Undergraduate - UnitBND1002 - Evaluating the evidence: nutrition and population health

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Synopsis

This unit will introduce students to epidemiology and biostatistics as the core of population health and nutrition research and practice. This will include consideration of basic statistics, study design, quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry and ethical issues related to research and population health interventions.
Emphasis is placed on a population view of health, nutrition and disease and the social determinants of health and the application of epidemiology and statistics in assessment of disease in population and the effects of nutrition interventions.
An introduction to the concepts and approaches to working in population health and nutrition will also be explored

Outcomes

At the completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. Interpret the demographics of the Australian population including indigenous, minority and disadvantaged groups
2. Summarise the Australian health system and the political system and its operation at a national state and local level andoutline the roles of the major bodies that provide government with scientific advice relating to food and also to health
3. Identify and describe the main socio-cultural, economic, environmental and political determinants of health
4. Define public health and discuss the origins and nature of public health as a discipline
5. Compare and contrast the social versus the medical model of health andxplain primary, secondary and tertiary prevention paradigms
6. Explain and compare the main study designs used in population health and nutrition research and explainthe findings of key population health studies on the relationship between diet and chronic disease
7. Perform basic methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis
8. Search the scientific literature related to common questions on nutrition and health
9. Discuss the nutritional intake and nutritional status of the Australian population and identify groups at high nutritional risk andthe major disease-related morbidity and mortality issues in Australia
10. Explain common methods used to survey the nutrient intake and the nutritional status of populations
11. Explain the basic methods and approaches of program planning and he range of population nutrition interventions including screening, education, social marketing, community action and socio-environmental change

Assessment

Assignments 60%;
Exam 40%.
All assessment tasks must be completed to a pass grade for students to successfully complete this unit

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Claire Palermo

Contact hours

8 hours contact per week plus 16 hours self directed study

Prerequisites

BND1101 and BND1001

Co-requisites

BND1102 and must be enrolled in Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics or Bachelor of Nutrition Science.