Sectoral Differences in the Application of Global Health Competencies: A Study of MPH Alumni

Background

This study aimed to examine whether professionals from different sectors experience significant differences in the frequency of performing tasks that involve global health competencies.

Method

The cross-sectional study was conducted among Master of Public Health (MPH) alumni from the Medical Faculty University of Belgrade between October 2023 to February 2024. Fifty-four alumni participated (28.9% response rate) in the assessment of the 51 GH competencies classified in 23 categories. The questionnaire was based on the Global Public Health Curriculum developed by the ASPHER Section on Education for Global Public Health. A five-point scale was used to indicate the current level of performance, where 1 stands for daily requests and 5 for not at all. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used to test the differences by type of organization.

Results

All alumni were employed at the time of the study. The distribution of sectors was as follows: healthcare institutions (37%), educational sector (24.1%), governmental sector (9.3%), international organizations (7.4%), NGOs (5.6%), and other sectors (16.7%). Cronbach’s alpha values greater than 0.70 were obtained across all 23 GH competency categories, demonstrating sufficient internal consistency. Significant differences in the frequency of GH competency application by type of organization were observed in all categories except for environmental health and climate change, universal health coverage, public health ethics, and human rights and health.

Conclusions

The findings reveal significant sectoral differences in the frequency of performing tasks related to global health competencies. However, certain competencies, such as public health ethics and human rights, show consistent application across sectors. Further research is needed to explore the implications of these differences and to tailor global health competency education to the specific needs of various sectors.

Key messages

• Significant sectoral differences exist in the frequency of performing tasks related to GH competencies, highlighting the varying relevance of these skills across different professional environments.

• Despite these sectoral differences, competencies like public health ethics and human rights show consistent application across sectors, suggesting their universal importance in global health practice.