Public Health Nutrition

This Public Health Nutrition course is designed primarily for health and public health professionals who are studying public health. It provides in-depth learning related to the concepts of nutrition epidemiology and for those who need it, a review in module one of the basic concepts of nutritional science. Participants will have the opportunity to review the basic concepts of nutritional science, including the essential nutrients, nutrition-related diseases, and food systems and sustainabilty. The course will then go on to explore important nutritional issues on a public and global health scale, and discuss current nutritional policies and interventions that can be applied as part of Health Promotion Interventions. 

This Public Health Nutrition course is sponsored by the University of the Incarnate Word (UIW). Like all NextGenU.org courses, it is competency-based, using competencies from the Association for Nutrition, the Association of Graduate Programs in Public Health Nutrition, Inc, and the Nutrition Society of Australia. This course uses learning resources from accredited, world-class organizations such as the  World Health Organization, Food and Agriculture Organization, and the U.S. National Institutes of Health. 

The course was developed in collaboration with Associate Professor Karen B. Jaceldo-Siegl, MS, DrPH from UIW, and was designed by Pablo Baldiviezo, MD, DiplEd; and Carolina Bustillos, MD, DiplEd; Genikka Camille, B.ED, MSc; Felix Emeka Anyiam, MPH, MScPH, DataSc; Glenda Niles PhD, B.A., A. Ed.; Yhan O'Neil Williams, PhD, Bsc; Hugo Rojas, MD, MSc, DiplEd. 

For publications on NextGenU.org’s courses’ efficacy, see NextGenU.org’s publication page. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future updates, new courses, and to be part of our community.

There are six (6)  modules to complete, which provide an introduction to:

• Module 1: Fundamentals of Nutritional Science
• Module 2: Food Systems and Sustainability
• Module 3: Nutrition and Public Health
• Module 4: Professional Conduct in Nutrition
• Module 5: Promoting Healthy Nutrition and Well-Being
• Module 6: Nutrition Education 

The completion time for this course is estimated at 160 hours, comprising 41 hours of learning resources, 81 hours for time to study content and assimilation, and 38 hours of participating in learning activities and quizzes, to assist the learners in the synthesis of learning materials. This course is equivalent to 4 credit hours. 

The course requires the completion of all discussion forums and activities. At the end of each Module, there is a practice quiz of ten (10) multiple-choice questions. After you’ve completed each lesson, quiz, and learning activity, at the end of the course, you’ll have access to a final quiz consisting of fifty (50) multiple-choice questions, and a chance to evaluate this course.

Participants have up to three opportunities to take the final exam and achieve the required score of >=70%. Once you’ve passed that last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations. We keep all of your personal information confidential, never sell any of your information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes. Also, we are happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request. 

Engaging with this Course:

You may browse this course for free to learn for your personal enrichment; there are no requirements. To register in this course, it is required that learners have obtained a college-level/bachelor's degree.

To obtain a certificate, a learner must first register for the course and then successfully complete:

• All the reading requirements,
• All quizzes and pass with a 70% with unlimited attempts,
• All peer activities,
• All discussion forums
• The Final Assignment
• The final exam with a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts, and
• The self and course evaluation forms.

To obtain credit:

• Complete all requirements listed above for the certificate, and
• Your learning institution or workplace should approve the partner-university-sponsored NextGenU.org course for educational credit, as they would for their learner taking a course anywhere. 

NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:

• A link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the cosponsoring universities and other professional organization cosponsors; 
• Your grade on the final exam;
• Your work products (e.g. case study activities), and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;  
• Your evaluations -- course, and self-assessments;
• A copy of your certificate of completion, with the co-sponsoring universities and other organizations listed.

To obtain a degree, NextGenU.org co-sponsors degree programs with institutional partners. To obtain a full degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org contact us.

We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.

Here are the next steps to take the course and earn a certificate.

• Complete the registration form.
• Take the pre-test.
• Begin the course with Module 1: Fundamentals of Nutritional Science. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, as well as take the corresponding quizzes.

Competencies covered in this module:

• Be able to understand the scientific basis of nutrition.
• Be able to understand the nutritional requirements from the molecular to the population level for human systems.

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Define the term "nutrition sciences."
• Explain the concept of population health.
  
• Describe how public health nutrition principles are applied to improve or maintain the optimal health of populations and targeted groups.
  

Click here to start this lesson

Student Learning Outcomes:

• Name the major human body systems and relate their functions.
• Describe the basic human body functions and life process.
  
• Define the term "nutrients".
  
• Understand the concept of nutrition energy.
  
• Summarize the major classification of nutrients:
  Carbohydrates
  Proteins
  Fats
  Vitamins
  Minerals
  Dietary fiber
  Water
  Oxygen.
  
• Give examples of common sources of these nutrients present in our food and environment and the unique functions that each nutrient performs inside the human body.
  
• Describe the nutritional requirements through the life stages.
  
• Identify the factors that influence changes in nutritional needs.
  
• Describe how nutritional needs change with factors such as gender, age, physical activity, lifestyle, etc.
  
• Recommend strategies to address changes in nutritional needs determined by various factors.
  
• Explain the concept of "metabolism" and its components.
  
• Differentiate between anabolic and catabolic metabolic pathways.
  
• Describe the metabolism of carbohydrates, lipids, and amino acids at the level of tissues and organs.
  
• Describe malnutrition and its health consequences in their country.
  
• Elaborate on the consequences of a deficit of micronutrients diet in overall health.
  
• Discuss the importance of proper nutritional consumption, intake, and physical activity to improve health outcomes.
  
• Describe how the digestive system processes foods from ingestion to defecation.
  
• Explain how nutrients are transported in the body.
  
• Explain how energy is being stored by the body.
  
• Identify the determinants of a food's nutritional value.
  
• Understand the methods used to determine the nutritional value or nutrient contents of a food.
  
• Describe the nutritional value of food using the nutrition facts table.