units

BND1002

Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

18 September 2017 22 December 2024
Monash University

Undergraduate - Unit

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2015 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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12 points, SCA Band 2, 0.250 EFTSL

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

LevelUndergraduate
FacultyFaculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences
Organisational UnitDepartment of Nutrition and Dietetics
OfferedClayton Second semester 2015 (Day)
Coordinator(s)Dr Claire Palermo

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

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should 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 and outline 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 and explain primary, secondary and tertiary prevention paradigms and strategies for individuals and populations
  6. Explain and compare the main study designs used in population health and nutrition research and explain the 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. Explain common methods used to survey the nutrient intake and the nutritional status of populations.

Assessment

Assignments (60%)
Exam (40%) (Hurdle)

Workload requirements

8 hours contact per week plus 16 hours self directed study.

See also Unit timetable information

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Claire Palermo

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Nutrition and dietetics

Prerequisites

BND1001 and BND1101.

Co-requisites

BND1102 and must be enrolled in courses 3404, 4530 or 3956.