Overview
This unit will introduce students to the role of food, nutrients and dietary constituents in human health and disease. Your learning will encompass the range of ecological, physiological, and behavioural factors that influence food composition and human food intakes and behaviours. You will learn about the food and nutrition requirements of different individuals and population groups. You will develop an understanding of scientific evidence that underpins dietary requirements and recommendations and skills to identify dietary misinformation.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
There are no requisites for this unit.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2023
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from SUTE unit comments
Students found the group discussion and its requirements confusing.
The group discussion assessment will be reviewed and clear guidelines and rubrics will be provided.
Feedback from SUTE unit comments
Students appreciated that lectures were divided into different smaller sections but suggestions were made for shorter videos and tutorials.
The lectures and tutorials of the unit will be reviewed and shorter lectures and tutorials that focus on learning outcomes and key topics will be provided.
Feedback from Unit Coordinators' self evaluation
The unit structure and assignments need revision.
The unit structure, assignments and guidelines will be reviewed and revised.
- Discuss food composition, nutrients, and dietary requirements and recommendations
- Describe the ecological factors influencing food composition and nutrient intakes and behaviours
- Describe the physiological factors influencing food and nutrient intakes and behaviours
- Relate food and nutrient intakes to common nutrition-related diseases in Australia.
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
| 2 - Online Quiz(zes) - 40% | ||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Textbooks
UNDERSTANDING NUTRITION
Edition: Fifth (2023)
Authors: Eleanor Noss Whitney, Sharon Rady Rolfes, Tim Crowe and Adam Walsh
Cengage
Victoria , Australia
Binding: Paperback
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: American Psychological Association 7th Edition (APA 7th edition)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
a.vassallo@cqu.edu.au
s.khalesi@cqu.edu.au
s.p.williams@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Australian Dietary Guidelines
Chapter
Chapter 1
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Introduction to assessment tasks, unit Moodle site, unit learning outcomes and expectations. Revision of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.
Module/Topic
Food choices
Chapter
Chapter 1 and 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Exploration of possible reasons why people choose particular foods, dietary patterns and fad diets.
Module/Topic
Dietary Assessment
Chapter
Chapter 1 and 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: How to apply the Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) guidelines to individuals.
Module/Topic
Food composition and food labelling
Chapter
Chapter 2
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Task 2, Quiz 1
Tutorial: Food Standards Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ), food labelling and food composition.
Module/Topic
Carbohydrates and Proteins
Chapter
Chapter 4 and 6
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Carbohydrate and protein requirements and how individuals can achieve adequacy.
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Fats
Chapter
Chapter 5
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Task 1
Tutorial: Fats requirements and how individuals can achieve adequacy.
Fad diets Due: Week 6 Friday (21 Apr 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Module/Topic
Over and under consumption of macronutrients
Chapter
Chapter 8
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Task 2 Quiz 2
Tutorial: Assessing over and under nutrition and considerations when advice giving to individuals.
Module/Topic
Fluid and alcohol
Chapter
Chapter 7 (Highlight) and 12
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Fluid requirements and alcohol considerations. Responsible advice giving to an individual.
Module/Topic
Micronutrients - Vitamins
Chapter
Chapter 10 and 11
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Vitamin requirements including over and under consumption.
Module/Topic
Micronutrients - Minerals
Chapter
Chapter 12 and 13
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Task 2 Quiz 3
Tutorial: Mineral requirements and advice giving to individuals.
Module/Topic
Hot topics in human nutrition
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Tutorial: Exploration of nutrition topics in the media.
Module/Topic
Review
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Assessment Task 2 Quiz 4
Assessment Task 3
Tutorial: Overview of the main learnings from this unit.
Dietary analysis of case study Due: Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Your Unit Coordinator this term is Anna Vassallo (CQUniversity, Bundaberg). Anna can be contacted via the Unit Moodle forum or via email (a.vassallo@cqu.edu.au).
The Unit and Learning Content:
The Learning Content has been divided into eleven (11) main topics. The learning materials for each week are located within the weekly tiles. The following information and links will be provided for each week:
- Weekly lecture/s and slides
- Weekly Learning Guide readings and activities
- Weekly Online tutorial(s)
- Additional weekly reading materials
Tutorial Sessions:
Throughout the term (weeks 1-12), Zoom tutorial sessions will be held online only. The day and time of these weekly tutorials will be advised on the unit Moodle site. Weekly tutorials will provide you with an opportunity to ask questions relevant to learning outcomes, assessment tasks or weekly learning content, and to revise weekly learning activities. All Zoom tutorial sessions will be recorded to enable all students to view the content if they are unable to attend the live tutorial. If you have never used Zoom before, please review the Zoom information provided in the Moodle Help for Students in the Support tab on Moodle.
