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Unit of study_

NTDT5503: Dietary Intake and Nutritional Assessment

2025 unit information

This unit of study builds in-depth knowledge and skills in dietary assessment. Traditional and emerging dietary assessment methods will be examined including their use, application, strengths, weaknesses, sources of measurement error; quantification of portion sizes; evaluation and validation of dietary data; use and application of dietary reference standards; food composition databases; and the appraisal and interpretation of dietary assessment methods in published literature. This unit of study includes essentials techniques in anthropometry and diagnostic tests in nutritional assessment such as body composition methods, biochemistry and haematology. Learning is facilitated by interactive lectures, tutorials, practical sessions and workshops.

Unit details and rules

Managing faculty or University school:

Medicine and Health

Study level Postgraduate
Academic unit Nursing and Midwifery
Credit points 6
Prerequisites:
? 
None
Corequisites:
? 
(NTDT5602 or FMHU5001) and NTDT5601 and NTDT5604
Prohibitions:
? 
None
Assumed knowledge:
? 
None

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. describe, evaluate and practise the most common dietary assessment methods used in research and dietetic practice
  • LO2. select appropriate dietary assessment methods to address specific research or clinical questions
  • LO3. discuss the uses and limitations of food composition databases including Australian and indigenous food sources
  • LO4. critically assess and interpret dietary data for individuals and groups against reference standards
  • LO5. critically appraise the validity of dietary assessment methods and interpretation reported in published surveys and studies
  • LO6. administer a clinical diet history and apply a Ready Reckoner to assess dietary intake
  • LO7. conduct simple anthropometric measurements (body mass, standing stature, waist girth, skinfold measurements)
  • LO8. describe the main biochemical and haematological indices for assessment of body protein, vitamin and mineral status.

Unit availability

This section lists the session, attendance modes and locations the unit is available in. There is a unit outline for each of the unit availabilities, which gives you information about the unit including assessment details and a schedule of weekly activities.

The outline is published 2 weeks before the first day of teaching. You can look at previous outlines for a guide to the details of a unit.

Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2024
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2025
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Outline unavailable
Session MoA ?  Location Outline ? 
Semester 1 2020
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2021
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2022
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney
Semester 1 2023
Normal day Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

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Modes of attendance (MoA)

This refers to the Mode of attendance (MoA) for the unit as it appears when you’re selecting your units in Sydney Student. Find more information about modes of attendance on our website.