Behaviour, Health and Nutrition

Aim and Content

The aim of the course is to provide knowledge in central aspects of diet and nutrition and their role in behaviour, cognition, mental and somatic health. The course gives an insight in how diet and nutrition can be seen as a part of a larger picture of life. Students will gain theoretical knowledge within sleep, circadian rhythms, energy metabolism, brain function and stress. The role of structural and individual factors in the development of food intolerance, psychiatric illness, functional gastrointestinal disorders, eating disorders and obesity will be covered. Students will gain competence and skills in preventive health care, social and health psychology, attitudes and behaviour, as well as good and efficacious measures of health promoting diet. The interaction between individual and structural factors will be emphasized.

The course will give an introduction in both diet and nutrition as an important fundament for behaviour, along with measures that can be carried out in order to promote diet that is beneficial in terms of mental health. The initiatives will be in the view of an increasing obesity in Norway and other western countries

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge

After completion of the course the student should be able to describe and discuss:

• Central aspects of nutrition and brain function.
• Malnutrition as a risk factor for developing psychiatric illness.
  
• Relationship between brain, nutrition, energy regulation and
  • emotions
  • cognitive functions
  • circadian rhythms
  • sleep
  • stress
    
• Psychobiological aspects of
  • food intolerance
  • food sensitivity
  • eating disorders
  • overeating
  • functional gastrointestinal disorders
  • regulation of appetite and eating habits
• Describe the basic of health promoting diet during childhood and adolescence
  • preventive measures for helping persons with risk of diet-related disorders
  • incentives for beneficial diet in schools and work places
• Eating disorders
  • diagnostic criteria, clinical comprehension
  • central hypotheses on the development of eating disorders
  • health consequences
  • psychological interventions
  • the role as a therapist
    
• Methods for assessment of eating habits, eating disorders and physical activity
  • discuss strong and weak aspects with using these methods

Skills

After completion of the course the student should be able to

• communicate knowledge gained during the course by applying academic writing ¿ give a clear empirical and theoretical description

General competence

After completion of the course the student should be able to

• explain and discuss central perspectives and topics within biological, psychological, social and structural aspects of nutrition

Course offered (semester)

Spring

Language of Instruction

English

Course Unit Level

Bachelor

Department

Department of Biological and Medical Psychology

Access to the Course Unit

 The course is open for students admitted to the University of Bergen.

Recommended previous knowledge

None.

Teaching Methods

12 weeks of lectures, in total of 24 classes.

Compulsory Requirements

None

Assessment methods

A 4 hour written examination at the end of the course. The students are required to answer 2 out of 3 essay assignments.

Reading List

Recommended literature is approximately 1000 pages taken from books and compendium of articles.

Place of Teaching

Bergen

Course Unit Evaluation

Students will evaluate the teaching at the end of the semester, in line with quality assurance system at UiB.

Contact Information

For more information contact:
The Information Center at Faculty of Psychology by phone: 55 58 27 10
or email: studieveileder.psyfa@uib.no