Module SPRT2451: Nutrition for Sport and Health

Department: Sport and Exercise Sciences

SPRT2451: Nutrition for Sport and Health

Prerequisites

• SPRT1311 Introduction to Physical Activity, Diet and Health

Corequisites

• None

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To build upon students' underpinning knowledge of diet and health and critically apply this to the field of nutrition for special populations within sport, and health;
• Enable students to evaluate dietary requirements and determinants, along with contemporary nutritional strategies for athletes across a range of populations and sports, for positive health and well-being, and for mitigation of adverse health and wellbeing;
• Build transferrable skills in communication of nutrition science to a range of audiences and develop a critical understanding of key laboratory and field-based techniques in applied nutrition, along with interpretation of associated outcomes.

Content

• This module will be delivered in two blocks:
• Nutrition for health, which will cover: dietary recommendations and interventions for health and well-being for example obesity, bone health, diabetes, mental health;
• Sport and exercise nutrition which will cover: metabolic processes and nutrient function within sport nutrition, and applied sport nutrition and professional practice examples.
• Both blocks will cover the collection of nutritional information in research and practice (for example recalling and recording of food intake, assessment of body composition and physical activity) and nutritional considerations for special populations (for example children, vegetarian athletes)

Learning Outcomes

• Compare and contrast nutritional strategies for overall health and athlete performance across various populations including the appropriate assessment of nutritional status;
• Explain nutrient metabolism and function in sport nutrition and apply this understanding to practical and real-world settings;

• Practice competent and professional laboratory skills within the disciplines of nutrition, physical activity and health.

• Apply evidence-based research methodologies to analyse, interpret, evaluate and communicate nutritional information and contemporary literature in the field;
• Demonstrate verbal communication skills;
• Demonstrate problem-solving skills and science communication principles when interpreting information.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures will provide theoretical principles relevant to sport, and health-based nutrition.
• Seminar-style activities and directed learning tasks will afford students the opportunity to engage with supporting material such as empirical journal articles and systematic reviews.
• Laboratory sessions will consolidate learning from lecture sessions whilst providing an opportunity for students to practice applied techniques and develop vocational skills relevant to the professional nutritionist.
• The assessment strategy will comprise one formative and two summative components addressing relevant learning outcomes:
• One summative assessment (50%) will consist of a small group presentation whereby students will prepare and pitch a nutrition strategy for a case study of their choice to a specified audience. Students also will have an individual element to the presentation and will demonstrate their individual contribution via a portfolio. The other summative assessment (50%) will focus on science communication, via a 500 word lay piece of writing, related to one of a choice of topics provided by academic tutors.
• Formative Assessment will feed directly into the presentation summative assessment through preparation of a draft presentation plan (verbal and written tutor feedback). For the other summative, formative tutor directed peer feedback will be provided on one of the appendices which will be the foundation for producing the science communication piece. Ongoing verbal feedback will be provided by tutors during dedicated preparatory seminar activities.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

For the first summative, students will write one of their appendices for formative feedback in the final seminar of term 1. They will then receive tutor-led peer formative feedback. Ongoing feedback also will be provided by tutors during dedicated time in lectures and seminars. In term 2, formative feedback will feed directly into the second summative assessment through verbal feedback on planning. This will be provided to each group during a dedicated in-person seminar session.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University