Nutrition

This module offers an introduction to the study of nutrition from a biochemical perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in biochemistry, nutrition, health and disease. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and explore some of the fundamental questions and challenges in nutritional biochemistry today. Using examples from clinical cases, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to nutritional biochemistry, with consideration of the model and process of dietetic practice. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module offers an introduction to food and catering systems management. As a key member of health food service operations, dietitians provide expertise to ensure recipes and menus are safe, sustainable and financially reasonable. This module also aims to increase students understanding of the importance of food safety and catering systems management, and its contribution to patient health outcomes. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking.

This module is designed to develop students’ professionalism for practice. It also aims to increase students understanding of the importance of professionalism, within the framework of the HCPC standards of conduct, performance and ethics and its intimate links to patient safety. A key factor within the module will be enabling students to investigate the factors involved in safe dietetic practice, including students’ responsibilities and how to raise concerns. The Model and process of dietetic practice will also be introduced in this module. Reflective practice and critical appraisal tools will also be used to appraise scientific evidence and other sources, to develop professionalism for safe and effective dietetic practice.

This module offers an introduction to the study of nutrition from a physiological perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in nutritional physiology and health. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and explore some of the fundamental questions and challenges in nutritional physiology today. Using examples from clinical cases, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to nutritional physiology, with consideration of the model and process of dietetic practice. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module will use lectures to explore current issues in human nutrition. Specifically, this module will engage students in discussions around contemporary nutrition and health topics while considering Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) hypothesis. This module will provide students with an understanding of DOHaD in addition to recent research advances in nutrition, the application to health and the relationship to professional issues in nutrition. In so doing, this module will  help students to understand the developmental origins of disease and health within a multicultural society through an appreciation and understanding of the DOHaD hypothesis and its evidence base. Using examples from across the  globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to health and disease, and the intergenerational impact of environmental and sociological insults. An emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking.

This module offers an introduction to the study of dietetics from a sociological perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about health inequalities in relation to how and where people live and the effect it has on their health and wellbeing, with consideration of the model and process of dietetic practice. In so doing, this module will help students to understand sociological concepts within a multicultural society through an appreciation and understanding of the discipline of sociology and its evidence base. Using examples from across the globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to sociology. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module offers an introduction to the study of communication skills and supports students to be effective communicators. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about the need for ongoing continuous professional development in relation to communication skills. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and explore some of the fundamental questions and challenges in communication skills training today. Using examples from across the globe, students will be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to communication skills. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on effective communication within the model and process of dietetic practice and the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking.

This module offers an introduction to the study of dietetics from a behavioural sciences perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about psychological theories of health and illness. This module will also help students to understand the psychological basis of eating, which will assist students with the psychological aspects of the Model and Process of dietetic practice. Using examples from across the globe, students will be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to health psychology. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module is designed to further develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the metabolism of nutrients in the human body. The human body and its functions will be revisited in greater depth alongside the mechanisms for the integration of metabolism, at the molecular, cellular and whole body levels for human systems. Non-nutrient components of food and drink will be examined including the effects upon health. Students will learn how to analyse diets, calculating nutrient contents of foods and diets of individuals, justifying their choice of method of dietary assessment. The consequences of an unbalanced diet will be studied and the nature of common conditions that require dietary manipulation.

This module is designed to further develop students’ professionalism for practice, including leadership, team working and resilience in practice, business and workforce planning, within the framework of the Association for Nutrition standards of conduct, performance and ethics. Students will integrate and consolidate knowledge around the use of a values-based approach to nutrition care, individualisation of nutrition care, making every contact count and the use of patient/family centred care. The aim is to increase students understanding of the importance of professionalism, and its links to patient safety - including students’ responsibilities and how to raise concerns, particularly with respect to electronic patient records and the use of remote consultations. A key factor will be enabling students to practically demonstrate skills required for safe nutrition practice. Reflective practice and critical appraisal tools will also be used to appraise scientific evidence and other sources, to develop professionalism for safe and effective nutrition practice.

This module is designed to further develop students’ knowledge and understanding of food sources within the UK and internationally. They should be aware of staple foods, and the main sources of key nutrients. They will also explore novel sources of food.  They will study the effect on nutritional quality of methods of food production, preparation, preservation and fortification, including food sources and methods of cooking and storage. They should understand the issues associated with food sustainability and be able to formulate ideas and opinions concerning food, nutrients, and non-nutrient components of food and nutrition effectively and appropriately for human systems. Students will consider the impact of financial, social and environmental circumstances on diet and nutritional intake, including factors of religious and cultural beliefs and practices. 

