Overview

This unit will build on students’ skills and knowledge in community and public health nutrition with a specific focus on the role of nutritionists/dietitians working with diverse communities, including multicultural groups, indigenous populations and international groups/programs. Students will critically examine the evidence for and implementation of national nutritional policies and strategies aimed at improving population health and developing skills required for practice in community and public health nutrition, including needs assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of culturally appropriate nutrition-related health programs, and advocacy.

Requisites

Prerequisites

Admission into MA-DIET - Master of Dietetics

Teaching periods
Location
Start and end dates
Last self-enrolment date
Census date
Last withdraw without fail date
Results released date
Semester 2
Location
Hawthorn
Start and end dates
04-August-2025
02-November-2025
Last self-enrolment date
17-August-2025
Census date
31-August-2025
Last withdraw without fail date
19-September-2025
Results released date
09-December-2025

Learning outcomes

Students who successfully complete this unit will be able to:

  • Critically analyze the multifaceted interplay of social, cultural, and environmental determinants influencing dietary behaviours and health outcomes
  • Analyse contemporary national and international public health nutrition issues for effective intervention and policy advocacy
  • Apply the bicycle model of public health nutrition intervention management, delineating the phases of needs assessment, strategic planning, implementation, and evaluation, while considering the impact on target groups
  • Utilise life cycle nutrition principles in community-based interventions addressing diverse human developmental stages

Teaching methods

Hawthorn

Activity Type Activity Total Hours Number of Weeks Hours Per Week
Online Lecture 12 12 weeks 1
On-campus Workshop 36 12 weeks 3
Specified Activities Various 36 12 weeks 3
Unspecified Activities Various 66 12 weeks 5.5
Total Hours: 150 Total Hours (per week): 12.5

Assessment

Type Task Weighting ULO's
Online Discussion Threads Individual  20%  1,2,4
Proposal and Protype Individual  40%  1,2,3,4
Project Report Individual  40%  1,2,3,4

Content

  • Introduction to CPHN as an area of practice
  • Social determinants of health
  • The bicycle model of CPHN practice
  • Contemporary CPHN issues
    • Equality and equity
    • Indigenous health
    • Nutrition priorities in the Australian population
    • Global malnutrition
    • Obesity prevention
    • F&V promotion
    • Food security
  • Lifecycle nutrition
    • Maternal and child nutrition
    • Breastfeeding promotion
    • Nutrition in adolescence
    • Nutrition in adulthood
    • Nutrition in the elderly    
  • Graduate Attribute – Communication Skills: Communicating using different media
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Collaboration and negotiation
  • Graduate Attribute – Teamwork Skills: Teamwork roles and processes
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Information literacy
  • Graduate Attribute – Digital Literacies: Technical literacy

Study resources

Reading materials

A list of reading materials and/or required textbooks will be available in the Unit Outline on Canvas.