Nutritional Epidemiology

This course requires prior knowledge of the fundamentals of epidemiology.

1. Theoretical classes

These are lectures on topics in line with the programme, which will serve as support for the work to be developed in the theoretical-practical classes. In parallel with the presentation of content, interactive media may be used and discussion of the topics with students will be encouraged.

2. Theoretical-practical classes

The theoretical-practical classes aim to consolidate knowledge and develop analytical, critical and collaborative skills. Teaching methods include:

a. Guided reading and discussion of scientific articles.

b. Analysis and problem solving based on epidemiological data.

c. Group work applied to statistical data analysis and interpretation of results.

d. Study design, questionnaire development, and analysis of food consumption.

To enable students to understand and apply the principles and methods of Nutritional Epidemiology in scientific research, clinical practice and public health, with the aim of identifying, quantifying and interpreting the relationships between diet, associated factors and health/disease, contributing to informed decisions and evidence-based interventions in their work as health professionals – nutritionists.

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

– Understand the role of nutritional epidemiology in investigating the causes and prevention of diet-related diseases;

– Identify the main study designs used in epidemiology, with an emphasis on their application to diet and nutrition research;

– Identify health problems and formulate original hypotheses about the association between food, nutrition, disease states, and their treatments;

– Select study designs that allow them to respond to specific objectives;

– Define a population, select the sampling process, and recruit participants;

– Understand the essential rules for conducting studies and acquire basic skills in data analysis and interpretation;

– Critically analyse methods for assessing dietary exposure, recognising limitations and strategies for mitigating bias and confounding;

– Interpret results from epidemiological studies in the field of nutrition, focusing on internal and external validity and scientific relevance;

– Assess the effectiveness of nutritional interventions through critical reading and interpretation of results from different types of studies;

– Be able to prepare a draft research protocol;

– Recognise the ethical issues in epidemiological research;

– Learn how to communicate results to the scientific community, the general population and social media. 

1. Presentation of the course unit and its importance in Dietetics and Nutrition.

 2. Epidemiology. Concept and historical perspective. Fundamentals of epidemiology.

 3. The emergence of nutritional epidemiology.

 4. Epidemiological methods:

 4.1. Analytical and descriptive epidemiology. Types of studies.

 4.2. Measurement of food intake in epidemiological studies:  variation in consumption, retrospective and prospective methods, biological markers, validity and reproducibility of estimates, inter- and intra-individual coefficients of variation, adjustment for total energy intake, use of databases and gene-nutrient interaction.

 4.3. Sensitivity, specificity and predictive value. Measures of association. Biases, confounders and effect modifiers. Effects and solutions.

 5. Sampling, study size and statistical power.

6. Ethical issues in nutritional epidemiology.

7. Nutritional monitoring and surveillance.

8. Study design and conduct.

9. Interpretation of epidemiological research. Criteria for causal inference.

NAO