XNB151 Food and 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 Outline: Semester 1 2024, Kelvin Grove, Internal

Unit code:XNB151
Credit points:12
Equivalent:PUB201
Coordinators:Carolyn Keogh | carolyn.keogh@qut.edu.au
Disclaimer - Offer of some units is subject to viability, and information in these Unit Outlines is subject to change prior to commencement of the teaching period.

Overview

Nutrition forms the focus of many health initiatives. Reducing the burden of poor nutrition has the potential to produce major change in the health status of Australians. This introductory unit provides you with foundation skills and knowledge of food and nutrition systems, food constituents, energy balance, changing nutritional requirements throughout the life course, and the application of dietary assessment methodologies and food selection guides to maintain and improve health at the individual and population level. In this unit you will develop your skills to critique common food fads and myths in nutrition, as well as introductory skills in reflection and foundations for inter-professional practice. The skills in searching and appraising scientific literature, which are introduced in this unit, are critical to establishing your academic writing and research literacy skills to the expected tertiary level.

Learning Outcomes

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

  1. Explain the role, functions and sources of selected food constituents and nutrients, and their relationship with key nutrition-related health problems, and the changing requirements throughout the life cycle. [XN43, XN45 CLO-1]
  2. Describe the use and limitations of food selection and physical activity guides. [XN43, XN45 CLO-1]
  3. Apply and evaluate dietary assessment methods. [XN43, XN45 CLO-2]
  4. Discuss food choice models and the complex factors affecting food consumption including but not limited to psychosocial, indigenous, cultural and economic factors. [XN43, XN45 CLO-2]
  5. Evaluate food and nutrition information from a variety of sources against the scientific literature including critique of common food fads and myths in nutrition. [XN43, XN45 CLO-2,3]
  6. Explain the attributes and skills for inter-professional practice and collaboration, including communicating knowledge and collaborating in groups. [XN43, XN45 CLO-4]

Content

  • The food system
  • Food safety
  • Dietary intake assessment
  • Dietary reference standards and guidelines;
  • Components of energy expenditure and introduction to the physical activity guidelines
  • Food choice models
  • Food groups, food constituents and nutrients
  • Food and nutrition myths and fad diets.
  • Cultural and religious dietary patterns;
  • Introductory Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander perspectives of food and nutrition;
  • Nutrition through the lifecycle
  • Food and nutrition issues relevant to health; and
  • Searching and appraising the quality of scientific literature.
  • Reflection
  • Presentation skills

Learning Approaches

This unit develops and applies your knowledge and critical analytical skills during practical sessions. Both content and organisation of the unit is designed to allow 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 will be available in internal mode and adopts a blended learning approach which includes an online weekly lecture, and weekly tutorials during the semester, where you will engage in collaborative practical activities with peers and lecturers. The online Canvas unit page will be utilised for a variety of purposes so weekly access is encouraged.

Feedback on Learning and Assessment

Feedback to students
Feedback in this unit is provided to you in the following ways:

  • Formative online quizzes will be available on Canvas, and are designed to assess your understanding and ability to utilise the theory covered in learning materials.
  • Criteria grading sheets with comments will be provided for each written summative assignment as you progress through the semester.
  • Generic comments back to the cohort during tutorials and via QUT Canvas.

Assessment

Overview

General Assessment Information
This unit incorporates both formative and summative assessment items, to guide your progress in the unit and the course. Formative assessment items include online quizzes (available through Canvas) to assess your understanding of unit content, food and nutrition-related calculation and interpretation skills, and to assist you in identifying particular areas for improvement to support the completion of summative assessment items.

Assignment information included on Canvas provides detailed criteria and tasks for completion of the assignment which students can check their work against to ensure all aspects are completed. Students are encouraged to speak with the unit co-ordinator before or after class or to contact the unit co-ordinator by email with any questions or concerns about the assessment items. Responses to frequently asked questions will be made available to all students through Canvas announcements.

Unit Grading Scheme

7- point scale

Assessment Tasks

Assessment: Quiz

You will be required to undertake an online quiz to demonstrate your understanding and application of learning materials, including Australian food systems and regulation, dietary guidelines and dietary assessment methods.

Weight: 20
Length: 30 minutes
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Week 7
Related Unit learning outcomes: 2, 3, 4, 5

Assessment: Problem Solving Task

In this assignment you will work in pairs to apply food selection guides and dietary assessment tools to analyse a case study diet, in order to identify current intakes compared to recommendations (the problems), factors affecting food consumption and make recommendations for dietary improvement specific to the cases requirements at the current stage of the lifecycle. You will also provide a precis of the strengths and limitations of the dietary methodologies used to collect data on intake, and reflect on your experience working in a team.

Your assessment will follow a structured format, with your analysis and responses completed in a 10 page template.  This task is authentic, as you will be providing simple tailored dietary advice and presenting this advice in a practical format of a meal plan in a style that is often used by health professionals.

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

Weight: 40
Length: 10 pages
Individual/Group: Group
Due (indicative): Week 11
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Assessment: Written Examination

A written examination pertaining to the role, functions and sources of selected food constituents and nutrients, nutrition-related health problems, nutritional requirements throughout the life cycle, food selection guides and dietary assessment tools and food choice models.  The exam is comprised of multiple choice questions and short answer questions.

Weight: 40
Individual/Group: Individual
Due (indicative): Central Examination Period
Central exam duration: 2:40 - Including 10 minute perusal
Related Unit learning outcomes: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

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

Prescribed text(s)

Wahlqvist, M. (ed.) (2019). Food and nutrition (4th ed.). Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin.

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.

XN50 Bachelor of Sport and Exercise Science

  1. Design and deliver exercise assessments and programs to meet the specific needs of contemporary sport, exercise and health contexts.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  2. Apply problem-solving, critical thinking, and analytical reasoning to implement, analyse and evaluate evidence-based interventions for diverse clients and stakeholders.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  3. Communicate and collaborate to transfer complex knowledge to clients and health professionals in a culturally safe manner.
    Relates to: Problem Solving Task

XN51 Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology

  1. Design and deliver exercise assessments and programs to meet the specific needs of individuals and populations across the full health spectrum.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  2. Apply problem-solving, critical thinking and analytical reasoning to implement, analyse and evaluate evidence-based interventions for diverse clients and stakeholders.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  3. Communicate and collaborate to transfer complex knowledge to clients and health professionals in a culturally safe manner.
    Relates to: Problem Solving Task

XN52 Bachelor of Clinical Exercise Physiology (Honours)

  1. Design and deliver exercise assessments and programs to meet the specific needs of individuals and populations across the full health spectrum.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  2. Apply problem-solving, critical thinking and analytical reasoning to implement, analyse and evaluate evidence-based interventions for diverse clients and stakeholders.
    Relates to: Quiz, Problem Solving Task, Written Examination
  3. Communicate and collaborate to transfer complex knowledge to clients and health professionals in a culturally safe manner.
    Relates to: Problem Solving Task