About this Course

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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

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Beginner Level

Approx. 16 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.89/5 (30 Ratings)

Stephen Simpson

Academic Director and Professor, School of Life and Environmental Sciences

Charles Perkins Centre

12,695 Learners

1 Course

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(1,400 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

Module 1 – Setting the Scene

4 hours to complete

5 videos (Total 12 min), 5 readings, 1 quiz

Week2

Week 2

3 hours to complete

Module 2 - The Big Non-Communicable Diseases

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 42 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Module 3 - The key risk factors for chronic disease

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 40 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz

Week4

Week 4

4 hours to complete

Module 4 - How did we get here?

4 hours to complete

7 videos (Total 33 min), 1 reading, 2 quizzes

Reviews

4.7

42 reviews

5 stars
77.85%
4 stars
15%
3 stars
3.57%
2 stars
1.42%
1 star
2.14%

TOP REVIEWS FROM EASING THE BURDEN OF OBESITY, DIABETES AND CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE

by HBMar 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.

by JGDec 27, 2021

Thank you so much for a very wonderful course. i have learned so much.

by RMAug 21, 2018

This helped me to understand the nature of NCDs, as well as the things we can do to prevent ourselves from being prey to these

by MHNov 13, 2018

It's really a fruitful course for any aged people to know how to manage the life style. I think its a fundamental course for each of us.

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. 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.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.
Cost
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.
Who can enrol in the course?
As this is an open online course, anyone in the world can enrol!
Is it free for University of Sydney and students?
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.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease

Easing the burden of obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease

About this Course