Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) Opportunities on Health Education (HE) during of mandatory social isolation context

Abstract

Background: Routine care for prevention and health promotion has reduced significantly due to the Covid-19 pandemic and mandatory social isolation measures. In this context, it is necessary to identify and describe Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) that provide opportunities for health education, promotion, and prevention aimed at the general population. The study is a systematic review of MOOCs on health education, health promotion, and prevention for the general population in a pandemic context. Methods: We developed a search for MOOC courses aimed at the general population on health education, health promotion, and prevention in different MOOC available platforms. We executed a descriptive analysis of the main characteristics of the selected MOOCs. Results: There were 117 MOOCs chosen on Health education, promotion, and prevention for the general population. Coursera (40.3%) was the platform that offered the highest quantity of MOOCs; more than half of MOOCs language was in English (52.9%). The median duration time in hours of the selected MOOCs was 11 (IR 6-15). The predominant themes were "Health promotion" (43%) and "Food and nutrition" (31%), and the origin was mainly from Europe (37.8%). Conclusions: MOOCs offerings in Health Education (HE) is diverse, predominantly in English, of European origin, and in health promotion issues. This study opens an opportunity to multiply initiatives in different territories, considering other languages and topics more akin to each territorial reality, allowing it to be a more equitable learning opportunity in times of pandemic and compulsory social isolation.