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Unit of Study NUT00215 - Nutrition Across the Lifespan (2015)

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Unit Snapshot

  • Enrolment information

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Unit description

Examines the nutritional requirements and the key nutritional issues across the lifespan from pre-conception to old age. Further, the role of food and nutrition in the aetiology of chronic diseases common in advancing age is explored, along with evidence-based interventions for these conditions. Students integrate and extend their knowledge by applying and reflecting on aspects of the nutrition care process through problem-based scenarios.

Unit content

Topic 1: Foundations of evidence-based nutrition

Topic 2: Introduction to the nutrition care process

  • Overview of the steps
  • Nutrition assessment: Types of data; Diet history methods; Dietary analysis; Data integration and interpretation aligned with evidence/standards; Documentation
  • Nutrition intervention: Communicating written nutrition education information

Topic 3: Nutritional requirements and key nutritional issues during the stages of the lifespan

  • Pre-conception/fertility; Pregnancy; Lactation;
  • Infancy; Childhood; Adolescence;
  • Adults; Older adults
  • Disordered eating and eating disorders
  • Critical review of vegetarian diets in pregnancy, lactation, adolescence, childhood and infancy

Topic 4: Role of food and nutrition in the aetiology of chronic disease in adulthood, including evidence-based intervention in obesity, coronary heart disease, hypertension, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes mellitus, metabolic syndrome and cancer prevention

Topic 5: Introduction to reflective practice

Availabilities

Location Domestic International
Lismore Session 2 Session 2

Learning outcomes and graduate attributes

Unit Learning Outcomes express learning achievement in terms of what a student should know, understand and be able to do on completion of a unit. These outcomes are aligned with the graduate attributes. The unit learning outcomes and graduate attributes are also the basis of evaluating prior learning.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

GA1: Intellectual rigour, GA2: Creativity, GA3: Ethical practice, GA4: Knowledge of a discipline, GA5: Lifelong learning, GA6: Communication and social skills, GA7: Cultural competence
Learning outcome count Learning outcome description GA1 GA2 GA3 GA4 GA5 GA6 GA7
1 differentiate between the nutritional requirements at each stage of the lifecycle, as well as discuss and identify key nutritional issues
2 apply dietary nutritional recommendations to different population groups across the lifecycle
3 evaluate the strength of the evidence for the relationship between diet, nutrition and disease
4 explain the relationship between food and nutrition in the aetiology of specific chronic non-communicable diseases common in advancing age
5 translate knowledge about the relationship between food and its components and disease into evidence-based intervention strategies for specific chronic non-communicable diseases common in advancing age
6 explain the principles of and demonstrate an understanding of the application of elements of the nutrition care process
7 critically self-reflect on their learning experience using a structured framework.

On completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. differentiate between the nutritional requirements at each stage of the lifecycle, as well as discuss and identify key nutritional issues
    • GA4:
  2. apply dietary nutritional recommendations to different population groups across the lifecycle
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  3. evaluate the strength of the evidence for the relationship between diet, nutrition and disease
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  4. explain the relationship between food and nutrition in the aetiology of specific chronic non-communicable diseases common in advancing age
    • GA4:
  5. translate knowledge about the relationship between food and its components and disease into evidence-based intervention strategies for specific chronic non-communicable diseases common in advancing age
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  6. explain the principles of and demonstrate an understanding of the application of elements of the nutrition care process
    • GA1:
    • GA4:
  7. critically self-reflect on their learning experience using a structured framework.
    • GA1:
    • GA5:
    • GA6:

Prescribed learning resources

Prescribed Texts
  • No prescribed texts.

Prescribed Learning Resources may change in future Teaching Periods.