2018/19 Taught Postgraduate Module Catalogue

FOOD5510M Applied Nutritional Epidemiology

20 creditsClass Size: 100

Module manager: Dr Mike Zulyniak
Email: m.a.zulyniak@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2018/19

Module replaces

ICON5013MIntroduction to Nutritional Epidemiology

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

Module objectives and knowledge outcomes will be achieved primarily through the use of seminars and hands on practicals. Students interested in this module as an elective should take note of module prerequisite qualifications, which are prior study of a relevant health and/or science module. Please contact the module leader for advice.

Objectives

The module aims to:

1) develop an understanding of concepts, information and research methods for studying nutrition & health in populations;
2) to develop students ability to critically evaluate research literature;
3) develop understanding of the provisional nature of information and allow for competing and alternative explanations;
4) develop an understanding of the principles of nutritional epidemiology;
5) develop awareness of the limitations of scientific research & particular problems associated with measuring food and nutrient intake;
6) develop awareness of the ethical considerations that have to be taken into account during study design;
7) to gain an in-depth understanding of core tools used by nutritional epidemiologists to study nutrition in both clinical and public health contexts;
8) to obtain research skills by primary data collection and analysis of population based nutritional data
9) provide examples of top-class research in the field of nutrition and health.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module students will be able to:

1. critically evaluate current research findings in public health nutrition using information from academic presentations and primary literature;
2. understand the limitations of scientific research in population based nutrition;
3. gather information from primary and secondary research using a range of dietary assessment methods
4. review the available research evidence and make appropriate practice-related conclusions;
5. plan a research programme to investigate a particular area of research;
6. carry out health and safety and ethical risk assessments relevant to the research programme.
7. Choose and use a range of appropriate quantitative dietary assessment methods to investigate public health nutrition problems.
8. Design, plan and execute a small scale research project to assess diet.
9. Appropriately present and analyse nutritional data and report results.
10. Appreciate the design of research protocols suitable for a variety of different contexts in nutrition research

Skills outcomes
- Awareness of the evidence hierarchy in population research and the strengths and limitations of different epidemiological study designs;
- evaluation of research findings linking diet and health;
- ethical risk assessment;
- critically appraising and summarising the literature;
- research planning;
- dietary assessment methods – strengths and weaknesses.
- design and analysis of dietary assessment tools
- evaluation of nutritional epidemiological research studies

Syllabus

Students will be introduced to key concepts and methodology in relations to the module's objectives. The seminars will also introduce students to research funding mechanisms, and general principles relating to the writing of literature reviews, research proposals, including planning and costing of research, and critical appraisal of existing research. Ethical considerations relating to research will also be discussed.
Particular topics to be covered will include:

• Introduction to nutritional epidemiology & epidemiological principles
• Methods used to measure food consumption and nutrient intake in population studies
• Food frequency questionnaire design
• Sources of nutritional data
• Food composition tables
• Nutritional biomarkers
• Anthropometric measurement
• Assessment of overweight and obesity
• Statistical approaches to comparison of dietary methods and testing differences in continuous and categorical data
• Development of statistical models to analyse research data, including introduction to the statistical concepts of adjusting for confounders using regression models

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Computer Class	4	3.00	12.00
Lecture	14	1.00	14.00
Seminar	2	2.00	4.00
Tutorial	5	1.00	5.00
Private study hours			165.00
Total Contact hours			35.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

Students are expected to engage in course materials and reading well in advance of contact hours. The course handbook & timetable is organised with clear instructions as to preparatory work to be undertaken prior to each session. Materials are designed and ordered to first introduce major concepts and then to add more advanced or refined topics that can be engaged in seminars and practicals.

In addition, the group work practical has been designed for students to use a new on-line dietary assessment research tool and to test this out in comparison to a standard method. Students will have to undertake fieldwork to try out the tools, undertake data entry and analysis as part of their private study.

Breakdown of 165 hrs private study:

• Background reading – 20hr
• Completing dietary assessment tools – 5hr
• Meal planning exercise – 5hr
• Group paper review and presentation preparation – 10hr
• Project group preparation – 20hr
• Project data collection and data entry – 30hr
• Project data analysis – 20hr
• Statistics practical – 10hr
• Project presentation preparation – 10hr
• Exam revision – 35hr

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Students are expected to contribute to a group presentation of their research project. Feedback is provided to students verbally in the course of the session. Use of in-class quiz and group work allows for specific formative feedback. Group project development requires team working and communication with the module leader for support and feedback.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Report	Research project report and analysis	25.00
Oral Presentation	Presentation of research project	5.00
Computer Exercise	Statistics work book	20.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

If a student fails the overall module as a result of failing the MCQ, then a short answer paper will be set *instead* of a second MCQ. *Note that the School of Food Science and Nutrition use 'negative marking' in MCQ tests.

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc) (S1)	1 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 12/12/2018 10:48:53

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