We decide what to eat, when to eat and even whether to eat for a variety of reasons and our food choices and behaviours influence our health and wellbeing and risk of chronic diseases. For most of us, many of our food choices are based on behavioural and social factors rather than health and wellbeing considerations.

Task Details

For this task, you will review a case study (See below) and develop an essay (1200-1500 words) that includes:

• an introduction that provides an evidence-based overview of the ecological and physiological factors known to influence food choices and behaviours;
• an essay body that identifies and discusses the health risks and factors portrayed in the case study that have influenced food choices and behaviours, and are aligned to evidence included in the introduction; and
• a conclusion that outlines suggested changes that the individual in the case should make to their food choices and behaviours, and why.
• a reference list that includes at least five (5) scientific/reliable sources. NOTE: either Harvard or APA 7th referencing styles may be used. It is important that your referencing style is accurate and consistent. Please use the Referencing resource on the University library site for further guidance and examples.

Your essay should be presented as a Word document (NOT a PDF), using size 11 or 12 font, one and one-half OR double line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, and include page numbers and headings/subheadings that guide reading and review of your essay.

Your writing should be clear and concise, logical in the flow of ideas, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. It is expected that you will construct paragraphs that are coherent and organised with all sentences in a paragraph relating to a single topic.

The following criteria will be used to assess your essay:

• Introduction is clearly written and demonstrates breadth of reading and understanding of ecological and physiological factors known to influence food choices and behaviours (5 marks)
• Discussion is clearly written and demonstrates critical analysis, interpretation, and explanation with clear alignment of factors identified in the case and evidence included in introduction (15 marks)
• Conclusion provides a clear overview of relevant changes the individual should make to their food choices and behaviours and reasons why (5 marks)
• Accuracy in use of supporting evidence (2.5 marks)
• Formatting and word length requirements are met (2.5 marks)

Online quizzes are included in this unit to reinforce your learning, provide you with immediate feedback on your learning of foundational concepts, provide you with a tangible benchmark that may highlight strengths and weaknesses in your learning, and encourage your consistent engagement with course materials. 

Task Details

For this task you will be required to complete two (2) online quizzes that assess your understanding of key topics and concepts provided in the unit across the term.

Each quiz will:

• include 30 multiple choice questions;
• only be available ONCE for completion;
• be 'open' for completion for a six (6) week period and can be completed at any time during this period (see table below for schedule of opening/closing times and dates for each quiz); and
• be time limited and timed - once you commence a quiz, you will have 60 minutes only to complete the quiz (a timer will appear on your screen to help you to monitor your time).  

NOTE: Formative quizzes (non-compulsory, non-graded quizzes) will be provided during the term so that you can test your knowledge and understanding of unit content prior to commencing the summative online quizzes outlined above. You may complete the formative quizzes as many times as you wish. 

No Assessment Criteria

Nutrition assessments are integral to understanding if, and to what extent nutritional needs are met and if dietary intakes and behaviours pose risk to short- and/or long-term health.

This assessment task provides you with opportunity to conduct a basic nutrition assessment to facilitate development of your understanding of food and food intake behaviours and how they align to nutrition recommendations and requirements for a healthy diet, and how you could provide appropriate dietary advice to others as relevant to your future professional role (including recommendations for seeking further professional advice and guidance).

Task Details

This assessment task requires your completion of the following four (4) key steps:

Step 1. Seek a person in your personal community to be the subject of your case study (e.g., family member, friend, neighbor, co-worker). NOTE: This person should NOT be a fellow student in this unit.

Step 2. Conduct a nutrition assessment on your chosen 'case'. This will include:

• completion of a diet and nutrition history (includes health and health behaviours, and anthropometric measures (height, body weight, calculation of Body Mass Index (BMI), waist circumference)) (Templates for these are provided in the Assessment tile on the unit Moodle site); and
• conduct of a 24-hour food recall (template provided in the Assessment tile on the unit Moodle site);

Step 3. Complete an analysis of the information collected from your nutrition assessment and comparison with recommendations for intakes of food groups included in the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating (NHMRC, 2013) relative to your individual case and their stage of the lifespan.

