Nutrition and Cooperation in Nutrition Crisis Situations

Sustainable Development Goals (SDG)

• 2. Zero hunger

Objectives

Millions of people worldwide do not have enough food to lead a healthy and active life. Physical and mental development in children are affected, and many die before reaching the age of five due to illnesses that in developed countries can be prevented and controlled. According to the World Health Organization, 45% of infant mortality is due to problems related to malnutrition. Fighting food crises is more than providing food, the causes are diverse and, at all times, an appropriate strategy should be determined and adapted to the context.

The purpose of this course serves as an introduction to the food insecurity contexts and the management of undernutrition for nutritionist, nursing and medical professionals.

Objectives of the course:

Draw on a conceptual framework for the causes of malnutrition.
Define food security and how to measure it.
Identify different types of malnutrition including micronutrient deficiències.
Use of standard methods to assess acute malnutrition individually and collectively.
Know the different nutritional strategies for preventing and treating acute malnutrition.

Learning outcomes

• RA1. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of human nutrition in terms of food, diet and health, at biological, social and policy levels.
• RA2. Interpret and synthesise different types of data used to analyse and assess nutritional problems at individual and population.
• RA3. Identify and formulate appropriate responses and intervention strategies to address nutritional issues, taking into account the public health and social policy contexts.
• RA4. Apply knowledge of effective team working and communication skills to solve problems and achieve specific goals.

Competencies

General skills

• Meet the health needs of the population and the challenges of the profession itself through innovative and flexible attitudes.

Specific skills

• Intervene in the design, planning, analysis and assessment of dietary and nutritional education programmes and participate in advocacy, prevention and health protection activities in the community.

Basic skills

• Students have developed the learning skills necessary to undertake further studies with a high degree of independent learning.

Core skills

• Be a critical thinker before knowledge in all its dimensions. Show intellectual, cultural and scientific curiosity and a commitment to professional rigour and quality.
• Display professional skills in complex multidisciplinary contexts, working in networked teams, whether face-to-face or online, through use of information and communication technology.

Content

1. Introduction to malnutrition
   1. Global trends in malnutrition
   2. Main causes and consequences of malnutrition
2. Introduction to food security and assessment
3. Types of malnutrition. Classification
4. Individual evaluation: Introduction to measures and anthropometric indices
5. Collective evaluation: Introduction to nutrition assessments
6. Nutritional interventions
   1. Introduction to nutrition strategies: Preventive and treatment
   2. Introduction to the management of acute malnutrition (SAM & MAM)
   3. Specialised nutritional products

Evaluation

There are no differences between the presential modality and the semipresential modality.

According to the regulations of the UVic approved by the Board of Directors there will be a single official call that will include two different assessment periods:

Ordinary period: continuous evaluation of the activities carried out by the student through:

• Activities from reading articles, watching videos, exercises, and participation in debates: 30% of the final grade; non-recoverable
• Oral and written presentation of a case study: 30% of the final grade; the written presentation is recoverable
• Individual test (in the form of multiple-choice and short questions): 40% of the final grade; recoverable

The final grade will result from weighting the marks obtained in each part if the individual test mark equals or exceeds 5. The subject will be considered approved whenever the average of all activities is equal to or higher than 5.

Complementary evaluation period: the student who does not pass some of the activities considered recoverable can recover them during this period, always that the total of parts is not supposed 50%.

The final grade in this period is calculated by taking the weighted average of the marks obtained in each part, using the last grade obtained in the ordinary and complementary assessment. The subject is approved if a score greater than or equal to 5 is obtained.

Note

The activities can be modified according to the teaching staff, dynamics, and circumstances of each class group.

Important

Plagiarism or copying another person's work is penalised at all universities and, according to the Community guidelines of the UVic-UCC, it is a serious or very serious offence. Therefore, any indication of plagiarism or misappropriate use of texts or ideas of another person (see what is considered plagiarism) as well as the improper or undeclared use of artificial intelligence, will automatically result in failing the activity and/or other disciplinary measures.

To facilitate the appropriate citation of texts and materials, consult the guidelines for academic citation available on the UVic Library website.

Methodology

The course and evaluation will be in English.

The methodology is active-participative. It combines theoretical class with the resolution and study of practical cases, individually and by groups.

• Performing exercises / work from cases, reading articles, watching videos (individual or group work)
• Study of the contents (individual)

The teacher will carry out tutorials by own initiative or of the students. In the last case, the time must be set by email.

Bibliography

Key references

• Beaglehole, R., Bonita, R., Kjellstrom, T. (2006). Basic Epidemiology: 2nd edition. Retrieved from http://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/43541/9241547073_eng.pdf?sequence=1
• Emergency Nutrition Network (ENN) (2024). ENN is working with programmers, policy makers and researchers to strengthen knowledge and evidence to overcome malnutrition. Retrieved from http://www.ennonline.net
• FAO, IFAD, UNICEF, WFP and WHO. (2023). The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2023: Urbanization, agrifood systems transformation and healthy diets across the rural–urban continuum. Rome, FAO. Retrieved from https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/cc3017en
• World Food Programme (WFP) (2009). Emergency Food Security Assessment Handbook (EFSA): Food Security Analysis Service. Retrieved from http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/manual_guide_p roced/wfp203246.pdf
• World Health Organization (2019). Nutrition in universal health coverage. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-NMH-NHD-19.24

Further reading

Teachers will provide complementary bibliography and compulsory reading throughout the course via the Virtual Campus.