AIMS AND CONTENT

LEARNING OUTCOMES

The main objective of the course is to enable future teachers at nursery school to understand that health education is a primary educational need and must be included among the educational activities carried out in infant and nursery schools. Further aims are to foster an awareness of the importance of the prevention of both infectious diseases and chronic-degenerative illnesses and to transmit the basic concepts of health at school. At the end of the course, students must possess adequate knowledge of the principal concepts of health promotion and the prevention of infectious diseases, particularly those of greatest relevance to the first years of life. They must therefore show that they have understood that prevention is fundamental to safeguarding the health of both the individual and the community. Moreover, they must be able to apply the knowledge that they have acquired and must have the skills required in order to design and construct educational intervention for health promotion or disease prevention in the infant school or nursery school.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course, the student should: have knowledge of the main concepts related to health promotion and the prevention of both communicable and non-communicable diseases; demonstrate an understanding of the importance of prevention for safeguarding the health of individuals and the community; be familiar with the objectives of the National Prevention Plan and be able to design a health education intervention tailored to early childhood services.

TEACHING METHODS

Frontal lessons and group activities to develop the subjects dealt with during the class lessons.

Planning examples of educational programs of health promotion or disease prevention for application in the early childhood services.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Concept of health and its evolution over time. Determinants of health. Definitions of prevention and health promotion. Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Epidemiology and prevention of communicable diseases. Epidemiology and prevention of non-communicable diseases. The National Prevention Plan and the National Vaccine Prevention Plan. Promotion of healthy lifestyles during the first 1,000 days of life in order to protect health in youth, adulthood, and old age. Health-promoting schools. First aid.

The course contributes to the achievement of the following Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda: Goal 3, Goal 4, and Goal 16.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Study material will be provided by the teacher and published on aulaweb.

Recommended booksfor in- depth study:

Chiara Lorini, Patrizio Zanobini, Maria Grazia Santini. La salute dei bambini al nido. Carocci Editore. Manuali Faber 2024.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

Exam Board

STEFANIA MUZI (President)

DONATELLA PANATTO (President Substitute)

LESSONS

LESSONS START

First semester. Classes begin last week of September 2026.

Class schedule

HYGIENE SERVICES FOR CHILDREN

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

Mandatory written exam. The test consists of 30 multiple-choice questions with only one correct answer (1 point for each correct answer, 0 points for each incorrect or unanswered question) and 1 open-ended question. In the open-ended question, the level of knowledge achieved, the degree of in-depth understanding, and the ability to use appropriate terminology will be assessed. An oral exam may be taken at the student’s request in order to improve the grade obtained in the written exam.

Students with disabilities, Specific Learning Disorders (SLD/DSA), or Special Educational Needs (SEN/BES) are reminded that, in order to request exam accommodations, they must first submit their certification to the University Office for Inclusion Services for Students with Disabilities and with SLD/DSA.

Subsequently, in order to request exam accommodations, students with a disability or SLD/DSA must complete the form available on the following page: Services for students with disabilities or with SLD/DSA | UniGe | University of Genoa. Students with SEN/BES, instead, must send an email to the Professor, copying the School Contact Person for the inclusion of students with disabilities and SLD/DSA (laura.traverso@unige.it) and the “Student Inclusion Office”: inclusione.studenti@info.unige.it.

The email must specify:

the name of the course

the date of the exam session

the student’s surname, first name, and student ID number

the compensatory tools and dispensatory measures considered appropriate and requested.

For all students, requests for accommodations must be submitted well in advance of the exam date, that is, at least 7 working days beforehand. Late requests may not be accepted.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

Mandatory written exam. The written format ensures the impartiality of the assessment and makes it possible to test the achievement of the course aims across the entire program covered. This method is considered suitable for properly assessing the student’s achievement of the general and specific learning objectives.

An oral exam may be taken at the student’s request in order to improve the grade obtained in the written exam. In the oral exam, the level of knowledge, the quality of the presentation, and the ability to use terminology appropriate to the subject matter will be assessed.

FURTHER INFORMATION

A page dedicated to the teaching program will be activated on aulaweb. The study material presented during the lessons will be regularly uploaded to this page, as will other material required for further in-depth study.

The teacher will publish all information regarding the teaching program on this page.