Nutrition for Public Health: From Research to Policy

Diet and nutrition are key determinants of human and planetary health, healthy growth, and chronic conditions. Whether it is a lack of healthy food intake, too much unhealthy food intake, or the quality and variety of diets, poor diet and nutrition are associated with many diseases and disabilities that lead to health system burden, excess morbidity and mortality, poorer quality of life, and other social and financial challenges. In order to design policies and interventions that reduce the burdens of nutrition related problems, public health practitioners, scientists, and policy makers must understand the research evidence related to nutrition and disease. They also must understand how the assessment of diet and nutrition is conducted and interpreted.

This course will introduce participants to diet-disease relationships, the quality of that evidence, and relevance across cultures and settings. The course will offer a comprehensive overview of contemporary issues in nutrition science, public health, and diet-related policy. Participants will gain critical skills for evaluating nutritional research, understanding the complex relationship between diet and non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and applying practical methods for dietary assessment. Through a combination of lectures, discussions, and evaluation of real-world cases, participants will gain skills to assess and interpret nutritional data and understand the impact of nutrition in various settings.

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By the end of the course participants will:

• Critically evaluate nutritional research papers and understand methodologies used in dietary studies;
• Explain the connections between dietary habits and the development or prevention of NCDs;
• Apply diverse dietary assessment tools and interpret their results with regard to their validity;
• Recognize and address malnutrition in diverse settings, including understanding its prevalence, consequences, and appropriate management strategies.

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Although not required, knowledge of basic statistical and epidemiological methods are recommended to ensure participants can engage fully with course materials and discussions.

• Lectures by the facilitators and contributors;
• Analysis of the literature by the participants, with short presentations;
• Case studies.

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To get the Certificate of completion and the 1 ECTS participants MUST:

• Attend at least 80%of the course;
• Attend the plenary offered during the first days of the course;
• Actively participate in the class discussion.

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At least one facilitator will be on-site in Lugano, and some may join online. Participants are welcomed to join either on-site in Lugano, or online. In case of a change of regional policies (e.g., Covid) or personal reasons, the course could change to online. For those on-site, the course will take place at Università della Svizzera italiana (USI).

For course pricing information, see here. Discounts are available for participants from LMICs, PhD and Master Students, and Students and Employees from the LSS Partner Universities (SSPH+, USI, SUPSI, and SWISS TPH).  

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