HSN705 - Public Health Nutrition
Unit details
| Year | 2025 unit information |
|---|---|
| Enrolment modes: | Trimester 1: Burwood (Melbourne), Online |
| Credit point(s): | 1 |
| EFTSL value: | 0.125 |
| Unit Chair: | Trimester 1: Janandani Nanayakkara |
| 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: | HSN302 |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - on-campus unit enrolment: | 5 x 2 hour seminars per trimester |
| Educator-facilitated (scheduled) learning activities - online unit enrolment: | Online independent and collaborative learning activities including 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 is the foundation unit in public health nutrition. It deals with the application of nutrition, behavioural and social science approaches to the prevention and amelioration of population health problems. Topics include: key concepts, goals and initiatives in public health nutrition, the social context of food; nutrition related disease-deficiencies and over consumption; the nutrition transition; food security and disadvantaged populations; food sustainability. The unit complements HSN706: Food Policy and Public Health.
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 | Demonstrate understanding of major public health nutrition issues in Australia and internationally. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO2 | Provide detailed insights regarding national and global causes, consequences and solutions of nutritional deficiencies and metabolic disease. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO3 | Provide detailed insights regarding national and global causes, consequences and solutions regarding food insecurity and food sustainability. | GLO1: Discipline-specific knowledge and capabilities |
| ULO4 | Identify, retrieve, curate and critically appraise relevant digital literature with which to analyse public health nutrition problems. | GLO2: Communication |
| ULO5 | Critique population nutrition interventions and the likely effectiveness of these, and propose well-justified alternatives. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
| ULO6 | Reflect upon how understandings of public health nutrition issues influences their own practice personally and professionally. | GLO4: Critical thinking |
Nutritionist skill building in this unit
All units within this course are aimed at developing skills in each student that will enable them to become nutritionists. Nutrition core competencies are essential skills required by organisations that employ nutritionists.
This unit focuses on the following nutrition core competencies:
- Health and disease
- Determinants of health
- Population health
- Aetiology and prevalence of public health problems
- Food safety and industry incorporating consumers and regulations
- Factors affecting food supply and access
- Factors affecting food choice and consumption
- Differences in cultural practises and food beliefs
- Social and cultural factors
- Social context
- Economic context
- Be able to communicate, maintain partnerships and engage in advocacy
- Engage in advocacy
- Communicate nutrition messages
- Ethical and socially responsible work
- Abilities in nutrition and food governance/policy skills
- Analyse policies
- Abilities in research skills
- Identify and critically evaluate literature
- Understand strengths/weakness differences in research methods
Assessment
Trimester 1:| Assessment description | Student output | Grading and weighting (% total mark for unit) | Indicative due week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment 1: Learning reflection on completion of module activities and participation in online discussion | 2 modules - 2 reflections 500 words each | 10% per module Total: 20% |
|
| Assessment 2: Assignment | 1200 words | 30% |
|
| Assessment 3: Assignment | 2000 words | 50% |
|
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 HSN705 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.