Unit Assessment Guide & Learning Guide:
The Unit Assessment Guide has been developed to provide a comprehensive overview of the assessment tasks for the unit. This guide is available in the Assessment tile in the unit Moodle site. For each assessment task, a dedicated Q&A forum is also available on the Moodle site to help with understanding assessment requirements and answering relevant questions. The unit Learning Guide summarises the weekly content and provides links to additional readings, questions and forum discussion topics designed to support your learning of the unit content. Each week, you should:
- Go through the weekly lecture/s
- Read through the specified sections of your textbook
- Read through any additional resources or journal articles provided in the weekly Learning Guide
- Complete all questions and activities as noted in the weekly Learning Guide
Student Communications:
- Discussion of nutrition topics is integral to understanding and communicating the depth and breadth of nutrition issues for people. Open discussion is important. However, it is expected that you will ALWAYS weigh up the evidence (from reputable sources only), and respect the right of every student to have an opinion, even if it differs from your own. Please respect your fellow peers and always maintain a polite, respectful dialogue, and communicate in a professional manner at all times.
- Throughout the term, all NON-PERSONAL communications between students and the Unit Coordinators (for example, questions relating to assessment tasks, due dates, learning activities etc.) must be conducted via the relevant forums in the unit Moodle site. Any PERSONAL communications (personal illness, life events) should be held with the Unit Coordinators via email or telephone. All emails must include your name, contact details, the unit code and a brief message that clearly outlines your question/communication.
- All requests for extensions on assessment task due dates must be made via the Assessment Extension Request (AER) system in Moodle.
1 Written Assessment
This task will require you to explore diet culture, including two (2) fad diets from the list provided below, in a report. You will also explore how ecological factors can impact a person’s food choices. You will explore your selected fad diets using credible references as well as the internet.
Select two (2) fad diets from the list below:
- Paleo diet
- Keto diet
- South Beach diet
- Intermittent fasting
- Blood Type Diet
- The Raw Food Diet
To complete this task, you are required to:
Explore the internet for non-scientific and scientific literature from the past 10 years (approximately) in relation to fad diets and your selected fad diets and develop a report that outlines the following:
- A general definition of a fad diet
- The origins of the fad diets you have chosen
- The food compositions of the fad diets
- Nutritional consequences, both short term and long term, associated with each fad diet as well as possible health outcomes, both positive and negative.
- Briefly reflect on why people choose ‘to diet’. This may require a short informal interview/conversation with someone in your community who has previously attempted a restrictive diet (not necessarily the fad diets you have chosen to focus on for this task)
- References (at least 10) from scientific and non-scientific sources cited in your essay. Of which, at least five (5) scientific references such as journal articles, government and other credible organisations.
Week 6 Friday (21 Apr 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Week 8 Friday (5 May 2023)
Annotated feedback on the Moodle submission
Marks for this assessment task will be awarded according to the marking criteria included in the unit Assessment Guide. Accordingly, your assessment will be marked on:
- Introduction to fad diets. (10 marks)
- Introduction and description of 2 fad diets. (10 marks)
- Food composition of fad diets.(10 marks)
- Nutritional consequences associated with chosen fad diets. (10 marks)
- Health outcomes associated with fad diets. (15 marks)
- Ecological factors associated with people choosing fad diets. (15 marks)
- A summary and conclusion to fad diets including a general recommendation to the community in relation to fad diets. (10 marks)
- Formatting. (10 marks)
- Written expression. (5 marks)
- Referencing. (5 marks)
Please refer to the Assessment Guide available on the unit Moodle page for further information on marking criteria.
- Describe the ecological factors influencing food composition and nutrient intakes and behaviours
- Describe the physiological factors influencing food and nutrient intakes and behaviours
2 Online Quiz(zes)
The online quizzes will assess the content provided in the unit from weeks 1 to 12.
- Quiz 1 will assess content from week 1 to week 3.
- Quiz 2 will assess the content from week 4 to week 6.
- Quiz 3 will assess content from week 7 to week 9.
- Quiz 4 will assess content from week 10 to week 11.
4
Other
Students will have 24hrs prior to the quiz due date to complete the online Moodle quiz. Quiz 1 is due for completion by 5.00pm AEST, Friday 31st March 2023. Quiz 2 is due for completion by 5:00pm AEST Friday April 28th. Quiz 3 is due for completion by 5:00pm AEST Friday May 19th. Quiz 4 is due for completion by 5:00pm AEST Sunday June 4th.
