HSN702 - Lifespan Nutrition
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 2: Burwood (Melbourne), Online Trimester 3: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 2: Katie Lacy Trimester 3: Catherine Milte |
| Cohort rule: | H511, H517, H616 and H714 students: enrol in online mode only. H748 students: enrol via Campus mode at Burwood (Melbourne) only. Other Postgraduate students who wish to enrol in this unit: If you are enrolled in an on campus course, you can enrol in the on campus unit offering and you will need to request a manual enrolment from a Student Adviser in Student Central. If you are enrolled in an online course, you need to enrol into the online unit offering. |
| Prerequisite: | Nil |
| Corequisite: | Nil |
| Incompatible with: | HSN202 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 5 x 2 hour seminars per trimester |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | 5 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 provides students with an overview of nutrition needs across the lifespan and the physiological basis for these needs. Nutritional issues relevant to the stages of pregnancy, lactation, foetal development, infancy, childhood and ageing will be covered and potential intervention strategies identified.
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 physiological changes that occur throughout growth, development and ageing and their influence on nutrition needs. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Identify common nutrition issues at each stage of the lifespan and apply practical, relevant, evidence based solutions to these problems that considers cultural and social influences. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Select and use appropriate technologies to locate, critique and interpret individual and population based dietary data, national nutrient and food based dietary recommendations and peer reviewed nutrition literature. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Apply effective written and oral communication skills to disseminate evidence based nutrition knowledge to specialist and non-specialist audiences. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO5 | Understand how to maintain currency of nutrition knowledge and skills by using feedback and reflective practice to identify ongoing learning needs and opportunities. | GLO6: Self-management |
Nutritionist skill-building in this unit
Units within this course are aimed at developing skills that will enable you to become a nutritionist. Nutrition core competencies are essential skills required by organisations that employ nutritionists and the competencies below have been identified via a survey of nutrition organisations in 2009 and 2010. Completing this unit will provide the foundation knowledge base necessary for you to have the nutrition core competencies listed below. This foundation knowledge will be enhanced as you move through the remaining units within your degree.
Topics covered in this Unit include:
- Nutrients
- Their effects on growth and development
- Food sources
- Bioavailability
- Amount recommended for each life stage
- Strength and limitations of various nutrition assessment methods
- Nutrition and health
- Population health
- Aetiology and prevalence of public health problems
- Food safety and regulations in the food industry
- Factors affecting food choices and consumption
- Nutrition in a social context and international perspectives
- Assessment, analysis, and interpretation of nutritional data
Students will also develop research skills such as:
- Identifying and critically evaluating scientific literature
- Selecting appropriate study design and research methodology
- Understanding the strengths and weaknesses of various research methods
Assessment
| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Short Written Report and Literature Search Strategy | 650 word essay and literature search plan | 20% |
|
| Assessment 2: Written report, reflection and short oral presentation | 2000 words and 1 minute oral presentation | 40% |
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| Assessment 3: Case studies | 40% |
|
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
The texts and reading list for HSN702 can be found via the University Library.
Note: Select the relevant trimester reading list. Please note that a future teaching period's reading list may not be available until a month prior to the start of that teaching period so you may wish to use the relevant trimester's prior year reading list as a guide only.
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.