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A History of Public Health in Post-War Britain

Understand where public health has come from, why it looks the way it does today and where it might go next.

14,959 enrolled on this course

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A History of Public Health in Post-War Britain

14,959 enrolled on this course

  • 3 weeks

  • 4 hours per week

  • Digital certificate when eligible

  • Introductory level

Find out more about how to join this course

History can offer us a unique insight into the public health problems, policies, and practices of the past, and is of critical importance to our understanding of healthcare in the contemporary world.

This online course will offer you an opportunity to bring the past into conversation with the present, enabling you to set the changing nature of public health in post-war Britain in context with changes seen today.

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What topics will you cover?

  • How the meaning and scope of public health has changed in Britain over the last 70 years
  • The nature of public health services and their shifting relationship to local government and the National Health Service
  • Individual responsibility for public health
  • How chronic disease became a key challenge for public health
  • The persistence of infectious disease and the appearance of new conditions like HIV/AIDS
  • Socioeconomic status and its impact on public health
  • Health education techniques, tactics and effectiveness
  • Attempts to use regulations to improve public health
  • The limits of public health, its successes and failures over time.

When would you like to start?

Start straight away and join a global classroom of learners. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.

  • Available now

Learning on this course

On every step of the course you can meet other learners, share your ideas and join in with active discussions in the comments.

What will you achieve?

By the end of the course, you‘ll be able to...

  • Explore the different definitions of public health and describe how these developed over the post-war period
  • Identify the structures, organisations and individuals that put public health into practice
  • Reflect on the challenges faced by public health in post-war Britain
  • Evaluate the different solutions put forward to address public health problems in post-war Britain
  • Interpret contemporary public health structures, challenges and solutions alongside their historical context

Who is the course for?

Learners from across the world who are intrigued by the history of public health in Britain. No prior knowledge or expertise in the area is needed, although you may be a student, professional, or individual with an interest in an aligned field, such as healthcare, medicine, public health, local government, history, or science.

What do people say about this course?

"I have thoroughly enjoyed this course. I have learned a great deal about public health, and read and joined in such interesting discussions with other learners."

"A fascinating synopsis of how the system of public health developed in the UK."

Who will you learn with?

I'm an Associate Professor in History at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. I'm also Lead Educator on the course 'A History of Public Health in Post-War Britain'.

Research Fellow in the Centre for History in Public Health, LSHTM. Historian specialising in the contemporary history of public health, focusing on illicit drugs, alcohol and tobacco.

Who developed the course?

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world leader in research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Its mission is to improve health and health equity worldwide.

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Ways to learn

Choose the best way to learn for you!

Subscribe & save

$27.99

For the first two months. Automatically renews

Develop skills to further your career

  • Access to this course
  • Access to 1,000+ courses
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Digital certificate when you're eligible

Cancel for free anytime

Buy this course

$109/one-off payment

Fulfill your current learning need

  • Access to this course
  • Learn at your own pace
  • Discuss your learning in comments
  • Printed and digital certificate when you’re eligible

Limited access

Free

Sample the course materials

  • Access expires 9 Apr 2024

Find out more about certificates, Unlimited or buying a course (Upgrades)

T&Cs apply.

Learning on FutureLearn

Your learning, your rules

  • Courses are split into weeks, activities, and steps to help you keep track of your learning
  • Learn through a mix of bite-sized videos, long- and short-form articles, audio, and practical activities
  • Stay motivated by using the Progress page to keep track of your step completion and assessment scores

Join a global classroom

  • Experience the power of social learning, and get inspired by an international network of learners
  • Share ideas with your peers and course educators on every step of the course
  • Join the conversation by reading, @ing, liking, bookmarking, and replying to comments from others

Map your progress

  • As you work through the course, use notifications and the Progress page to guide your learning
  • Whenever you’re ready, mark each step as complete, you’re in control
  • Complete 90% of course steps and all of the assessments to earn your certificate

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