XNH350 Community and Public Health Nutrition
To view more information for this unit, select Unit Outline from the list below. Please note the teaching period for which the Unit Outline is relevant.
| Unit code: | XNH350 |
|---|---|
| Prerequisite(s): | XNB148 and (XNB150 or CWB103) and XNB151 and XNB252 and XNB255 |
| Equivalent(s): | PUB509, XNB350 |
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Timetable | Details in HiQ, if available |
| Availabilities |
|
| CSP student contribution | $1,192 |
| Domestic tuition unit fee | $4,704 |
| International unit fee | $5,784 |
Unit Outline: Semester 1 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal
| Unit code: | XNH350 |
|---|---|
| Credit points: | 12 |
| Pre-requisite: | XNB148 and (XNB150 or CWB103) and XNB151 and XNB252 and XNB255 |
| Equivalent: | XNB350 |
| Coordinator: | Helen Vidgen | h.vidgen@qut.edu.au |
Overview
This unit builds on the work you have undertaken in your course on food and nutrition, food citizenship, nutrition epidemiology, nutrition across the life cycle and nutrition science. You will have the opportunity to develop your knowledge, skills and competencies in community and public health nutrition practice to address local, national and international population health issues. The program planning cycle underpins the learning in this unit. Completion of this unit is essential in preparation for work integrated learning in the area of community and public health nutrition. The unit builds and provides opportunities to practise intelligence gathering and synthesis of the literature, epidemiology, community and stakeholder involvement, application of policy, systems thinking for problem analysis and action, and accountability in evaluation and reporting.
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:
- Apply the program planning cycle as it relates to population and community nutrition.
- Communicate effectively using professional oral and, written communication skills and formats and feedback skills used in the nutrition and dietetic profession.
- Collaborate effectively to develop, present and justify an evidence-informed argument on a population-based food and nutrition issue.
- Demonstrate academic and professional core skills including communication, critique, reflection, ethical practice and cultural safety
- Identify, critically evaluate and discuss population level food and nutrition issues, their determinants and the evidence-based strategies to address them within diverse contexts at a local, state, national and international level, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
Content
This unit will cover the following topics:
- Public health and community nutrition principles, practices and approaches including systems thinking and application to health promotion theory;
- Public health food and nutrition issues including healthy sustainable food systems, food security, and malnutrition in all forms including obesity, maternal and child health and micronutrient deficiencies.
- Social, economic, political, cultural, environmental and commercial determinants of health and the differential exposure, vulnerability and consequence of diet-related health risk and community and public health nutrition approaches to redressing this inequity. This includes understanding the generation of population health data for ethical interpretation and use to inform priority setting, respectful and responsive communication to develop partnerships with community and stakeholders to co-design programs, particularly with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
- The project and program planning process as applied to community and public health nutrition.
- Respectful, responsive and strengths based program development in partnership with community
Learning Approaches
The unit is structured using a blended approach, combining interactive workshops and tutorials (both online and face-to-face) with digitally-enhanced, self-directed online learning. Workshops/tutorials will offer opportunities to discuss, apply, and reinforce your understanding of key concepts through practical activities, case studies, and group work. Self-directed learning will allow you to explore online unit materials at your own pace, enabling you to consolidate your knowledge in preparation for collaborative activities and assessment tasks.
Feedback on Learning and Assessment
You will receive written, feedback on your summative assessments to guide your progress. Tutorials and workshops will provide opportunities for formative feedback on your learning progress and preparation for assessment.
Assessment
Overview
Assessments are purposefully designed and scaffolded to enable your success.
In Assessment item one, you will be guided through identifying and critically evaluating the food and nutrition issues and determinants for the QUT population, tutorials will step you through the steps of project planning to then articulate evidence based solutions in the form of a full project plan, consistent with what you will use on placement. In Assessment three, you will apply these skills to less familiar domestic and international scenarios, to identify determinants and present solutions in an exam setting. The debates in assessment item two, require you to work collaboratively with class mates to persuasively communicate arguments on a contemporary public health nutrition controversy. Assessment items are focused on specific content modules.
Information included on Canvas provides detailed criteria and tasks for completion of the assessment. You are encouraged to check your work against the criteria to ensure all aspects are completed.
Unit Grading Scheme
7- point scale
Assessment Tasks
Assessment: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal
For this assessment task you will be asked to write a full project plan to address a community and public health nutrition issue. During the tutorials you will be presented with the topic which you will work on during class time.
Tutorials will address specific stages of project planning. These will correspond with a particular part of project plan template that you will be given. You will begin work on these specific sections during the tutorial, facilitated by your tutor and then complete it after class. The assessment is in two parts representing the intelligence and action phases of project planning.
This assessment is authentic as you will be working on a real public health nutrition issue, liaising with the community and stakeholders, and following the same steps as you would if you were contracted as the nutritionist to undertake this work.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details page for specific guidelines.
Assessment: Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate
You will work in groups to:
- Investigate the current evidence related to a contemporary public health nutrition issue;
- develop an argument for or against a particular viewpoint using evidence to support that argument; and
- present relevant arguments in an engaging and persuasive manner.
