Nutritional Epidemiology
Epidemiologia Nutricional
Curse code:9554408
Renata Catarina Gonçalves Ramalho
Learning outcomes of the curricular unit:
The general aim of this Curricular Unit is to sensitize students to the importance of dietary factors and occurrence of specific diseases associations. It also has specific objectives: to encourage the application of epidemiological knowledge in health promotion and in Public Health specific strategies; to reveal the importance of methodology in the development of evidence-based clinical decisions; and to stimulate both the epidemiological research and the scientific communication in Nutrition.
Skills to be developed:
- To understand and use correctly the specific concepts of Epidemiology.
- To formulate hypotheses on the association between dietary factors, nutrition and disease.
- To recognize the most appropriate epidemiological study to test a hypothesis in Nutritional Epidemiology.
- To recognize the sources of error and to implement the quality control of data collection and interpretation.
- To critically analyse data from scientific press.
Syllabus:
Lectures:
- INTRODUCTION TO EPIDEMIOLOGY
Historic perspective and context of Nutritional Epidemiology. - NUTRITIONAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Descriptive and analytical Epidemiology.
Nature of variation in diet.
Implications of total energy intake for epidemiological analyses.
Validity and reproducibility of dietary surveys.
Biochemical indicators of dietary intake.
Association and causality in Nutritional Epidemiology.
Correction for the effects of measurement error.
Nutrition monitoring and surveillance.
Genetics in dietary analysis. - CLINICAL EPIDEMIOLOGY
Validity and reliability of diagnostic tests and screening.
Natural history of the disease: expressing prognosis.
Evaluation of the effectiveness of preventive and therapeutic approaches. - SEMINARS PREPARED AND PRESENTED BY STUDENTS
Theoretical / practical classes:
Epidemiological approach to disease and intervention.
Bio-demography.
Measurement of disease occurrence: Morbidity.
Measurement of disease occurrence: Mortality.
Estimating risk.
The dynamic of disease transmission.
Suggested Bibliography:
- Willet W (2012) Nutritional Epidemiology, 3rd ed., Oxford University Press. ISBN-13: 978-0199754038
- Gordis L (2011) Epidemiologia, 4th ed., Lusodidacta. ISBN: 978-989-8075-30-7
- Bonita R, Beaglehole R & Kjellstrom (2006) Basic Epidemiology, 2nd ed., WHO. ISBN: 92-4-154707-3
- Friis RH & Sellers TA (2015) Epidemiology for Public Health Practice, 3rd ed., Jones and Bartlett. ISBN: 978-1-4496-6549-4