| Monash home | About Monash | Faculties | Campuses | Contact Monash |
| Staff directory | A-Z index | Site map |
| Monash home | About Monash | Faculties | Campuses | Contact Monash |
| Staff directory | A-Z index | Site map |
| Undergraduate |
(MED)
|
Leader: Associate Professor Malcolm Riley (Nutrition and Dietetics)
Offered:
Clayton Second semester 2005 (Day)
Synopsis: This unit will address prevention of disease at the population level. It will examine epidemiological indicators of nutrition related disease, the value of monitoring and surveillance in evaluating health indices over time, the role of targeted health promotion and health education strategies, and the use of upstream public health approaches to address nutrition related disorders like childhood obesity. The links between sectors like economics, advertising, and regulation will be examined for sociological and epidemiological impact as well as the social determinants of nutritional health.
Objectives: On completion of the unit the student will be competent to: 1. assess the nutritional status of populations using physiological and non-physiological indicators such as dietary, anthropometric, biochemical markers, socioeconomic grouping, educational attainment, locus of control, and consumption patterns and trends; 2. identify and explain the significance of agricultural, health and socioeconomic factors in the nutritional status of a community, a population and specified sub groups of the population; 3. understand the relevance of nutrition monitoring and surveillance at a population level to policy formulation and resource allocation; 4. be able to critically examine nutrition policies and strategies (such as the National Nutrition Strategy for Australia) and assess their relevance to local and regional programs in population subgroups, for the purpose of relevant data collection, writing submissions, and/or adapting programs to changing social, economic and technical circumstances; and 5. understand the theory and rationale of treating populations rather than individuals, and appreciate how population nutrition strategies are implemented and evaluated.
Assessment: Examination: 50% + Tutorial discussion, project and rural supervisor assessment: 25% + Essay: 25%