Aims

To utilise recent literature to consider the relationships between diet, health, and chronic disease, and how these relationships inform public health strategy and implementation.

Outline Of Syllabus

Research-informed lectures will cover the following topics:

•An overview of nutritional epidemiology and research study design.
•Monitoring diet at a population level. Food-based dietary guidelines.
•The role of nutrition in the aetiology of common chronic diseases.
•The interaction of diet and other environmental factors (diversity, inequalities, socioeconomic factors) in determining behaviours, lifestyles, and the prevention of disease.
•Prevalence of global malnutrition including obesity and nutrient deficiencies.
•Population preventive and treatment strategies for nutrition-related diseases.

Group based workshops will be used to facilitate delivery of the following topics:

•Determinants of health.
•Public health needs assessment.
•Current public health policy and promotion.
•Key Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition reports and UK dietary reference values
•Theory and ethics of health promotion and health education including behaviour change strategies.
•Social marketing and health promotion campaign models. The role of mass media.
•UK, international, government, and non-governmental organisation policies. Relevant government white papers.
•Nutrition policy development and implementation.
•Planning and evaluation of health promotion campaigns.
•Working with communities.
•Health economics

However, as this is a constantly changing field with new health initiatives and advice, and more nutrition-related diseases developing, the syllabus may change somewhat to reflect this fact.

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Research-led lectures are used to deliver key information relevant to the subject. These are balanced with a diverse array of up-to-date resources where students are encouraged to explore topics in more depth. In the workshops and tutorials, the knowledge base on health promotion is built upon via a student-centered approach and critique of public health initiatives.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The exam tests the students’ ability to produce clear and concise essays on topics which require integration of information from the lectures and additional reading and to justify the views expressed by reference to appropriate experimental evidence. Students will be given 8 exam questions at the start of the module and instructed that the exam will be made up of three of these exam questions, with a requirement that two of three questions would need to be answered. Students will not be informed which of the three questions will be chosen for the exam.

The briefing paper development and oral presentation are designed to test students' abilities to integrate material across module boundaries with a focus to develop a deep understanding of public health intiatives/health promotion campaigns related to nutrition. Students will work in groups of 4-5 and will be assigned a health promotion target and strategy. Students will develop a public health initiative/health promotion campaign to promote to a public health practitioner, based on a critical evaluation of its effectiveness.

MDiet candidates must obtain an overall mark of 40 or above to pass the module, however, if the module has more than one assessment students must also achieve a mark of at least 35 in each component of the assessment to pass the module.

To meet accreditation requirements and to pass this module, BSc (Hons) Human Nutrition and BSc (Hons) Nutrition with Food Marketing students must obtain a mark of 40 or above for each summative assessment.