NS 4500 - Public Health Nutrition

Spring. 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Prerequisite: NS 1150. Students must attend first lecture or placement is forfeited.

A. Kelles, K. Rasmussen.

Public health nutrition is the major professional career track for nutritionists outside of dietetics. It deals with efforts to improve the diets and nutritional status of whole populations by working at the community, state, and national levels. Course helps prepare students to work in public health nutrition by describing methods used in the assessment of nutrition problems, the development of nutrition-related policies, and the delivery of health, nutrition, and food assistance programs.

Outcome 1: Students will be able to: (1) describe the functions of government in public health and articulate how they are related to their personal profession goals, (2) describe the evolution of public health and public health nutrition policies in the US, (3) identify current controversies in public health nutrition in the media and (4) discuss how they are framed for public and political use.

Outcome 2: Students will be able to: (1) describe how nutrition problems are assessed at the individual and population level, (2) describe how nutritional status is monitored in the American population and (3) discuss the concepts used to link food production to health, including relevant economic and social concerns.

Outcome 3: For each policy covered in class, students will be able to: (1) describe the policy and how its design relates to its rationale and goals, (2) discuss its positive aspects, (3) critique its negative aspects and (4) name the agency responsible for it.

Outcome 4: For each program covered in class, students will be able to: (1) describe the program (including who is eligible and what benefits are provided) and how its design relates to its rationale and goals, (2) discuss its positive aspects, (3) critique its negative aspects and (4) name the agency responsible for it.

Outcome 5: Students will be able to: (1) identify gaps in the matrix of nutrition policies in the US, (2) develop alternative policy options and (3) compare policy options using relevant analytic approaches.

Outcome 6: Students will be able to use information obtained in the course to determine how to respond to issues typically encountered in work environments in public health nutrition.

Outcome 7: Students will be able to: (1) identify and describe the interconnected social, economic, biological, and environmental systems of a local food economy, (2) identify key stakeholders; (3) articulate and discuss public health problems in a community leading to food inequality and health disparity, and (4) discuss the benefits and challenges inherent in developing a comprehensive and sustainable local food system.

Outcome 8: Students will be able to: (1) identify and describe NGO and government-supported community programs designed to create food equity, (2) critique and discuss community benefits, and (3) critique and discuss challenges to program delivery and success.

Outcome 9: Students will be able to: (1) discuss relevant techniques to monitor nutrition and health status outcomes, (2) evaluate and discuss nutrition and health interventions and programs, and (3) evaluate and discuss community-based programs designed to improve public health.