Problem-based learning exercise in epidemiology: undernutrition in Iraqi children

An authentic, real life community health problem of Iraqi children under the age of five years, is used in the design of a learning exercise, to help medical students acquire a retrievable knowledge base in epidermiology of nutritional disorders, to develop their epidemiological reasoning skills and to promote their self directed learning skills. The format of the exercise is a multiple of three basic steps: The first is the presentation of information, the students' in the second step are asked to formulate hypothesis and identify inquiry strategies and explain rationally for the hypotheses and inquires made. Students' answers are then compared in the third step with the epidemiologist's suggested responses