Public Health Nutrition
Course Specification
| Course Title: | Public Health Nutrition | Code: | NUTR1020 |
| Co-ordinator: | Dr. Paul Amuna | Level: | 6 |
| School: | School of Science | Credits: | 15 |
| Department: | Life and Sports Science | ||
Aims
- To extend and enhance knowledge of public health issues in the context of diet and disease.
- To utilise epidemiology as a tool to investigate contemporary issues relating to public health nutrition, recognising advantages and limitations.
- To enable students to critically examine important global nutritional challenges and strategies for dealing with them.
- For students to relate food and nutrition policy formulation on behaviour modification, physical activity and public health.
- To relate such food and nutrition policies to public health promotion and nutrition intervention strategies within a United Kingdom, European and Global context.
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, students will be able to: Explain and apply concepts of public health and epidemiology to nutritional issues in the community. Design suitable approaches to nutrition intervention employing principles of nutritional epidemiology. Critically examine and discuss issues relating to regional and global food and nutrition policies. Explore issues of micronutrient nutrition in public health and propose strategies reducing the prevalence of non-communicable diseases in developing and developed countries. Plan nutrition intervention programmes for different scenarios and populations. Skills Learning Outcomes: On completion of this course, students will be able to: Apply concepts and principles of nutritional epidemiology in problem-solving in public health. Design simple intervention strategies for vulnerable population groups to help tackle specific public health issues with nutritional implications. Prepare and present scientific seminars on topical issues in public health nutrition. Analyze, critically examine and interpret scientific reports on aspects of global nutritional challenges.
Indicative Content
Public health principles, concepts and definitions; determinants of health and disease using a life cycle approach; health indicator statistics; calculation of rates, relative risk and odds ratios. Principles, approaches, practical applications and potential limitations of nutritional epidemiology with specific country - examples. Global nutritional challenges with special reference to micronutrient nutrition, total energy and energy balance issues, obesity and non-communicable diseases. Hypotheses and theories of socio-economic, dietary and lifestyle links to malnutrition and chronic disease. The demographic, epidemiological and nutritional transitions; Epigenetic links to non-communicable disease risk. Public health policies in relation to physical activity, energy balance and NCD risk and management at population level. Evaluation of nutrition intervention strategies as components of health promotion. Systematic review of key nutrition and public health problems in the UK and globally. Design of strategies for nutrition intervention, famine relief, food aid and nutritional rehabilitation. Development of scientific posters and their presentation. Emergency food Relief programmes: Roles of non-governmental organizations ( NGOs ) in emergency relief.
Teaching & Learning Activity
Formal 2-hourly weekly lectures and 1-hour tutorial sessions. Lectures will include invited specialist lectures by subject specialists. Tutorial sessions will be student and problem-centred and participatory. Student-led seminar sessions are built into the programme to support the team approach to clinical problem-solving. Formative learning strategies include the use of critical scientific reviews and group seminars.
Assessment
Public Health Case Study - 30% 2000 words. Covers contemporary and topical issues in nutrition and public health and problem-solving exercises. Case Study Presentation - 10% PowerPoint (or poster) presentation of the case study reviewed. Exam - 60% Exam will comprise short answer and essay type questions, including problem-solving questions.
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