Evaluating the Evidence for Public Health Nutrition

This module will introduce students to epidemiology and biostatistics as the core of population health and public health nutrition research and practice. Emphasis will be placed on a population view of health, nutrition and disease and the social determinants of health. A key focus will be the application of epidemiology and statistics in the assessment of disease in populations and the effects of nutrition interventions. This will include consideration of basic statistics, study design, quantitative and qualitative methods of inquiry and ethical issues related to research and population health interventions.

1. Interpret the demographics of the Irish population including minority and disadvantaged groups.

2. Summarise the Irish health system and the political system and its operation at a national and local level and outline the major bodies that provide government with scientific advice relating to food and health.

3. Identify and describe the main socio-cultural, economic, environmental and political determinants of health.

4. Define public health and discuss the origins and nature of public health as a discipline.

5. Explain and compare the main study designs used in population health and nutrition research and explain the findings of key population health studies on the relationship between diet and chronic disease.

6. Explain common methods used to survey the nutrient intake and the nutritional status of populations.

7. Search the scientific literature related to common questions on nutrition and health and perform basic methods of qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis.