This course builds on your basic understanding of epidemiology and biostatistics and provides you with a conceptual and practical understanding of social and behavioural research in public health, with an emphasis on survey research methods. Areas covered include social factors in health and disease, measuring difficult concepts including socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity, study design (RCTs, cohort studies, cross-sectional studies etc.), and measuring behaviours such as alcohol and drug consumption, sexual behaviour, exercise and compliance with health advice. You will learn about sampling techniques, developing and piloting questionnaires, a range of ways of collecting data, modelling social processes, and various analytical methods to interpret data and correct for confounding.

The course does not explicitly cover health promotion program design or evaluation, though measurement of patterns of behaviour addressed by behaviour change programs will be included.