This assessment is authentic as the topics are developed in consultation with industry to reflect current controversies where public health officers are required to critique evidence to build an argument for a particular approach and then persuade key stakeholders to adopt their position. This may happen in the context of a meeting where opposing views will be presented and require rebuttal.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details page for specific guidelines.
Assessment: Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers
You will be presented with two community and public health nutrition scenarios, one international and one domestic, from which you will be required to develop a briefing paper for each which would be used to communicate and rationalise your professional recommendation for nutrition action.
In the international scenario, you are working as a nutritionist for an International agency and have been asked to write a briefing paper on a particular public health nutrition problem in a specific country. The briefing paper will describe key food and nutrition issues in that country, their determinants, previously successful approaches and then use this to make recommendations for action.
In the domestic scenario, you have just been appointed to a sole position as a community nutritionist. You will use key publicly available data to develop a community profile for a geographically defined community in Queensland which would guide your work as a community nutritionist in the area and brief your employer on priorities for action.
Your authorship will be authenticated in this assessment. Three weeks in advance of the due date, you will be required to submit a working draft, including your academic reference search history, and an updated version of your working documents with the final submission.
This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.
The ethical and responsible use of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) tools is authorised in this assessment. See the relevant assessment details page for specific guidelines.
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is a commitment to undertaking academic work and assessment in a manner that is ethical, fair, honest, respectful and accountable.
The Academic Integrity Policy sets out the range of conduct that can be a failure to maintain the standards of academic integrity. This includes, cheating in exams, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion and contract cheating. It also includes providing fraudulent or altered documentation in support of an academic concession application, for example an assignment extension or a deferred exam.
You are encouraged to make use of QUT’s learning support services, resources and tools to assure the academic integrity of your assessment. This includes the use of text matching software that may be available to assist with self-assessing your academic integrity as part of the assessment submission process.
Breaching QUT’s Academic Integrity Policy or engaging in conduct that may defeat or compromise the purpose of assessment can lead to a finding of student misconduct (Code of Conduct – Student) and result in the imposition of penalties under the Management of Student Misconduct Policy, ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.
Resources
There are no prescribed or recommended texts for this unit. The nature of community and public health nutrition is that it responds to social, cultural, economic, geographical and other factors which are in a constant state of change. As such, journal articles, key reports and monitoring and surveillance sites are key resources. These will be available through QUT Readings and the unit content. Students may also find their foundational nutrition text from previous units, Wahlqvist, M & Gallegos, D (2020). Food and Nutrition: Sustainable food and health systems. Routledge a useful reference. Excerpts from Hughes, R. (2010). Practical public health nutrition. John Wiley & Sons will be used in tutorials.
Resource Materials
Reference book(s)
Hughes, R. (2010). Practical public health nutrition. John Wiley & Sons
Wahlqvist, M & Gallegos, D (2020). Food and Nutrition: Sustainable food and health systems. Routledge
Risk Assessment Statement
There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.
Course Learning Outcomes
This unit is designed to support your development of the following course/study area learning outcomes.XN43 Bachelor of Nutrition Science
- Apply broad theoretical, technical and cultural knowledge and skills in food and nutrition, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, to respond to a diverse range of contexts and audiences.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers - Analyse and apply evidence-based research and practice to provide informed, client-centred, and sustainable solutions to sometimes complex current and emerging food and nutrition problems.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers - Communicate and translate technical food and nutrition information clearly, safely and inclusively using a range of oral, written and digital technologies and formats responsive to the diverse cultural, social and cognitive needs of the intended audience, communities and other professionals
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate - Perform as an inclusive, competent, culturally responsive and ethical professional, working autonomously and collaboratively on innovative and entrepreneurial approaches in food and nutrition.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers
XN45 Bachelor of Nutrition and Dietetics (Honours)
- Apply advanced theoretical, technical and cultural knowledge and skills in food, nutrition and dietetics, including Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives, tailored to respond to a diverse range of contexts and audiences.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers - Critically analyse and apply evidence-based research and practice to generate informed, client-centred and sustainable solutions to complex current and emerging food, nutrition and dietetic problems.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers - Communicate and translate complex food and nutrition information effectively, safely and inclusively using a range of oral, written and digital technologies and formats, responsive to the diverse cultural, social and cognitive needs of clients, interdisciplinary teams, stakeholders and the broader community.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate - Enact inclusive, clinically adept and culturally responsive client-centred practice as a reflective, accountable and ethical professional, working autonomously and collaboratively to manage and lead innovative and entrepreneurial advances in food, nutrition and dietetics.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Project Proposal, Complex issues in Community Public Health Nutrition - Debate, Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers - Conduct research with some independence that challenges, advances, builds capacity and assures quality in food, nutrition and dietetic practice, disseminating findings with individuals, interdisciplinary teams, stakeholders and communities.
Relates to: Community Public Health Nutrition - Briefing papers