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Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Name: Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease
Rating: 4.626436781609195 (174 reviews)

Instructor: Stephen Simpson

16,734 already enrolled

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6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

174 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

6 modules

Gain insight into a topic and learn the fundamentals.

174 reviews

Beginner level

No prior experience required

Flexible schedule

2 weeks at 10 hours a week

Learn at your own pace

98%

Most learners liked this course

Skills you'll gain

Details to know

Shareable certificate

Add to your LinkedIn profile

Assessments

4 assignments¹

AI Graded see disclaimer

Taught in English

91%

of learners achieved a positive career outcome

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There are 6 modules in this course

This course is multidisciplinary in nature, and aims to equip the global audience of interested lay people, people with chronic disease, public health researchers, health clinicians, students, administrators, and researchers to reflect on the overall impact of the burden of chronic disease . It shows how all chronic diseases (obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and cancer) are related by a set of common causes, and that such diseases should be tackled, not individually, but as part of a complex system, with interrelated contributing factors. These factors are genetic, environmental, psychological, economic, social, developmental, and media related.

The Charles Perkins Centre at the University of Sydney is a unique interdisciplinary education and research hub which seeks solutions to chronic disease through a complex systems approach. Academics in many disciplines (in Science and Medicine, but also in Architecture, Humanities, Law etc) work in a collaborative fashion to produce novel solutions to the problems of chronic disease. All contributors and participants in this course are members of the Charles Perkins Centre and will speak from the unique interdisciplinary perspective that this Centre affords. The course will describe a complex systems approach as the most productive way to ease the burden of chronic disease. It then describes these diseases in detail, their risk factors, and the environmental and biological factors that have led to the current epidemic of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Finally, the solutions – and more importantly the process for finding solutions- is the subject of the last module. No one approach by itself can ever be the answer, and certainly not a simple diet and exercise approach. The entire course consists of 5 content modules, plus an extra module for completing assignments and discussions, and takes about 6 weeks to complete. Completion certificates are issued on the basis of participation in all 6 modules. What you'll learn: - How the Charles Perkins Centre recruits interdisciplinary teams to ease the burden of chronic disease - How a complex systems approach is necessary to provide solutions to a complex problem - The fundamentals of chronic disease research and where it is heading - The biggest risk factors for chronic disease and their global incidence - The biological, genetic, social, regulatory, and other influences that have inflated these risk factors - How to provide solutions globally for the reduction of chronic disease

This module looks at the impact of the increasing incidence globally of non-communicable, or chronic, diseases and how the Charles Perkins Centre is developing a new approach to this complex challenge.

What's included

5 videos5 readings1 assignment2 discussion prompts

5 videosTotal 12 minutes

Module 1 Introduction1 minute
Understanding NCDs3 minutes
How can a multidisciplinary approach solve complex societal problems?4 minutes
Solutions3 minutes
Module 1 Summary1 minute

5 readingsTotal 160 minutes

Module 1 Reading list60 minutes
Preparation for Assignment 175 minutes
A note on the weekly discussion topics...5 minutes
The presenters10 minutes
Contributors10 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Module 115 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Rise in NCDs15 minutes
Complex systems15 minutes

This module outlines the five major non-communicable diseases, Obesity, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Cancer, and the many risk factors that they share.

What's included

9 videos1 reading1 assignment3 discussion prompts

9 videosTotal 42 minutes

Module 2 Introduction3 minutes
Cardiovascular disease8 minutes
Secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease4 minutes
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease5 minutes
Diabetes Part 15 minutes
Diabetes Part 28 minutes
Obesity7 minutes
Cancer2 minutes
Module 2 Summary2 minutes

1 readingTotal 60 minutes

Module 2 Reading list60 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 230 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Socio-economic status and non-communicable diseases worldwide10 minutes
Diabetes10 minutes
Secondary prevention of cardiovascular disease10 minutes

In this module we look more closely at the main risk factors for the non-communicable diseases and at the impact our modern environment is having on the global burden of these preventable diseases.

