Nutrition and Health Overview

Course Overview

• This is a 3-credit online course offered Tuesdays and Thursdays at 3:30 pm.
• Assessment is based on 3 components: Assignments (15%), Midterm Exam (35%), and Final Exam (50%)
• The course examines topics like nutrition, health, food safety, and common nutritional problems.

Definition of Health

• Health is defined as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO, 1948).
• Health has multi-dimensional aspects consisting of physical, social, emotional, spiritual, environmental, occupational, and intellectual aspects.

Determinants of Health

• Age, sex, and individual physical makeup play a role in health.
• Lifestyle factors like diet and exercise have a direct impact on health.
• Social and community networks, living and working conditions, unemployment, water and sanitation, healthcare services, housing, work environment, education, and agriculture, and food production influence health.

Diet and Exercise

• An imbalanced diet high in fat, sugar, sodium, and alcohol can lead to chronic diseases such as cancer, heart disease, osteoporosis, diabetes, and obesity.
• Regular exercise (30 minutes daily) positively impacts body weight/composition, metabolism, bone density, cognitive function, blood pressure, blood cholesterol, and the cardiovascular system.

Other Factors Affecting Health

• Smoking is a leading cause of death.
• Other habits that impact health include lack of sleep, alcohol and drug use, and stress.
• Genetics also influences health.

Nutrition and Health

• Better nutrition improves infant, child, and maternal health, strengthens the immune system, supports safer pregnancy and childbirth, reduces the risk of non-communicable diseases (like diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and promotes longevity.
• A balanced diet contains all necessary nutrients in the right amounts and proportions for optimal health.
• An imbalanced diet can lead to malnutrition, a state of either nutrient deficiency, excess, or imbalance.

Types of Malnutrition

• Undernutrition is caused by insufficient food intake or failure to absorb or utilize nutrients, resulting in deficiencies.
  • It includes wasting (low weight-for-height), stunting (low height-for-age), and underweight (low weight-for-age).
• Micronutrient-related malnutrition involves deficiencies of essential vitamins and minerals.
• Overnutrition is an imbalance resulting from excessive intake, leading to overweight, obesity, and diet-related non-communicable diseases (like heart disease, stroke, diabetes, and some cancers).

Nutritional Status

• Nutritional status refers to the state of nutrition in the body, determined by nutrient intake and utilization.
• Optimal nutritional status is achieved when nutrient intake and utilization are balanced, resulting in good health.

Assessment of Nutritional Status

• The ABCD approach is used to assess nutritional status:
  • Anthropometry: Physical measurements and body composition (height, weight, skin/fat fold thickness, circumferences)
  • Biochemical tests: Laboratory tests of blood, urine, stools, and tissues.
  • Clinical examination: Physical signs and symptoms of nutritional deficiencies and excesses.
  • Dietary intake: Dietary intake patterns, specific foods consumed, and estimated nutrient intakes.

This quiz covers fundamental concepts about nutrition, health, and food safety. It will assess your understanding of health determinants and the multi-dimensional aspects of well-being. Prepare to explore essential topics relevant to maintaining a healthy lifestyle.