Public Health Nutrition

Module title	Public Health Nutrition
Module code	HPDM205
Academic year	2025/6
Credits	15
Module staff	Dr Raquel Revuelta Iniesta (Convenor) Dr Luciana Torquati (Convenor) Dr Kerry Brown (Convenor)

Duration: Term	1	2	3
Duration: Weeks	6

Number students taking module (anticipated)	45

Module description

This module will focus on public health nutrition. Public health nutrition is the promotion of good health through nutrition, and the primary prevention of diet-related diseases in populations via organised action at the societal level e.g., food policies and public health agendas.

You will be introduced to the main concepts of public health nutrition research, policy, and practice. Throughout the module you will be encouraged to consider context, complexity, and determinants of health to understand health inequities in food security and diet-related diseases, within and between countries/regions. In addition, to critically assess how evidence informs inter-/national decision-making, public health agendas, and food policies, and consider the future of public health nutrition in terms of changes in disease burden and the impacts of climate change.

Module aims - intentions of the module

By the end of this module you will be able to use frameworks and case study examples to define public health nutrition. You will also have an overview of key public health nutrition priorities in different regions/population groups across the world and be aware of the challenges of implementing and evaluating public health nutrition interventions. This module will also help you to develop skills to interpret and summarise nutrition (qualitative/quantitative) evidence and communicate this to different audiences.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

1. Explain the drivers for lifestyle choices and population diet-related diseases
2. Ability to consider population group differences in the design, implementation, and evaluation of public health nutrition interventions

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

3. Ability to interpret quantitative and qualitative research data to understand public health nutrition priorities/effectiveness of population interventions
4. Critically assess how evidence informs public health agendas and policies at inter-/national levels

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

5. Develop arguments demonstrating critical thinking and synthesis
6. Understand how to address multidisciplinary problems within local, national, or global contexts

Syllabus plan

Definition of public health nutrition
Commercial determinants of health
Food policy
Food security and malnutrition (undernutrition, overnutrition, micronutrient deficiencies)
Healthy, equitable, and sustainable food systems

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
15	135	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	15	Lectures, seminars
Guided Independent Study	45	Reading
Guided Independent Study	45	Completing study tasks on ELE
Guided Independent Study	45	Preparation for assessments

Formative assessment

Form of assessment	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Research question elevator pitch	2 minutes	1-3	In-class peer review

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
100	0	0

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Written report	100	2,000 words	1-6	Written

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessment	Form of re-assessment	ILOs re-assessed	Timescale for re-assessment
Written report	Written report	1-6	Referral/Deferral Period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e., a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will need to complete further assessment as required. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Essential and recommended reading will be provided, each week, for specific teaching and learning sessions on ELE (https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/). The below are general reading materials for the overall module:

Books:

Butriss JL, Welch AA, & Kearney JM. Public health nutrition, 2^nd edition. Wiley Blackwell: Chichester, 2018

Journals:

Public Health Nutrition https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/public-health-nutrition
Lancet https://www.thelancet.com/
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) https://jamanetwork.com/
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) https://www.nejm.org/
Global Food Security https://journals.elsevier.com/global-food-security

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

United Nations World Health Organization https://www.who.int/
United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization, State of the Food Security and Nutrition in the World https://www.fao.org/publications/sofi/en/
UK Office for Health Improvement & Disparities https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/office-for-health-improvement-and-disparities

Key words search

Public health nutrition, food security, food policy, food systems

Credit value	15
Module ECTS	7.5
Module pre-requisites	None
Module co-requisites	None
NQF level (module)	7
Available as distance learning?	No
Origin date	23/02/2024
Last revision date	03/06/2025