What's included

8 videos1 reading1 assignment4 discussion prompts

8 videosTotal 40 minutes

Module 3 Introduction1 minute
Physical activity6 minutes
Diet8 minutes
Tobacco7 minutes
Alcohol7 minutes
Sleep apnoea6 minutes
Oral health5 minutes
Module 3 Summary2 minutes

1 readingTotal 60 minutes

Module 3 Reading list60 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 15 minutes

Module 315 minutes

4 discussion promptsTotal 45 minutes

Physical activity and nutrition as risk factors for non-communicable diseases.15 minutes
The NOURISHING Framework10 minutes
Sleep10 minutes
Oral health in indigenous communities10 minutes

This module will provide an overview of the main factors in our biology, our environment, our food production systems, and our human psychology that have made us susceptible to the chronic disease health crisis.

What's included

7 videos1 reading1 assignment1 peer review3 discussion prompts

7 videosTotal 33 minutes

Module 4 Introduction2 minutes
Our biology11 minutes
Our food supply3 minutes
Corporate interest3 minutes
Corporate interests and nutrition6 minutes
Our domestic environment5 minutes
Module 4 Summary3 minutes

1 readingTotal 60 minutes

Module 4 Reading list60 minutes

1 assignmentTotal 30 minutes

Module 430 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Lifestyle medicine and evolutionary biology120 minutes

3 discussion promptsTotal 30 minutes

Domestic environment 1 - walking10 minutes
Domestic environment 2 - transport10 minutes
Corporate interest10 minutes

In this module we will consider in detail the complex challenges of finding solutions to chronic diseases and how these could be brought together in developing a systems approach to address these major chronic diseases and the threat they pose to individual and population health.

What's included

5 videos2 readings1 peer review2 discussion prompts

5 videosTotal 50 minutes

Module 5 Introduction6 minutes
A discussion: Solutions23 minutes
What is one solution?5 minutes
Nutrition systems6 minutes
Precision Medicine10 minutes

2 readingsTotal 62 minutes

Module 5 Reading list60 minutes
Some cutting edge views2 minutes

1 peer reviewTotal 120 minutes

Confronting chronic disease in the community120 minutes

2 discussion promptsTotal 25 minutes

Nutrition systems10 minutes
Thoughts on solutions to chronic disease15 minutes

This module gives you time to complete your final assignment and to reflect on what you have learned in the course.

What's included

1 video1 discussion prompt

Instructor

Instructor ratings

(38 ratings)

Stephen Simpson

The University of Sydney

1 Course16,734 learners

Offered by

The University of Sydney

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Learner reviews

5 stars
76.43%
4 stars
16.09%
3 stars
3.44%
2 stars
1.72%
1 star
2.29%

Showing 3 of 174

Reviewed on Jan 3, 2019

Great course. the only thing that discouraged me is peer assignments, waiting and waiting for someone to mark my work.

Reviewed on Mar 20, 2019

Excellent course. I especially like the assignments where participants were asked to design intervention programs based on the case options that were presented.

Reviewed on Jun 29, 2020

A very informative course ! Loved the quiz and peer graded assignment .

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Frequently asked questions

Students can take this course for free or elect to purchase a certificate for A$65.

Learners who pre-enroll in an upcoming session can immediately access unlocked course resources, including:

· videos

· slideshows

· readings

· all assessments except peer review assignments

They can’t access peer review assignments before the session begins (every 4 weeks) because there needs to be enough learners enrolled in the session to grade the assignments in a timely manner. Once a session is active, learners gain access to all assessments and resources.

As this is an open online course, anyone in the world can enrol!

The course is free for everyone. You can pay for a certificate if you want to show your completion on your LinkedIn profile or get a pdf that you can add to your CV. There are no discounts for University of Sydney staff or students on the cost of the certificate.

To access the course materials, assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience when you enroll in a course. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid. The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.