XNB252 Food and Nutrition Across the Lifecycle

Unit Outline: Semester 2 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Overview

This unit fits within the suite of units designed to give an overall coverage of basic and complex nutrition principles for all age groups and introduces nutrition related chronic disease. It focuses on food intake and promotion of diet-related health across the lifecycle in more depth than previously covered in first year and underpins primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease for individuals, groups and populations. The unit focuses on nutrition requirements and practical food based advice for each lifecycle stage beginning with pre-conception and continuing with each major life stage through to old age. It takes into consideration universal nutrition recommendations as well as selected and indicated social and cultural populations and settings, such as schools; and food patterns such as vegetarianism. It introduces population health approaches which will be further explored in XNH350 Community and Public Health Nutrition.

Learning Outcomes

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

1. Identify and interpret the key issues and strategies relating to nutrition, promotion of health and wellbeing, and chronic disease prevention across each stage of the lifecycle in Australia and globally. [XN43, XN45 CLO-1,2]
2. Interpret socio-demographic and epidemiological data to align nutrition interventions with the key health and non-health settings and trends typical of each life stage. [XN43, XN45 CLO-2]
3. Develop food-based solutions to nutrition problems including designing food plans for promotion and maintenance of optimal health for different age groups. [XN43, XN45 CLO-3]
4. Demonstrate professional communication skills of targeting to a specific audience, evidence-based decision-making, developing professional judgement and reflection. [XN43, XN45 CLO-4]

Content

Learning Approaches

This unit engages you in learning through a theory to practice approach. You will develop your critical knowledge of nutrition as it applies across the life-cycle. You will have opportunities to apply your knowledge and skills from lectures and readings in assessment designed to advance your application and synthesis of evidence based nutrition information. Both content and organisation is designed for you to assess your progress in the unit and the course and for you to gather evidence of meeting unit and course outcomes.
This unit adopts a blended learning approach, which includes online lectures and face to face tutorials each week, augmented by self-directed learning activities, and group communication strategies in the online environment. Lectures include presentations from practitioners from priority population groups and those working in the field targeting particular life cycle stages and chronic diseases.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Different forms of feedback will be provided throughout the semester including formal and informal, formative and summative assessment. You will receive grades using the criteria sheet as well as written comments. You are encouraged to speak with your unit co-ordinator/tutor before or after class, or by discussion boards with any questions or concerns about the assessment items. Responses to frequently asked questions will be made available to all students through Canvas. Tutorials include questions and activities that will provide feedback on knowledge and understanding to inform your assessment pieces. There will be time available in all tutorials for you to ask questions on any concepts covered during the lectures to enable clarification.

Assessment

Overview

Detailed assessment item guidelines and marking criteria are included on the unit Canvas site under Assessment. Before submission, you should check your work against the criteria to confirm that all tasks are covered in appropriate depth.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Demonstration

As a group, you will develop and deliver a Pecha Kucha style presentation, which is an engaging oral/visual presentation. You will be given a target audience, a lifecycle stage and a setting for an Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander community group. For engagement, slides are predominantly of pictures only and are accompanied by an oral explanation of key issues and strategies relating to nutrition and chronic disease prevention across the lifecycle, including a sample meal plan. Professional communication skills and team work will be assessed. This assessment item will be undertaken in groups with a maximum of 4 students.

Assessment: Essay

Your task for this assessment is to write an essay to critique a product and its promotion using supporting evidence from the peer reviewed literature. You will be required to choose a controversial nutrition message found in the public arena from a specified list. You will then appraise and synthesise the scientific evidence against this message, and relate it back to requirements of the relevant life stage. This will involve appraising the nutrition message against recommendations for that life stage, identifying primary studies to support your perspective, preparing a matrix table of relevant primary studies, developing a critique of the product and its messages supported by these studies, and writing a one paragraph media bite for the general public which summarises your critique.

This is an assignment for the purposes of an extension.

Assessment: Examination (written)

Under exam conditions, you will synthesise your knowledge of nutritional determinants, key dietary factors and food and nutrition recommendations across the lifecycle and for the primary and secondary prevention of chronic disease. 

Academic Integrity

Students are expected to engage in learning and assessment at QUT with honesty, transparency and fairness. Maintaining academic integrity means upholding these principles and demonstrating valuable professional capabilities based on ethical foundations.

Failure to maintain academic integrity can take many forms. It includes cheating in examinations, plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, and submitting an assessment item completed by another person (e.g. contract cheating). It can also include providing your assessment to another entity, such as to a person or website.

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.

Further details of QUT’s approach to academic integrity are outlined in the Academic integrity policy and the Student Code of Conduct. Breaching QUT’s Academic integrity policy is regarded as student misconduct and can lead to the imposition of penalties ranging from a grade reduction to exclusion from QUT.

Resources

Resource Materials

Reference book(s)

Brown, J.E. (2017). Nutrition Through the Life Cycle (6th ed.) Andover: Cengage Learning.

Croxford, S, Itsiopoulos C, Forsyth A, Belski R, Thodis A, Shepherd S & Tierney A (ed) (2015) Food and Nutrition Throughout Life. Allen & Unwin

Risk Assessment Statement

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

Course Learning Outcomes

CS47 Bachelor of Pharmacy (Honours)

1. Understand and apply knowledge of the health care consumer: person-centred care promoting wellness, person and societal good, prevention of poor health outcomes and harm, treating disease.
   Relates to: ULO1, Essay, Examination (written)
2. Recognise the presence and causes of health inequities and disparities and impacts of social determinants of health.
   Relates to: ULO2, Demonstration, Examination (written)
3. Promote and advocate for cultural safety, respect and responsiveness, particularly in relation to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
   Relates to: ULO1, Essay, Examination (written)
4. Demonstrate ethical, legal and professional responsibilities, whilst considering quality, risk, best interests and safety of patients and public, formulating strategies to address any issues.
   Relates to: ULO2, ULO3, Demonstration, Essay, Examination (written)
5. Communicate and collaborate with a socially and culturally diverse range of people on interpersonal and interprofessional levels.
   Relates to: ULO4, Demonstration, Essay
6. Demonstrate respectful, compassionate, responsive, empathic and culturally appropriate communication, with specific awareness and sensitivity to history, communication styles and community protocols of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.
   Relates to: ULO4, Demonstration, Essay
7. Collaborate and share decision-making in partnership with the interprofessional health care team to optimise patient outcomes, and with patients, clients and carers respecting roles, privacy and choices.
   Relates to: ULO4, Demonstration, Essay