This module offers students an opportunity to further develop and apply their knowledge of psychology and gain an understanding of current theories of psychology that are relevant to eating behaviour change in groups and individuals. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in dietetics. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and examine some of the fundamental questions and challenges in dietetics today. Using examples from across the globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to eating behaviour change. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module with develop students’ knowledge and understanding of the research process. This will include areas of research design such as constructing a research question, quantitative and qualitative research methods, the place of audit, sampling and recruitment, data governance, collection and analysis techniques and research quality/threats to credibility and trustworthiness of data. It will give students the opportunity to develop a protocol design, using group work, understand the ethical process, and how to manage a research project. It will also deal with issues of dissemination.

The governments of the world are committed to expansion of health care through introducing Universal Health Coverage and ensuring ‘nobody is left behind’. The module considers the different purposes and priorities of different systems that have evolved and how their growth is interlinked with issues of culture, history, politics and power. A range of possible models for health systems are critiqued with a focus on case studies from low- and middle-income countries.

This module is designed to aid students in acquiring the qualities and transferable skills necessary for employment in the food industry and in food research, including numeracy, laboratory-based skills, written and verbal communication skills, information retrieval, and team working skills. Content will include the ability to plan, conduct, analyse and report on investigations into an aspect of nutrition in a responsible, safe and ethical manner.  Students will carry out sample selection and ensure validity, accuracy, calibration, precision, and replicability during collection in accordance with the basic principle of good clinical practice. Students should demonstrate the ability to obtain, record, collate, analyse, interpret and report nutrition-related data using appropriate qualitative and quantitative research and statistical methods in the laboratory working individually or in a group. Using health research methods, students will prepare, process, interpret and present data, using appropriate qualitative and quantitative techniques, SPSS, Excel and programmes for presenting data visually.

• Health, Food and the Physical Environment - 15 Credits
• Practice Experience for Health and Wellbeing - 15 Credits
• The Brain, Human Nature and Ethics - 15 Credits

This module considers the theory which supports the differences  between leadership, management and entrepreneurship.  The skills involved in leading and managing teams across a variety of services are explored including the complexities of group and team dynamics.  It explores the different roles played by the various members of the team and their staff development needs. Students will consider issues involved in developing policies for effective practice.  The role of reflective practice is considered and students have the opportunity to review their own plans for their own professional development.

This module aims to critically evaluate the physiological and biochemical principles of sport and exercise within a nutritional context. Detailed consideration will be focused towards macronutrients and their role for individuals within a range of sport and exercise contexts. The module will provide students with skills surrounding the assessment and analysis of nutritional intake. The use of nutritional and supplement strategies will be critically evaluated in terms of performance enhancement and health.

This module critically examines research methods in dietetics. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in dietetics. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and explore some of the fundamental questions and challenges in dietetics research today. Using examples from across the globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to the research process in dietetics. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module critically examines the study of dietetics from a public health perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in dietetics, public health, and food policy. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and critically examine some of the fundamental questions and challenges in public health nutrition and epidemiology today. Using examples from across the globe, students will also be encouraged to reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to public health nutrition and epidemiology. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

This module offers an introduction to the study of dietetics from a research perspective. Specifically, this module will engage students in contemporary discussions about what matters in dietetics research. This module will help students to understand difficult concepts and critically examine some of the fundamental questions and challenges in dietetics research today. Using examples from across the globe, students will be encouraged to critically reflect on their basic assumptions with regards to research in dietetics. At the same time, an emphasis will be placed on the development of transferable academic skills and critical thinking in particular.

The media is a significant entity in contemporary society, both in terms of the communication of information and provision of entertainment and in influencing people’s beliefs, attitudes and behaviour. The spread of popular access to the internet and the emergence of social media that enable users to create and share content and develop new forms of social network has further transformed the impact of the media in everyday life. This module explores the relationship between the media and health and nutrition from two perspectives. The first is how the media (both traditional and digital) influence health behaviours and public attitudes towards health, food and eating. The second perspective is how nutritionists and health professionals, agencies and service-users might use different types of media to inform, campaign and facilitate support. 

• Volunteering for Health and Wellbeing - 15 Credits
• Eating Well: Food and Value in the 21st Century – 15 Credits