XNB166 Nutrition, Physical Activity and Health

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2026, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

As the prevalence of many chronic diseases including obesity, is increasing globally, their prevention is a major health priority of governments and agencies. This unit promotes understanding of key concepts in nutrition and physical activity, including methods of assessment and promotion for improved health and well-being outcomes, focusing on individual, community and population level health determinants. Awareness of health status, due to nutrition and physical activity habits, and influences on health including sociocultural factors, is an essential foundation for work of health professionals for promoting a healthy and active lifestyle in a culturally safe and inclusive way.

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit you will be able to:

1. Describe the prevalence of chronic disease and obesity in the Australian context including related risks of physical inactivity, sedentary behaviour and inadequate diet.
2. Identify and critique different methods for measuring or assessing diet, physical activity and sedentary behaviour and how these can be applied for comparison to international or Australian guidelines or recommendations
3. Critically analyse and utilise health promotion theories and models of behaviour change to encourage adoption and maintenance of a healthy and active lifestyle and well-being.
4. Collaborate effectively to create and present a team-based critical evaluation of current Australian policies, recommendations and campaigns designed to address the associations amongst diet, physical activity and chronic disease, at the individual and organisational levels.
5. Identify and explain the historical and contemporary social determinants of health that affect nutrition, physical activity, and wellbeing habits of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and Indigenous peoples globally.

Content

Learning Approaches

The unit adopts a blended learning approach, combining digitally enabled learning experiences with interactive face to face workshops where you will engage in collaborative activities and apply the concepts learnt in class to Assessment Tasks. Due to the interaction between diet and physical activity, the unit will cover the understanding and knowledge of, the importance of the relevant inter-professional and multidisciplinary collaborations. These will involve learning experiences that address real world issues and challenges that require multi-faceted solutions to culturally diverse stakeholders. In this unit, you will develop the skills associated with measuring, assessing and evaluating people's physical activity levels and nutritional adequacy. You will identify key physical activity and nutrition principles for prevention of chronic diseases across the lifespan. You will also practice inquiry and analytical skills by analysing real-world health promotion strategies. 

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback to Students

Assessment will be spaced throughout the semester to provide the opportunity for feedback on your learning to that point. Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

• You will be provided with verbal and/or written feedback on each piece of formative and summative assessment during the semester.
• Criteria sheet grading.
• Comments on summative assessment work in addition to criteria sheets.
• Generic comments back to the cohort via QUT Canvas.

You are encouraged to communicate with the unit coordinator if you have any questions or concerns about the assessment items.

Assessment

Overview

General Assessment

Each assessment item is designed to measure your knowledge and understanding stated in the learning outcomes. You will be required to use the research and evaluation skills to locate information that will inform the workbook and program evaluation.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach

Assuming the role of a nutritionist, you will be provided a case study of a client with details of their eating patterns and socio-cultural factors to undertake a general nutrition assessment and provide practical food-based solutions for improvements to eating for health and well-being. You will be required to use and apply appropriate food selection guides and digital dietary assessment tools, and to compare your findings to current Australian dietary recommendations. You will explore the relevant social and cultural determinants of health as relevant to the case and identify ways to address barriers for health improvements that could be negotiated with the client for success in a culturally safe way.

This authentic assessment will assess your knowledge of health status, in association with nutrition and physical activity habits, and influences on health including sociocultural factors, which is an essential foundation for sports and health professionals for promoting a healthy lifestyle in a culturally safe and inclusive way.

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: Physical activity policy evaluation

You will assume the role of a member of a Health Promotion team, tasked with critically evaluating existing physical activity promotion policies and campaigns, with the aim of identifying key gaps and developing improvements for effectiveness. This will include describing and critically evaluating a real-world physical activity policy for health promotion at either the community or population level, highlighting the most important factors and justifying why you agree/disagree from an exercise professional's perspective.  You will prepare and present your evaluation in an oral presentation in class, as though presenting to a Health Promotion Officer.

This assignment is eligible for the 48-hour late submission period and assignment extensions.

The use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools is NOT authorised during this assessment. Unauthorised use may be treated as a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and appropriate penalties imposed.

Assessment: Examination (written)

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

Risk Assessment Statement

There are no out of the ordinary risks associated with this unit.

Course Learning Outcomes

XN50 Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science

1. Apply problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning to implement, analyse and evaluate evidence-based interventions for diverse clients and stakeholders.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach, Physical activity policy evaluation
2. Communicate and collaborate to transfer complex knowledge to clients and health professionals in a culturally safe manner.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach, Physical activity policy evaluation
3. Apply knowledge and skills within the professional, legislative, and ethical standards of practice.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach

XN55 Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science (Honours)

1. Critically apply problem-solving, innovative thinking, and analytical reasoning to develop, implement and evaluate evidence-based interventions for diverse clients and stakeholders.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach, Physical activity policy evaluation, Examination (written)
2. Communicate and collaborate effectively using a range of written, oral and digital formats to transfer complex knowledge to clients and sport and exercise professionals in an inclusive and culturally responsive manner.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach, Physical activity policy evaluation
3. Uphold the professional, legislative, and ethical standards of sport and exercise science expected of learner practitioners.
   Relates to: Applied Nutrition Assessment and Intervention: A Case-Based Approach