HSN301 - Diet and Disease
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Warrnambool, Waurn Ponds (Geelong), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Shaun Mason |
| Prerequisite: | HSN211 |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | HSN703 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | Burwood (Melbourne) students: |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 2 X 1 hour stream or online recorded lecture per week and 6 x 2 hour online seminars per trimester. |
| Typical study commitment: | Students will on average spend 150 hours over the teaching period undertaking the teaching, learning and assessment activities for this unit. This will include educator guided online learning activities within the unit site. |
Content
This unit concentrates on major nutrition-related components of the major non-communicable diseases that affect the health of developed nations. Topics include: the metabolic syndrome, obesity (regulation of energy balance, health consequences, best practice dietary interventions); cardiovascular disease (atheroma pathophysiology, lipoprotein metabolism, dietary management); type 2 diabetes (T2D) (the role of diet and physiological mechanisms in the pathogenesis and treatment of T2D); nutrient-gene interactions (epigenetic methylation, histone modifications and single nucleotide polymorphisms); mental health (role of nutrients in the brain and effect on several significant mental health pathologies) and cancer (dietary components as indicators, promoters or protective agents).
Learning Outcomes
| ULO | These are the Unit Learning Outcomes (ULOs) for this unit. At the completion of this unit, successful students can: | Alignment to Deakin Graduate Learning Outcomes (GLOs) |
|---|---|---|
| ULO1 | Explain the aetiology and pathophysiology of common nutrition-related diseases. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Explain the role of different nutrients and diets in the prevention of common nutrition-related diseases. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Search, interpret and critically evaluate scientific publications on the relationship between diets and nutrition-related diseases. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Synthesise current scientific knowledge on the prevention of nutrition-related diseases and produce reports for a professional and lay audience. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
Assessment
Trimester 1:| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Assignment 1 | 1000 words | 20% |
|
| Assessment 2: Assignment 2 | 2000 words | 40% |
|
| Assessment 3: Multiple choice quizzes | 3 x multiple choice quizzes | 10% |
|
| Assessment 4: End-of-Unit Assessment | 90 minutes | 30% |
|
The assessment due weeks provided may change. The Unit Chair will clarify the exact assessment requirements, including the due date, at the start of the teaching period.
Learning resource
There is no prescribed text. Unit materials are provided via the unit site. This includes unit topic readings and references to further information.
Unit Fee Information
Fees and charges vary depending on the type of fee place you hold, your course, your commencement year, the units you choose to study and their study discipline, and your study load.
Tuition fees increase at the beginning of each calendar year and all fees quoted are in Australian dollars ($AUD). Tuition fees do not include textbooks, computer equipment or software, other equipment or costs such as mandatory checks, travel and stationery.
For further information regarding tuition fees, other fees and charges, invoice due dates, withdrawal dates, payment methods visit our Current Students website.