The degree aims to provide high level professional and academic development in the three inter-related fields of nutrition, physical activity and public health. Students will be trained to understand the key public health issues in nutrition and physical activity relevant for the population as a whole and sub-population groups based on factors such as age, ethnicity and socio-economic position.

The programme is especially relevant to professionals who wish to advance themselves in the areas of:

  1. Public health promotion and policy
  2. Health-related research and evaluation
  3. Programme delivery and evaluation.

More specifically, the programme aims to:

  • Understand how nutrition and physical activity contribute to, and interact with each other in the aetiology, prevention and treatment of chronic diseases, including cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, obesity, osteoporosis, cancer and mental health problems
  • Develop knowledge of current recommendations for public health in the fields of both nutrition and physical activity and critically examine their evidence-base
  • Understand current prevalence and trends in the prevalence of physical activity and eating behaviour in national and international populations.
  • Develop awareness of current national and international physical activity and nutrition policy
  • Understand the multi-level influences on physical activity and eating behaviours including personal, interpersonal, and environmental and policy factors.
  • Understand the key issues in nutrition and physical activity relevant for different population groups according to, but not limited to, factors such as age, gender and socio-economic position. Particular attention will be given to health inequalities.
  • Develop competencies in planning, designing, implementing and evaluating nutrition and physical activity research.
  • Develop awareness of the range of methods for measuring physical activity and diet, and understand their respective strengths and limitations.