NNEK23004U Lifecourse Nutrition and Health

Volume 2024/2025
Education

MSc Programme in Human Nutrition
 

Content

In this course we focus on nutritional requirements during specific stages of the lifecourse and the role of optimal nutrition for health including growth, development, maintenance and disease prevention. The specific life stages include pregnancy and fetal life; infancy and toddlerhood; childhood and adolescence; and old age. The course addresses the nutritional requirements in relation to the physiological changes during each of these stages with particular focus on under- and overnutrition and selected nutrition-related diseases and functions as well as sustainable diets. We will also address life stage specific tools and guidelines for assessing nutritional status. The course consists of lectures, theoretical exercises, quizzes and group work with report writing and peer feedback on a specific nutrition topic related to one of the life stages.

Learning Outcome

Knowledge:

  • Describe basic physiological changes during pregnancy and fetal life; infancy and toddlerhood; childhood and adolescence; and old age.
  • Describe relations between nutrition, growth, development and health in these specific life stages.


Skills:

  • Explain the physiological rationale for nutritional requirements, dietary reference values and guidelines in the specific life stages.
  • Describe and explain methods to evaluate nutritional status and growth during specific life stages.
  • Explain the relation between nutrition and overweight, underweight, brain function and other nutrition related issues in specific life stages.

 

Competences:

  • Critically choose and apply relevant methods for assessment of growth and nutritional status in specific life stages.
  • Discuss relations between nutrition and health including growth, development, maintenance and disease prevention in specific life stages.

Course literature will be announced at study start on the course’s Absalon page.

Participants are expected to have knowledge of basic human nutrition before signing up for this course. Academic qualifications equivalent to a BSc degree is recommended.
Lectures, theoretical exercises and group work.
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Lectures
  • 32
  • Preparation
  • 91
  • Theory exercises
  • 32
  • Project work
  • 50
  • Exam
  • 1
  • Total
  • 206
Oral
Collective
Continuous feedback during the course of the semester

Quizzes with feedback on correct answers

Peer feedback at an opponent’s seminar.

Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Oral examination, 20 minutes
Type of assessment details
Questions relating to the learning outcomes of the course.
Exam registration requirements

Active participation in the opponent’s seminar. Approved group report.

Aid
Without aids
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship
Several internal examiners
Re-exam

Same as ordinary exam.

The registration requirement must be fulfilled no later than 3 weeks before the re-examination.

If the student has been active at an opponent seminar without submission and approval of a group report, a new individual report must be submitted and approved 3 weeks before re-examination.

If the student has not participated in the opponent's seminar during the course, the student must submit a written feedback to another group's report 3 weeks before re-examination.

Criteria for exam assesment

Please see ”Learning Outcome”