Skip to content

Undergraduate

Challenging obesity

On this page

What is obesity? Why is it becoming a problem of epidemic proportions? What are the consequences of inactivity? This 20-week course focuses on the challenges raised by global increases in human obesity, beginning with an overview of these issues followed by an examination of biological, psychological and social aspects of eating behaviour, exercise and their implications for overall energy balance. You’ll examine different strategies for weight control, from diet and exercise to more medically oriented options including surgery and drug treatment. You’ll also consider how governments, and others, might develop policies that prevent the continuing escalation of the obesity epidemic.

Register for the course

Start End Fee Register
- - -

No current presentation - see Future availability
This course is expected to start for the last time in November 2011.

Top

What you will study

This multidisciplinary course examines how underlying biology, together with social influences, can lead to particular behaviours that cause an individual to increase their body weight. One of the greatest challenges in understanding obesity is why some individuals are so much heavier than others. Here you’ll look at the contributions from genetics, development, and the environments in which the obese individual lives. You will also look at the complex way that these different components may interact. Case reports are used to illustrate the spectrum of individuals diagnosed as obese and the options available for treatment and prevention. The course concludes with a consideration of policy options that might halt the current trend of increasing levels of obesity in populations worldwide.

This course will appeal to you if you’re a patient, health care worker, work in a profession allied to medicine, or just have a general interest in the subject.

Top

Entry

This is a Level 1 course. Level 1 courses provide core subject knowledge and study skills needed for both higher education and distance learning, to help you to progress to courses at Level 2. 

You aren’t expected to have any knowledge of obesity, but you should be able to read and understand written English of a style and complexity characteristic of a professional magazine or quality newspaper. If you have not studied up to GCSE level fairly recently, you should expect to spend longer on the study materials.

It is essential that you establish whether or not your background and experience give you a sound basis on which to tackle the course, since students who are appropriately prepared have the best chance of completing their studies successfully. The package Are you ready for science study? offers an interactive quiz to help you decide whether you already have the recommended background knowledge or experience to start the course. If you have not studied formally for some time, we suggest you consider taking an Openings course, such as Understanding health (Y178), before starting SDK122 

If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Outside the UK

The course focuses on obesity from a global perspective and includes case reports on individuals from different ethnic groups, genders and ages. Some of the discussions of treatment will be from a predominantly western perspective.

Preparatory work

If you don’t already have the necessary computing and internet skills, we recommend you study sections three and four of the SAFARI materials, provided by the OU Library, before you begin your study of SDK122. As an alternative you may wish to take one of the many courses available at your local night school or college.

If you particularly wish to improve your study skills you’re strongly advised to read The Sciences Good Study Guide (1997) by A. Northedge, J. Thomas, A. Lane and A. Peasgood, which can be purchased from www.ouw.co.uk. Further advice is available from the Learning with the OU website.

Top

If you have a disability or additional requirement

If you have severely impaired sight or manual dexterity you may find using the web and the multimedia resources challenging. All electronic or multimedia aspects of the study materials are accessible, allowing navigation through the use of keyboard and short cut keys. Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and musical notation and mathematical, scientific, and foreign language materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. The written study material is available in comb binding. Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, make sure that you have our publication Meeting your needs. You can obtain a copy by contacting our Student Registration & Enquiry Service. We provide a range of support services for individual needs but some of these may take several months to arrange. Please contact us for advice if you have concerns about taking this course, or the support that could be provided.

Top

Study materials

What's included

One main text, a DVD-ROM, a course guide, and other supporting materials delivered through a dedicated website.

You will need

You will also need a simple calculator.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.

Top

Teaching and assessment

Study support

You can email a study adviser, who will be able to help you with academic questions to do with the course and the assessment. There are also online discussion forums that you can use to get in touch with study advisers and other students.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.

The interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) are at roughly three week intervals throughout the course. The end-of-module assessment (EMA) must be submitted online. There will also be some formative exercises to enable you to practice similar questions and monitor your progress throughout the course.

Top

Top

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in November 2011 when it will be available for the last time.

Top

Are you already an OU student ? Go to StudentHome for your personal prospectus information.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Course facts

An undergraduate course.

About this course:
Course code SDK122
Credits 15
OU Level 1
SCQF level 7
FHEQ level 4
Course work includes:
5 Interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs)
End-of-module assessment
No residential school

Study explained

Financial support
- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.
Study explained
- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Student Reviews

I found this course interesting, though the completely online basis was rather a challenge. Some of the CMAs were a ...
Read more

This course was fantastic...I only wish the OU would produce similarly themed courses at higher levels for those of us ...
Read more

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

Employers' questions

Contact Corporate Enquiries
Visit our website for employers or Email us


Get a prospectus

Download or
order