Course Summary:

In most developing countries the majority of the population-the rural population especially-does not receive even the most basic health care or any nutritional advice. Malnutrition usually stems from poverty and from ignorance of what are the right foods to eat. At the same time it increases the problems caused by the lack of health care because it weakens the body's defense against disease. This training is aimed at building the skills of the participants to efficiently offer nutrition services to communities, linking them to care and referral. This is expected to empower communities to make informed choices to ensure healthy eating and lifestyles.

Course Objectives:

•  Integrate concepts from behavioral, biological and natural sciences, with emphasis on epidemiology and global perspectives, in order to review the needs of communities and diverse populations. 
• Evaluate epidemiological research and apply findings to community oriented nursing practice in order to explain the control of communicable disease.
• Explain the relationship between the environment and human health and disease.
• Examine the role of the nurse and discuss appropriate nursing interventions that promote and maintain the health of children.
• Evaluate strategies that can be used by public and community health nurses to improve the health status and eliminate health disparities of vulnerable populations.
• Evaluate how disasters effect persons, families and their communities.
• Identify the multidimensional influences on aging and how these effect the health status of older adults.
• Describe nursing roles that meet the emerging health needs of individuals, families, communities and populations.
• Describe school health services and coordinated occupational health programs.
• Discuss trends in lifestyles that will affect the health of communities and the future challenges for nursing.

Course Outline

Food Diet and Nutrition

• Food, nutrition and nutrients
• Different nutrients for different foodstuffs
• Balanced diet and child feeding
• Food and nutrition security
• Nutrition, Health and Development

?Nutrients and their sources

• Classification of essential nutrients
• Main nutrients
• Micro nutrients
• A balanced diet

Infant and Young Child Feeding

• Global and national recommendations for child feeding during the first 24 months
• Benefits of breastfeeding for the baby
• Benefits of breastfeeding for the mother
• Benefits of breastfeeding for the family
• Benefits of breastfeeding for the community
• Key messages for optimal complementary feeding practices

Food Safety, Storage & Preservation

• The concept of food safety and hygiene
• Food storage and preservation
• Food poisoning

Nutrition Assessment Methods

• Anthropometry
• Biochemical/biophysical methods
• Clinical methods
• Dietary methods

Common Community Nutrition Problems

• Types of malnutrition
• Common forms of malnutrition
• Classification of malnutrition
• Consequences of malnutrition in community
• Strategies to promote proper nutrition in community

Micronutrients Deficiency

• The importance of micronutrients
• Micronutrients deficiencies
• Causes of micronutrient deficiency
• Strategies to control for micronutrients deficiency

Household Food Security

• Core concepts of food security
• Chronic and acute food insecurity
• Causes of household food insecurity
• Indicators of household food insecurity
• Food security strategies
• Nutrition emergency interventions

Nutrition Education and Counselling

• Behaviour change communication
• Stages of behaviour change
• Nutrition behaviour change communication
• Growth monitoring and promotion