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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Systems Science and Obesity by Johns Hopkins University

4.6
stars
205 ratings

About the Course

Systems science has been instrumental in breaking new scientific ground in diverse fields such as meteorology, engineering and decision analysis. However, it is just beginning to impact public health. This seminar is designed to introduce students to basic tools of theory building and data analysis in systems science and to apply those tools to better understand the obesity epidemic in human populations. There will also be a lab in which students will use a simple demonstration model of food acquisition behavior using agent-based modeling on standard (free) software (netlogo). The central organizing idea of the course is to examine the obesity epidemic at a population level as an emergent properties of complex, nested systems, with attention to feedback processes, multilevel interactions, and the phenomenon of emergence. While the emphasis will be on obesity, the goal will be to explore ways in which the systems approach can be applied to other non-communicable diseases both nationally and internationally. Topics will include: a) the epidemiology of obesity across time and place, b) theories to explain population obesity, c) the role of environments and economic resources in obesity c) basic concepts and tools of systems science, d) modeling energy-balance related behaviors in context, e) agent-based models, systems dynamic models, and social network models...

Top reviews

CS

Apr 1, 2019

Fantastic course. Really thought provoking, and well presented. Useful as an intro to systems thinking, and as a way to understand the obesity epidemic in a nuanced way.

PV

Sep 12, 2017

This course was surprisingly challenging and educational. I had little background in system science, and very much enjoyed the learning process!

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51 - 53 of 53 Reviews for Systems Science and Obesity

By Margo M

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Oct 6, 2020

Wording of questions was questionable ! Also I couldn’t understand graphs! I will continue with net logo but I’d like more examples of working with obesity related data and how to interpret. Maybe that will become clearer when I work through tutorials on Netlogo

By Tomas S

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Jun 19, 2020

While interesting it does little to provide me with a sense of confidence in my capability to apply Systems Science in the wild.

By Charleen S

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Jul 25, 2017

More about systems analysis than obesity but interesting. Too much on computer model software.