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Abstract #159916

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C. Linn Gould, MS, MPH, Population Health Project, 2015 14th Avenue East, Seattle, WA 98112, 206 324-0297, ErdaEnv@aol.com

The Population Health Project (PHP) promotes dialogue, debate, and action around the ways in which political, economic, and social inequities interact to affect the health of our society (social determinants of health). PHP is currently developing, teaching, and disseminating a population health curriculum as an alternative health education model to both complement and expand upon the traditional individual health paradigm currently taught in U.S. schools. The curriculum framework addresses the underlying structural causes influencing individual health behavior, population health indicators, health disparities, policies and practices that cause health inequalities, and actions that can be taken to improve population health. Modules are designed to engage youth and adults in critically thinking about links between social justice and health equity and in using this knowledge to become strong advocates for social change (critical health literacy).

Teaching youth and adults population health concepts and how to take social action is believed to result in beneficial health outcomes at both the individual and community levels. Twelve modules addressing the social determinants of health are being developed for a PHP population health manual. This presentation describes five curricular modules developed and taught by the PHP to date: Population Health Concepts; Civic Engagement, Food Security & Hunger; Environmental Justice; and World Health & Art Activism. PHP will discuss its teaching methodology, lesson examples, student civic action projects, process and impact evaluation, as well as challenges and successes of the curriculum.

Learning Objectives:

• List five social determinants (root causes) of health in our society.
• Articulate the differences between an educational framework that focuses on individual health behavior change versus population health change.
• Define critical health literacy and give one example of how it can be applied to improve population health.

Keywords: Health Disparities, Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Any relevant financial relationships? No
Any institutionally-contracted trials related to this submission?

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

• Audio (mp3) recording
• Slides (pdf) or Handout