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Global and Environmental Health Issues Assignment Report – Environmental Risk Assessment

Learning Outcomes –

A. Understand the concept of environmental factors influencing health, and the relevance to public health from the global to the local levels.

B. Describe key agencies, institutional structures, political processes, influences on and challenges for environmental health.

C. Understand the way in which globalisation and the social, economic and political determinants of health influence disease, including identification of vulnerable groups.

D. Understand the concept of sustainable development.

E. Identify and critique ethical elements relevant to environmental health protections, policies, and industry practices, from global to local scale.

F. Critically analyse the relationships between environmental risk factors and social, economic and political determinants of illness and injury from global to local scale.

Instructions: Choose a specific geographic region and one of the following environmental health issues:

Water (safe drinking water or ambient/environmental water)

Sanitation (wastewater control)

Air quality (indoor or outdoor)

Solid waste management

Hazardous/toxic substances

Noise

Disasters

Food safety

Traffic accidents

Vector-borne disease

Climate and geography

Housing and the built environment

Please address the following:

Part 1 (1000 words)

Using the WHO (1999) DPSEEA framework, describe the driving forces, pressures, state changes, exposures and effects relevant to your chosen region and environmental health issue.

Are there any social, political or economic influences on the issue that aren't captured by the DPSEEA framework?

Part 2 (1000 words) –

How is the environmental health issue currently being managed? What is the role of existing health agencies and other agencies, key stakeholders including community groups, critical infrastructure and legislative and regulatory measures at the federal and state level?

What suggestions do you propose to address gaps in current policy, regulation and management for this environmental health issue?

Assessment Criteria – Assignments will be assessed in terms of the extent to which students demonstrate:

Knowledge and understanding of evidence-based approaches to environmental risk assessment and management.

Critical analysis –

Critical analysis of the driving forces (economic, social, political, institutional, developmental) behind the environmental determinants

Critical analysis of the impact of the environmental risk upon the geographic population

Critical analysis of the impact of the environmental risk upon equity issues

Analysis of evidence to recommend changes in current policy, regulation and management.

General Assessment Criteria –

Provides a lucid introduction

Shows a sophisticated understanding of the key issues

Shows ability to interpret relevant information and literature in relation to chosen topic

Demonstrates a capacity to explain and apply relevant concepts

Shows evidence of reading beyond the required readings

Justifies any conclusions reached with well-formed arguments and not merely assertions

Provides a conclusion or summary.