PU5037: ASSESSMENT OF NUTRITIONAL HEALTH (2018-2019)

This course will give you a detailed theoretical and practical understanding of the methods used to assess nutritional status, dietary intake and the nutritional composition of food. Theory will be put into practice through a practical workshop to give you ‘hands-on’ experience of using assessment techniques using equipment routinely employed by nutritionists. The assignments for this course are designed to help you develop the skills you will employ in daily life as a nutritionist these include presenting conducting a nutritional assessment of a client. Through the discussions and assignments you will also develop your skills in critically appraising dietary, nutrition and health research methods, in order to understand the limitations of the scientific basis of nutritional knowledge. By the completion of the course you will be able to integrate knowledge and understanding from a variety of sources to identify or propose solutions resulting in improvement of human health, through dietary or physical activity change.

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

More Information about Week Numbers

30% assignment: exam questions, 70% assignment: oral examination through video submission.

Resit: 30 minute oral examination via videoconferncing / skype.

MCQs after each unit.

Feedback on all assessments will be provided with 14 days of submission for all assignments and in many cases will be instantaneous. Feedback will come in various forms.  For more extensive pieces feedback will take the form of either written or audio recorded feedback and will always provide information on areas that the students needs to focus on to improve their understanding.

• By the end of the course students should have a deep understanding of the following:

  1. The general principles underpinning, and strengths and limitations of, common methods of assessment of nutritional status including clinical, anthropometric, dietary, biochemical, physiological, and functional methods
  2. Theory and methods of investigating the dietary, nutrient and activity patterns of the general population, sub groups and the individual
  3. The nutrient analysis of foods: calculating nutrient contents of foods and diets of an individual or group of individuals, justifying choice of a method of dietary assessment for a specific stated purpose.
  4. Principles and methods of measurement and estimation of energy balance; energy expenditure physical activity and fitness; body mass; body composition; how body mass and energy balance are controlled
  5. Scientific basis for the measurement and estimation of nutritional requirements, dietary reference values for the general population
  6. Determining the nutritional needs of an individual or group of individuals, taking into consideration factors such as age, gender, physical activity, lifestyle etc
  7. Demonstrate ability to carry out sample selection and to ensure validity, accuracy, calibration, precision, replicability and highlight uncertainty during collection of nutritional status data.
  8. Demonstrate practical skills in communication of nutritional information with a range of audiences