Table_1_A narrative review of the CEPH-accredited bachelor’s public health programs’ curricula in the United States.docx

BackgroundUndergraduate programs in public health are becoming increasingly popular in the United States (US). The recent pandemic, growing climate instability, and the aging baby boomers have led to higher demands for skilled public health professionals at various levels of the workforce. This study examines the nature of courses being delivered in undergraduate public health programs across the United States. The goal is to assess domains, themes, competencies, and other specialized skills that are currently covered in these academic programs.
MethodologyA search was conducted in February 2023 using the online CEPH program database to identify undergraduate public health programs in the US. In total, 86 institutions and 90 CEPH-accredited undergraduate public health programs were identified. Lists of public health courses were retrieved from each program, and a total of 2,259 unduplicated courses were extracted and analyzed. A content analysis of the extracted topics was conducted to generate 38 common themes among the courses offered. Coded course themes were mapped to the public health domains and competencies listed by the ASPPH and CEPH to evaluate the distribution of themes across course offerings.
ResultsAnalysis of course themes found that Foundations of Public Health, Epidemiology, Public Health Management, Policy, and Leadership, Climate and Environmental Health, and Global Health Issues were the most prevalent. When course themes were mapped onto the ASPPH and CEPH domains of critical public health learning, “overview of public health” and “determinants of health” were the most populated domains. Programs had different emphases according to their approach, but overall, about two-thirds of course themes were focused on foundational and theoretical concepts of public health, and one-third were directed toward practical applications of public health concepts.
ConclusionAs the demand for skilled public health workers continues to rise, programs will need to watch the skills and competencies required in the current working environment, as well as the ASPPH and CEPH criteria, and adjust their approach accordingly. Given the rapid changes in the public health landscape, schools and programs of public health should evaluate their curricula to ensure that they are meeting the needs of the workforce and the world.

研究背景：美国本科公共卫生项目愈发受到青睐。近期全球大流行、日益严峻的气候不稳定问题，以及婴儿潮一代的老龄化，使得各级劳动力市场对高素质公共卫生专业人才的需求持续攀升。本研究旨在梳理美国境内本科公共卫生项目的课程开设现状，评估当前这些学术项目所涵盖的知识领域、课程主题、能力素养及其他专项技能。

研究方法：本研究于2023年2月依托CEPH（公共卫生教育认证委员会）官方在线项目数据库开展检索，以识别美国境内的本科公共卫生项目。最终共纳入86所院校的90个获CEPH认证的本科公共卫生项目。随后从各项目中提取公共卫生课程清单，最终得到2259门去重后的课程并进行分析。通过对提取的课程主题开展内容分析法，归纳出38个通用课程主题。将编码后的课程主题映射至ASPPH（美国公共卫生学院与项目协会）与CEPH公布的公共卫生领域及能力素养框架，以此评估各类课程主题在开课设置中的分布情况。

研究结果：对课程主题的分析显示，公共卫生基础、流行病学、公共卫生管理、政策与领导力、气候与环境卫生以及全球卫生议题是最为常见的课程主题。将课程主题映射至ASPPH与CEPH制定的核心公共卫生学习领域后发现，“公共卫生概论”与“健康决定因素”是覆盖课程主题最多的两个领域。各项目因办学思路不同而各有侧重，但整体而言，约三分之二的课程主题聚焦于公共卫生基础理论概念，剩余三分之一则侧重公共卫生理论的实践应用。

研究结论：随着高素质公共卫生从业者的需求持续增长，各公共卫生项目需密切关注当前职场所需的技能与能力素养，同时参考ASPPH与CEPH的认证标准，相应调整办学方案。鉴于公共卫生领域格局的快速变化，各公共卫生院校及项目应定期评估自身课程体系，确保其能够适配劳动力市场与全球社会的需求。