STATISTINE METODE V EPIDEMIOLOGIJI

Why in public health skills in andragogy are more
important than skills in pedagogy
In public health capacity building, which takes its place at universities, we meet
different population groups, but majority of these population groups could be
classified according to developmental psychology in early adulthood (29):
• adolescence: from puberty to about age 22-24 years;
• early adulthood: from about age 22-24 to about age 40-45 years;
• middle adulthood: from about age 40-45 years to about age 65 years;
• late adulthood: from about age 65 years to death.
If we take into consideration the developmental process of higher education in
Europe (i.e. Bologna process), and Association of Schools of Public Health of the
European Region, ASPHER, developmental recommendations for public health
profession, we expect (or we already have) following target groups:
• students of the united first- and second-cycle (undergraduate and graduate)
study of medicine and dental medicine. These students, which are mostly of
age 19-25 years, are no longer children, but also not yet fully adults (23). In
fact, they are finishing the adolescence phase, and are increasingly becoming
young adults (23). The educational process of this population group is an
exceptional art, demanding skills in pedagogy as well as in andragogy. It
should pass from teacher-oriented to the student-oriented concept of
education;
• students of the first-cycle (undergraduate, bachelor) study of public health or
related studies, e.g. Health management study at Rijeka Medical School,
Croatia (30), or Bielefeld University, Germany (31). This target population,
which is of age 19-22, is very similar to the students of the first half of study
of medicine or dental medicine - they are finishing the adolescence phase and
are becoming young adults;
• students of the second-cycle (graduate, master) study of public health (or
branches of public health, e.g. health management, health promotion, etc.).
These students are at least at the phase of younger adults (usually of age 22-
24). Since the higher education in Europe is in the process of reorientation
from full-time study to part-time study along to be employed, especially
starting from master degree study according to Bologna process, older and
older population is expected in this cycle. Working adults who will want to
succeed in their profession will create a new majority among second-cycle
students;
• students of the third-cycle (postgraduate, doctoral) study of public health or
related studies are definitely adults of at least 24 years of age, and majority of
them are employed;
• students of the professional third-cycle (e.g. postgraduate specializations of
doctors in medicine or dental medicine) study of public health or related
studies (of at least 25 years of age) are similar to the students of previous
group. The principal difference between them is that this study is more
professionally, and less scientifically oriented.
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