Santé publique France is France’s national public health agency. A public institution under the authority of the Minister of Health, established by Ordinance 2016-246 of April 15, 2016, it works to promote public health. As a scientific and expert agency in the field of public health, its missions are:

1. Epidemiological observation and surveillance of the health status of the population;
2. Monitoring health risks threatening the population;
3. Promoting health and reducing health risks;
4. Developing prevention and health education;
5. Preparation for and response to health threats, alerts, and crises;
6. Issuing public health alerts.

The agency is organized into 12 departments—some scientific, some cross-functional, and others providing operational support.

The agency’s strategic priorities and work program, established by its Board of Directors, are organized into three areas: Strengthening the capacity for anticipation and rapid response to health threats; Measuring and assessing the extent of diseases and risk factors to guide their prevention and control; Strengthening the health impact of all public policies, as well as health prevention and promotion.

The agency’s headquarters are located in Saint-Maurice (94). The agency has regional offices within the regional health agencies. 

Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Injuries (DMNTT) - Cardio-Respiratory-Metabolic-Nutrition Unit (CaRMeN)

Internship Objectives

• Describe trends in the amount of time adults spend sitting each day based on various Public Health France surveys.
• Examine trends in the prevalence of high levels of sedentary behavior (time spent sitting exceeding 7 hours per day).
• Identify the sociodemographic and occupational factors associated with these trends.
• Produce scientific findings with the goal of disseminating these data nationally and internationally through a scientific publication and scientific presentations (at national and international conferences).

Internship Activities

• Review of the literature on sedentary behavior and health, and trends in sedentary behavior over time.
• Familiarization with the databases from the various editions of the Santé publique France Barometer.
• Harmonizing variables across different surveys.
• Conducting descriptive and comparative analyses of sedentary behavior indicators.
• Conducting statistical analyses (temporal trend analyses, stratified analyses based on sociodemographic characteristics).
• Interpretation and discussion of the results in light of the literature.
• Drafting of the internship report and a scientific article for publication in an international scientific journal.