Step 4. Develop a 1500-word (+/- 10%) report of your nutrition assessment. This report should include the following sections:

• Introduction: a brief overview of your individual case and a clear description of the purpose of a nutrition assessment.
• Methods: description of the methods you used for the collection of the diet, health and nutrition history.
• Results: a written description and supporting table of results in relation to your individual's dietary intake (compared to recommendations for intakes of each of the five food groups and discretionary foods (as required for their stage of the lifespan); and anthropometric measures.
• Discussion: an evidence-based discussion of any issues related to the methods used for collection of diet and nutrition history (including anthropometric measures). Your integrated discussion should address each of the following points (not question and answer style) and include justification from scientific evidence:
  • Issues you encountered during collection of dietary, health and nutrition history (e.g., is food intake data likely to be representative of 'usual' dietary intakes - if not, why not?; what is the reliability of self-reported health and anthropometric measures?)
  • How appropriate is a 24-hour recall for determining adequacy of an individuals dietary behaviours over time?
  • What factors may have influenced your collection of information and your individual's recall of the dietary information (e.g., phone or face-to-face interview, memory, health status at time of data collection, physical activity behaviours etc)? 
  • Which recommendations for food groups were met/unmet/exceeded and what are the possible health-risks associated with such intakes (with consideration for the individuals anthropometric measures and reported health and health behaviours)?
  • What practical changes would you suggest to help the individual meet recommendations (including lifestyle and dietary changes in relation to their stage of the lifespan and personal dietary needs (e.g. allergies/intolerances/likes/dislikes), health (chronic conditions and/or family history) and cultural factors.
• Conclusion: A brief summary of your case study and key outcomes;
• References: a list of at least eight (8) scientific and/or reliable sources that were used in support of your discussion section.

Notes on formatting and written expression:

Your essay should be presented as a Word document (NOT a PDF), using size 11 or 12 font, one and one-half OR double-line spacing, 2.5 cm margins, and include page numbers and headings/subheadings that guide reading and review of your report.

Your writing should be clear and concise, logical in the flow of ideas, and free of spelling and grammatical errors. It is expected that you will construct paragraphs that are coherent and organised with all sentences in a paragraph relating to a single topic.

Marks for this assessment task will be awarded in accordance with the following criteria:

Introduction (5 marks):

• Overview of your individual case and a clear description of the purpose of a nutrition assessment (5 marks)

Methods (10 marks):

• Clear description of the methods used for the collection of the diet and nutrition history (including anthropometric measures).

Results (20 marks)

• Written description of results that are supported by a table of results in relation to your individual's dietary intake (compared to recommendations for intakes of each of the five food groups and discretionary foods (as required for their stage of the lifespan)
• Written description of anthropometric measures and comparison to Australian standards/recommendations for BMI, waist circumference and health risk.

Discussion (40 marks):

Integrated and evidence-based discussion of:

• Issues encountered during collection of dietary and health information
• Appropriateness of a 24-hour recall for determining adequacy of an individuals dietary behaviours over time
• Recommendations for food groups were met/unmet/exceeded and the possible health risks associated with such intakes (including consideration for the individuals anthropometric measures and reported health and health behaviours)
• Suggestions for practical changes that may help the individual meet recommendations (including lifestyle and dietary changes in relation to their stage of the lifespan and personal dietary needs (e.g. allergies/intolerances/likes/dislikes), health (chronic conditions and/or family history) and cultural factors

Conclusion (5 marks):

• Summary of case study and key outcomes 

References (5 marks):

• Accuracy and consistency of referencing style
• Number of references.

Formatting (5 marks)

• Spacing, font, margins, page numbers, headings/subheadings.

Written expression (10 marks):

• Clarity, spelling and grammar
• Paragraph construction and flow of ideas.