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PHS802

Introduction To Public Health Nutrition

This course, Introduction to Public Health Nutrition, is a two-credit unit course that explores the science of food and nutrients in relation to health and diseases. It focuses on nutritional problems affecting large populations, such as communities, displaced people, and specific groups like children, pregnant women, and the elderly. The course covers nutrition through the life cycle, assessment of nutritional status, macro and micronutrient disorders, community-based nutrition programs, food policies, food security, and global issues in nutrition.

About this course

Difficulty
Intermediate
Study hours
90 hours
Maths
Basic
Content
Theoretical, practical, case study
Practical work
No
How it is assessed
  • Assignments
  • Tutor marked assessments
  • Final examination

One paragraph, so you can see how it reads

PHS802 · UNIT 1: MACRONUTRIENTS AND THEIR DEFICIENCIES

Protein in foods are digested and broken down into amino-acids. Many more amino- acids exist in the body but only 20 basic amino-acids are required to form all the different forms of proteins. These include: alanine, arginine, asparagine, aspartic acid, cysteine, glutamic acid, glutamine, glycine, histidine, isoleucine, leucine, lysine, methionine, phenylalanine, proline, serine, threonine, tryptophan, tyrosine and valine.

What you should be able to do

  1. Define public health nutrition and its principles
  2. Explain nutrient sources, functions, and deficiencies
  3. Discuss nutrition through the life cycle
  4. Describe malnutrition, its classes, risk factors, and at-risk groups
  5. Explain the National Food and Nutrition Policy of Nigeria
  6. Discuss food safety, security, and global issues in nutrition
  7. Explain nutrition during special circumstances like disasters

What it prepares you for

Careers
  • Public Health Nutritionist
  • Community Health Worker
  • Nutrition Program Manager
  • Health Educator
  • Dietician
Where it is applied
  • Healthcare
  • Government Agencies
  • Non-profit Organizations
  • Food Industry
  • International Development

Where it gets hard

The units students slow down on, and what makes each one heavy.

  • Module 1: Nutrients, Sources, Functions and Their Deficiencies

    Unit 2: Micronutrients and their deficiencies

    Requires understanding of complex biochemical pathways and metabolic processes.

  • Module 2: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle

    Unit 2: Nutritional Requirements of Pre-school children

    Involves memorizing specific nutrient requirements for different age groups and physiological states.

A suggested way through it

Suggested

13 weeks, about 38 hours in total. Yours will differ.

  1. Week 1Module 1: Nutrients, Sources, Functions and Their Deficiencies
    • Unit 1: Macronutrients and their deficiencies · 2 hours

      Understand the types of nutrients and their importance.. Identify food sources of carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids.. Explain the functions of macronutrients in the body..

  2. Week 2Module 1: Nutrients, Sources, Functions and Their Deficiencies
    • Unit 2: Micronutrients and their deficiencies · 2 hours

      Learn about vitamins and minerals.. Identify food sources of micronutrients.. Explain the functions of micronutrients in the body..

  3. Week 3Module 1: Nutrients, Sources, Functions and Their Deficiencies
    • Unit 3: Other Nutrients · 2 hours

      Discuss the importance of water and fiber in the diet.. Identify food sources of water and fiber.. Explain the functions of water and fiber in the body..

  4. Week 4Module 2: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
    • Unit 1: Nutritional Requirements for Infants · 2 hours

      Describe the nutritional needs of neonates and infants.. Understand the importance of exclusive breastfeeding.. Discuss the composition of human milk..

  5. Week 5Module 2: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
    • Unit 2: Nutritional Requirements of Pre-school children · 2 hours

      Describe the food consumption patterns of pre-school children.. Learn how to assess growth and nutritional status.. Discuss the nutritional requirements of children from 1-5 years..

  6. Week 6Module 2: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
    • Unit 3: Nutritional Requirements of Adolescents · 2 hours

      Define adolescents and their unique nutritional needs.. Discuss the nutritional requirements of adolescents.. Understand the importance of nutrition during adolescence..

  7. Week 7Module 3: Community-Based Nutrition Programmes
    • Unit 1: The National Food and Nutrition Policy of Nigeria · 2 hours

      Describe the goals of the National Food and Nutrition Policy of Nigeria.. Understand the objectives of the policy.. Identify major areas covered by the policy..

  8. Week 8Module 3: Community-Based Nutrition Programmes
    • Unit 2: Food Safety, Security and Global issues in Nutrition · 2 hours

      Define food safety and its importance.. Understand the roles of stakeholders in ensuring food safety.. Define food security and its components..

  9. Week 9Module 3: Community-Based Nutrition Programmes
    • Unit 3: Nutrition during Special circumstances (disaster, wars, terrorism) · 2 hours

      Define disaster and its impact on nutrition.. Identify vulnerable groups during disasters.. Discuss nutrition requirements and management during disasters..

  10. Week 10Module 1: Nutrients, Sources, Functions and Their Deficiencies
    • Unit 1: Macronutrients and their deficiencies · 3 hours

      Review Module 1 topics and complete assignments.. Focus on understanding the functions and deficiencies of macronutrients and micronutrients..

    • Unit 2: Micronutrients and their deficiencies · 3 hours

      Review Module 1 topics and complete assignments.. Focus on understanding the functions and deficiencies of macronutrients and micronutrients..

  11. Week 11Module 2: Nutrition Through the Life Cycle
    • Unit 1: Nutritional Requirements for Infants · 4 hours

      Review Module 2 topics and complete assignments.. Focus on the nutritional requirements of infants, pre-school children, and adolescents..

  12. Week 12Module 3: Community-Based Nutrition Programmes
    • Unit 1: The National Food and Nutrition Policy of Nigeria · 4 hours

      Review Module 3 topics and complete assignments.. Focus on the National Food and Nutrition Policy, food safety, and nutrition during disasters..

  13. Week 13Comprehensive Course Review
    • Final Revision and Exam Preparation · 6 hours

      Comprehensive review of all course materials.. Practice questions and mock exams.. Final preparation for the end-of-course examination..

Preparing for the exam

What to do
  • Create concept maps linking nutrients to their functions and deficiency symptoms.
  • Practice calculating nutrient requirements for different age groups.
  • Review case studies on community-based nutrition programs.
  • Focus on understanding the key components of the National Food and Nutrition Policy.
  • Memorize the key food safety guidelines and regulations.
  • Practice applying nutritional principles to disaster relief scenarios.

Questions students ask about this course

What is PHS802 about?

This course, Introduction to Public Health Nutrition, is a two-credit unit course that explores the science of food and nutrients in relation to health and diseases. It focuses on nutritional problems affecting large populations, such as communities, displaced people, and specific groups like children, pregnant women, and the elderly. The course covers nutrition through the life cycle, assessment of nutritional status, macro and micronutrient disorders, community-based nutrition programs, food policies, food security, and global issues in nutrition.

How many units does PHS802 have?

PHS802, Introduction To Public Health Nutrition, has 9 units across 3 modules, over 128 pages of course material. You can read it one unit at a time.

How many credit units is PHS802?

PHS802 carries 3 credit units, at 800 level in Health Sciences.

Is PHS802 hard?

PHS802 is rated intermediate level, with basic mathematical content. It is mostly theoretical, practical and case study work.

How long does PHS802 take to study?

About 90 hours of study, spread across its 9 units.

How is PHS802 assessed?

PHS802 is assessed by assignments, tutor marked assessments and final examination.

What can I do with PHS802?

Public Health Nutritionist, Community Health Worker, Nutrition Program Manager, Health Educator and Dietician.

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