Hygiene (2008/2009)

Learning outcomes

According to the definition of the WHO, health can be defined as a state of physical, psychic and social comfort. The hygiene has the purpose to know and remove the causes and the risks of diseases in the population and to promote the health and the quality of life. Fundamental, to this respect, it is the epidemiological search that, through the study of the profiles of disease, it allows to know its causes, to plan the intervention of prevention and to check its effectiveness. Insofar the course will be articulate in an exposure of the epidemiological tools; in the study of the epidemiological profiles of the diseases, their causes and risk factors; the study of the interventions of prevention of the most important infectious and chronic-degenerative diseases.
Essays will come besides some problems of environmental hygiene that have important effects on the public health and the social comfort.

-Population and health: the role of the hygiene;
-The epidemiological studies: classification, objectives and expected results;
-Epidemiological models of appearance of the diseases: the concept of cause and risk factors;
-The primary, secondary and tertiary prevention;
-Infectious diseases. General epidemiology with emphasis to person to person, sexual and food transmitted diseases;
-Prophylaxis of the infectious diseases: disinfection, sterilization, antisepsis, vaccines;
-Chronic-degenerative diseases. The approach to the epidemiological know ledges and the measures of prevention concerning the following pathologies: the ischemic cardiopathy; the diabetes; and the lung , breast, portio and big bowel cancers.
-Food hygiene;
-Indoor pollution and hygiene
-The health's promotion: environmental and behavioural factors of the promotion of the quality of the life.

Texts for the examination:
- Signorelli C., Elementi di metodologia epidemiologica, Società Editrice Universo, Roma, 1998.
- Barbuti S., Bellelli E., Fara G.N., Giammanco G. (a cura), Igiene e Medicina Preventiva, Monduzzi Editore, Bologna, 2002.
- Comodo N. Manuale di Igiene. Carocci Editore, Firenze.

Open answers.