Determinants of Health

Department

Master's Program International Health & Social Management

Course unit code

IHSM-EU-HEM-E2.2.1

Number of ECTS credits allocated

5.0

Name of lecturer(s)

FH-Prof. Dr. Heiss Raffael, MA

Mode of delivery

-

Recommended optional program components

none

Recommended or required reading

- Marmot, M. (2005). Social determinants of health inequalities. The Lancet, 365(9464), 1099-1104.
- Gilmore, A. B., et al. (2023). Defining and conceptualising the commercial determinants of health. The Lancet, 401(10383), 1194-1213.
- Mozaffarian, D., Angell, S. Y., Lang, T., & Rivera, J. A. (2018). Role of government policy in nutrition—barriers to and opportunities for healthier eating. The BMJ, 361:k2426.Additional literature is required according to the specific topic of the group presentations. Students will do their own literature research for this.

Additional information about examination modalities

The assessment is carried out through a group presentation and individual writing assignments.

Level of course unit

Master

Year of study

Spring 2026

Semester when the course unit is delivered

2

Language of instruction

English

Learning outcomes of the course unit

By the end of this course, students will be able to:
• Explain and critically analyze the relationship between determinants of health and health equity, including key features and challenges of social, commercial, environmental, digital, and cultural determinants.
• Analyze global policy processes related to determinants of health and apply them to different national contexts and health issues.
• Apply systems thinking to analyze the food system, identifying how different determinants interact to shape food environments, dietary behaviors, and health outcomes.

Course contents

• This course examines how different determinants of health shape population health and health inequalities, and how these determinants are influenced by governance, political, economic, and social processes.
• The course focuses on selected domains, including social, commercial, environmental, digital, and cultural determinants of health.
• As part of the course, students will apply theoretical concepts using a systems perspective to the case of the global food system.
• They will analyze how different determinants interact to shape food environments, dietary behaviors, and the prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and obesity.

Planned learning activities and teaching methods

The course uses an interactive mix of lectures, student presentations, plenary discussions, group work, and case-based learning activities to support critical reflection and application of theory to real-world health problems.

Work placement(s)

none