222.642.01
Assessment of Nutritional Status
Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Tu, Th, 9:00 - 10:20am
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Previous biology or nutrition class, Principles of Human Nutrition, IH 222.641 preferred
Covers dietary and physical activity assessment, anthropometry, body composition, and micronutrient status through lectures, in-class discussions, assignments, and data collection, analysis, and presentation. It is particularly oriented to techniques that are relevant for the assessment of populations and vulnerable groups. Laboratory sessions are used to teach and apply techniques of dietary data collection and interpretation, anthropometry (weight, height, skinfolds, and circumferences) and body composition (bioelectrical impedance analysis). Emphasizes using the topics as a basis for exploring the selection, reliability, applicability, and interpretation of different techniques in field settings.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Understand questions that can be addressed in populations using nutritional status indicators
- Use indirect and direct nutritional status indicators to assess population needs and assets in order to characterize the nutritional health or risks of communities or vulnerable groups
- Know means of assessing diet, energy expenditure and physical activity, body composition and growth, how biochemical indicators are applied to assessment of micronutrient status and metabolic dysfunction, and under what circumstances assessment techniques would be used
- Participate in discussions about current controversies in nutritional status assessment
- Describe performance characteristics (validity, reliability, dependability, sensitivity and specificity) of nutritional status indicators and measures and how they are assessed
- Collect, analyze, interpret nutritional status data and be able to summarize findings in an abstract and powerpoint presentation
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 30% Quizzes
- 30% Homework
- 35% Group Work
- 5% Attendance