dublin Descriptor 2 – Applying knowledge and understanding
The student is able to apply the concepts of health determinant, risk factor and level of prevention to the analysis of simple real‑life situations (e.g. everyday settings, study or work environments) with implications for dietary habits.
The student can recognise, in elementary cases, the main risk and protective factors for health related to diet, living environments and the occurrence of infectious and non‑communicable diseases.

Dublin Descriptor 3 – Making judgements
The student can formulate simple judgements on the impact of behaviours, environmental conditions and dietary habits on health, distinguishing between favourable and unfavourable habits in terms of disease prevention.
The student understands the importance of epidemiological and preventive approaches and perceives the role of the dietitian in preventing infectious and chronic‑degenerative diseases.

Dublin Descriptor 4 – Communication skills
The student can clearly describe the concepts of health determinant, risk, prevention, infectious disease and chronic‑degenerative disease, using appropriate but accessible language.
The student is able to participate in classroom discussions, presenting observations and simple prevention proposals related to basic cases or scenarios in an orderly way.

Dublin Descriptor 5 – Learning skills
The student can connect hygiene, epidemiology and prevention concepts with those learned in other courses (biology, physiology, nutritional sciences).
The student can use lecture notes, teaching materials and simple institutional documents (epidemiological reports, information sheets) to consolidate and autonomously deepen knowledge in view of third‑year courses.

Lectures to introduce epidemiology, prevention, general hygiene and food hygiene concepts, with examples from dietetic practice and public health.
Interactive activities in the classroom: discussion of simple cases and epidemiological data, exercises on identifying risk/protective factors and proposing basic preventive interventions.

Basic knowledge of biology, physiology and nutritional sciences acquired in the first year.
Elementary notions of mathematics and descriptive statistics (percentages, proportions, simple graphs) are useful to understand epidemiological examples.

Attendance in the classroom is mandatory at 70%, or as per the regulations of the Higher Bodies.

• Basics of general and descriptive epidemiology
• Role of epidemiology in public health.
• Key concepts: population, case, event, observation period, frequencies.
• Essential descriptive measures: incidence and prevalence presented qualitatively, with simple examples.
• Risk and protective factors; association and causation (overview).
• Guided reading of simple tables and graphs on overweight, obesity, diabetes and dietary habits (e.g. fruit and vegetable intake) and how these data guide nutritional prevention.
• Epidemiology and prevention of infectious diseases
• Concepts of infection, infectivity, susceptibility.
• Chain of infection and main routes of transmission (airborne, faecal‑oral, contact, vectors).
• Examples of infectious diseases relevant to nutrition and food‑related settings (e.g. gastrointestinal infections, water‑/food‑borne hepatitis).
• Principles of prevention: personal and environmental hygiene, safety of drinking water and food (overview), vaccinations (overview), interruption of the chain of transmission.
• Epidemiology and prevention of non‑communicable (chronic‑degenerative) diseases
• General epidemiological picture of major chronic diseases (cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, obesity, selected diet‑related cancers).
• Modifiable risk factors: unhealthy dietary habits, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol.
• Role of diet and lifestyles in the prevention of chronic‑degenerative diseases; overview of protective dietary patterns (e.g. Mediterranean diet).
• Difference between individual and population‑based prevention, with practical examples.
• Elements of food hygiene
• General concept of safe food and food risk.
• Appropriate behaviours for hygienic domestic management of food (storage, handling, temperature – descriptive level).
• Common domestic hygiene mistakes (practical examples) and possible consequences.
• Links between food choices, food preparation habits and health.

Fondamenti di educazione alla salute, Angela Guarino, Franco Angeli Editore

Learning assessment includes a written examination with multiple‑choice questions and short open‑ended questions on basic contents (descriptive epidemiology, epidemiology and prevention of infectious and chronic‑degenerative diseases, general and food hygiene).
If needed, a short oral examination may be carried out to verify the achievement of minimum learning outcomes or to clarify specific issues.

Assessment criteria:

• correct understanding of fundamental concepts;
• ability to apply concepts to simple practical examples;
• essential but correct use of terminology.

Designing a Health Education Intervention
The Phases of an Educational Intervention

Communication Theory