Students will receive feedback as appropriate and quiz scores 1 week after each quiz closes.
Each quiz will consist of 15 multiple-choice questions, worth 1 (one) mark each, hence each quiz will be marked out of 15. Only one (1) attempt is permitted.
- Discuss food composition, nutrients, and dietary requirements and recommendations
- Describe the ecological factors influencing food composition and nutrient intakes and behaviours
- Describe the physiological factors influencing food and nutrient intakes and behaviours
- Relate food and nutrient intakes to common nutrition-related diseases in Australia.
3 Written Assessment
Nutrition assessments are integral to understanding if nutritional needs are achieved for a healthy diet and positive health outcomes. This assessment task provides you with the opportunity to develop skills in conducting a basic nutrition assessment, understand how you can use nutrition assessment information in the context of your respective professional roles, and how you could provide appropriate dietary advice to others in the future.
Students are to seek a person in their community to act as a case study for this task. Students are to perform a diet history, 24hr food recall and anthropometric measurements with their chosen case study and then conduct a nutritional analysis of reported food intake and dietary food habits using the Australian Food Composition Database. Results are to be summarised and submitted as a report.
To complete this task, you will be required to:
1- Conduct a nutrition assessment on a family member or friend that includes conducting a:
- 24hr dietary recall
- diet history, including nutrition history
- anthropometric measures of height, body weight, waist circumference, and record of any nutrition-related diseases/conditions (templates are available on the unit Moodle site). A tape measure and body weight scales are required for this step.
2- Complete a nutritional analysis of the diet history using the Australian Food Composition Database to determine the average total energy intake, calcium, iron, vitamin D, sodium, fibre, total fat and saturated fat. Compare average nutrient intake levels to the appropriate Nutrient Reference Value (NRV) relevant to your case study.
3- Construct a 1500-word report of your nutrition assessment. Include the following in your report:
- Introduction – a brief description introducing your case study, including the pertinent information relevant to complete a nutrition assessment and a clear description of the purpose of a nutrition assessment.
- Method – Briefly describe the dietary collection methods used (24hr recall and diet history) as well as the tools used to determine the nutritional composition of your case study’s dietary intake and how nutritional adequacy is determined.
- Results – Provide nutrient intake levels determined from the diet history against the NRVs.
- Discussion – Provide responses to the following as an integrated discussion (not questions and answer style). Justification is needed with evidence from the scientific literature.
1. Issues encountered during the collection of the 24-hour food recall and diet history. Is the food intake data collected likely to represent your case study’s usual dietary intake? How is it likely to be different and why.
2. Is a diet history and/or 24 hr food recall likely to be long enough to obtain a reliable picture of food intake? Why?
3. Which nutrients were not meeting or exceeding the NRVs? Comment on the significance of this in relation to health risk with justification. Also compare your case study’s food intake to the Australian Guide to Healthy eating (AGHE) and provide recommendations to assist with adherence.
4. What changes would you suggest to your case study to assist with achieving nutritional adequacy? Consider both lifestyle and dietary modifications.
5. Comment on the comparison of the case study’s anthropometric measures in relation to current Australian standards/recommendations for Body Mass Index and Waist Circumference and health risk.
- Conclusion - A conclusion that provides a summary of your case study and key outcomes.
- Reference list – Be sure to include at least eight (8) authoritative references from the scientific literature to support the discussion session.
Week 12 Friday (2 June 2023) 5:00 pm AEST
Annotated feedback on the Moodle submission
Exam Week Friday (16 June 2023)
Annotated feedback and mark on Moodle.
Marks for this assessment task will be awarded according to the marking criteria included in the unit Assessment Guide. Accordingly, your assessment will be marked on:
- Introduction: Introduce the task and the case study. (10 marks)
- Body: Method section; Results section; Discussion of methods to collect dietary information; Discussion of nutrient intake of the case study against relevant recommendations; Discussion of dietary recommendations based on results. (50 marks)
- Conclusion: A summary and conclusion to the report overall. (10 marks)
- Formatting: Cover page, general formatting including in-text citations, word count and report format. (10 marks)
- Written expression; Writing fluency (10 marks)
- Referencing: Quality, quantity of references and inclusion of reference list in APA 7 referencing style.(10 marks)
Please refer to the Assessment Guide available on the unit Moodle page for further information on marking criteria.
- Discuss food composition, nutrients, and dietary requirements and recommendations
- Relate food and nutrient intakes to common nutrition-related diseases in Australia.
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
