An undergraduate course in Health and Social Care and Science.

Are we really what we eat? What is the link between food and our health and well-being? Understanding human nutrition will provide you with information about the components of the human diet, and how food is processed in the body. It is one of a series of short, five month 10-credit courses introducing fascinating topics in science. With a choice of start dates it enables you to try out an area of study before you commit yourself to a longer course, or top up your knowledge and skills between longer courses.

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What you will study

This course will provide a useful background for you if you are interested in your own and your family’s diet, or if you are involved in the nutrition and health of others, e.g. in schools, hospitals or residential care. It will provide you with information about the components of the human diet, and how food is processed in the body and will enable you to apply this information to understand the links between nutrition and health for people of all ages and a range of lifestyles.

After an introduction to nutrition and food, the course deals with the chemistry of the main nutrient types – proteins, fats, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals – and their importance in diet, and energy intake and output. The final part of the course applies this knowledge to the diet of different groups such as children, adults, and the elderly, and makes links between diet and health issues such as exercise, heart disease and cancer.

The course is based on two books: a specially written study book and an abridged OU edition of Parts One and Three of Human Nutrition by Mary E. Barasi. The study book provides the background science and guides you through the chapters of the course book with interesting questions and activities to help your understanding and to develop scientific and study skills.

This course has been endorsed by the British Dietetic Association. Note, however, that successful completion of the course does not entitle you to any professional dietetic award, nor does it indicate your competence to practise as a dietitian.

Entry

Although the course does not assume any previous scientific background, during it you will be introduced to the chemical structure of some of the molecules in food so a basic knowledge of chemistry would be useful, as would some basic biology. However, for much of the course you need little more than an interest in nutrition and the motivation to understand more of the science behind it.

You should be able to read and understand written English of a style and complexity characteristic of a professional magazine or quality newspaper, and you should be able to communicate your thoughts clearly and comprehensibly in a written format. Mathematically you need only to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide simple numbers. A maths skills ebook is provided to help you with, for example, fractions, percentages, reading graphs and tables, and scientific units as required by the course.

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

Regulations

As a student of The Open University, you should be aware of the content of the Module Regulations and the Student Regulations which are available on our Essential documents website.

If you have a disability

A proportion of the course is delivered online via the website, so you will have to spend some time using a personal computer and the internet. No written textual descriptions are available for images within the study materials.

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 scientific or diagrammatic materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. 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.

Study materials

What's included

Two books (the study book and Human Nutrition, Parts One and Three), a study guide, maths skills ebook, and website.

You will need

Basic scientific calculator.

Computing requirements

You will need a computer with internet access to study this course as it includes online activities, which you can access using a web browser.

• If you have purchased a new desktop or laptop computer since 2007 you should have no problems completing the online activities.
• If you’ve got a netbook, tablet or other mobile computing device check our Technical requirements section.
• If you use an Apple Mac you will need OS X 10.6 or later.

You can also visit the Technical requirements section for further computing information including the details of the support we provide.

Teaching and assessment

Study support

You can contact a team of expert science study advisers through an online discussion form, and they will be able to help you with academic questions to do with the course and the assessment. There will also be an online discussion forum that you can use to get in touch with 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.

You must use the online system to submit your end-of-module assessment (EMA).

You have to submit the single piece of written work for assessment after 21 weeks. There will be no other opportunity to complete the course.

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in April 2013 when it will be available for the last time.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• Human genetics and health issues (SK195)
• Molecules, medicines and drugs: a chemical story (SK185)
• Human biology (SK277)
• Introducing health sciences: a case study approach (SDK125)
• Exploring science (S104)

How to register

We regret that we are currently unable to accept registrations for this course. Where the course is to be presented again in the future, relevant registration information will be displayed on this page as soon as it becomes available.

Student Reviews

Distance learning

The Open University is the world’s leading provider of flexible, high quality distance learning. Unlike other universities we are not campus based. You will study in a flexible way that works for you whether you’re at home, at work or on the move. As an OU student you’ll be supported throughout your studies – your tutor or study adviser will guide and advise you, offer detailed feedback on your assignments, and help with any study issues. Tuition might be in face-to-face groups, via online tutorials, or by phone.

For more information read Distance learning explained.

A taste of OU study

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