HNE-33306 Public Health Nutrition

Course

Credits 6.00

Teaching methodContact hours
Individual Paper
Lectures12
Tutorial24
Self-study
Course coordinator(s)ir. R de Vlaming
Lecturer(s)prof. dr. ir. CPGM de Groot
dr. ir. ID Brouwer
dr. ir. JMA van Raaij
prof. dr. ir. P van 't Veer
dr. ir. A Haveman-Nies
dr. RJ Renes
dr. M de Bruin
ir. R de Vlaming
Examiner(s)dr. ir. ID Brouwer

Language of instruction:

English

Assumed knowledge on:

HNE-24806 Epidemiology and Public Health
HNE-20306 Nutrition Behaviour
HNE-21309 Methods and Applications in Nutrition Science
HNE-32806 Exposure Assesment in Nutrition and Health Research
HNE-24309 Methodology Nutritional Research

Contents:

Public Health Nutrition (PHN) is defined as the promotion of good health through nutrition and the prevention of related diseases in the population. Nutrition and a healthy lifestyle are inevitably linked in the context of public health. The influence of both nutrition and other lifestyle factors, either separately or combined, on the development of overweight, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer are obvious. Less healthy eating patterns often coincide with patterns of low physical activity and other risk behaviours. The field of PHN is becoming prominent as the move continues to promote a healthy lifestyle at a population level rather than at an individual level. The task of Public Health Nutritionists is to undertake population based research into the lifestyle determinants of health problems, to develop research-based policy to prevent these health problems, to develop research-based policy to prevent these health problems, to link policy to interventions, and to implement and evaluate interventions.

Learning outcomes:

After the course the student:
- knows the background and objectives of Public Health Nutrition;
- knows the role and functioning of Public Health Nutritionists;
- knows, the most important elements to develop appropriate studies to collect relevant information to include in PHN strategies;
- knows, identifies, evaluates the most important elements to develop public health nutrition policy and interventions;
- knows identifies, evaluates the most important elements to monitor and evaluate public health nutrition policy and interventions;
- is able to write an editorial or letter-to-editor on a Public Health Nutrition issue based on a critical assessment of recent literature.

Activities:

The field of Public Health Nutrition will be illustrated at three different application levels: local, national, and European. Examples of PHN-studies, PHN-policies, and PHN-interventions from local organisations (e.g. GGD), national agencies (e.g. Voedingscentrum), or European initiatives (e.g. EURODIET-project) will be presented and discussed, partly by guest lecturers. The students will also work on a self-selected aspect of PHN, using one or more scientific articles from a journal on PHN (e.g. Journal on Public Health Nutrition), and will finish with a written report which includes a draft Editorial or Letter-to-the-Editor which (in principle) might be submitted to a journal on PHN.
The course includes 16 lecture hours (8 meetings of 2 hours) and 20 tutorial hours (10 meetings of 2 hours). In addition, subgroups may meet several times.

Examination:

Tutorials are obligatory. The final mark will be based on two submarks. The first submark (75%) will be based upon a written examination (individual). The second submark (25%) will be based upon the quality of the delivered Editorial or Letter-to-the-Editor.

Literature:

Course reader including literature will be available at the WUR Shop, Forum. The course is supported by a digital Blackboard learning environment.

ProgrammePhaseSpecializationPeriod
Restricted Optional for: MNHNutrition and HealthMScA: Epidemiology and Public Health6AF
MNHNutrition and HealthMScC: Molecular Nutrition and Toxicology6AF
MNHNutrition and HealthMScB: Nutritional Physiology and Health Status6AF