The list below contains some web links and reasonably priced and easily available text books. These contain useful background reading to help you get a feel for the subject area before you start the course.

Please note that you are not required to purchase any of these resources. Guidance for online access to additional reading material relating to individual units will be given once you are registered with the University of Bristol.

Research Methods and Statistics reading:

• BMJ - Research Collections. Easy to read and understandable online chapters addressing a variety of research methods topics. http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications.
• Creswell, J.W. (2007) Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed method approaches, Third Edition Chapter 7: www.sagepub.com/upm-data/22782_Chapter_7.pdf
• Goldacre, B. (2009) Bad Science Publisher: Harper Perennial  ISBN-10: 000728487X ISBN-13: 978-000728487 This is a good fun read which introduces the concepts of evidence based health related research.
• Salkind, N.J. (2007) Statistics for people who (think they) hate statistics (Penguin science) Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc; Third Edition edition  ISBN-10: 141295150X ISBN-13: 978-0761927761 A good reference text on statistics which will also be of use throughout the whole course.

Nutrition, Physical Activity and Public Health reading:

• Chief Medical Officers (2011) Start active, stay active: a report on physical activity from the four home countries. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/start-active-stay-active-a-report-on-physical-activity-from-the-four-home-countries-chief-medical-officers
• Garrow, J.S. and James, W.P.T. (2000) Human Nutrition and Dietetics. 10th edn. Harcourt Medical. £49.95
• Mann, J. and Truswell, S.A. (2007) Essentials of Human Nutrition. 3 Oxford University Press. £34
• Healthy lives, Healthy People. Department of Health report (2010) https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/healthy-lives-healthy-people-our-strategy-for-public-health-in-england
• World Health Organisation (WHO) (2012) Prioritizing areas for action in the field of population-based prevention of Childhood Obesity: A set of tools for member states. http://www.who.int/dietphysicalactivity/childhood/tools/en/
• Cabinet Office (2010) Applying behavioural insight to health. https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/applying-behavioural-insight-to-health-behavioural-insights-team-paper
• Brug J., Oenema A. and Ferreira I. (2005) Theory, evidence and Intervention Mapping to improve behavior nutrition and physical activity interventions. Int J Beh Nutr Phys Act 2:2. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1087867/pdf/1479-5868-2-2.pdf
• Craig, P., Dieppe, P., Macintyre, S., Michie, S., Nazareth, I. and Petticrew, M. (2008) Developing and evaluating complex interventions: the new Medical Research Council guidance. BMJ 337:a1655. http://www.mrc.ac.uk/documents/pdf/complex-interventions-guidance/
• Nutbeam, D. and Bauman, A. (2006) Evaluation in a Nutshell: A Practical Guide to the Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs. McGraw-Hill Medical; 1 edition  ISBN-10: 0074715534 ISBN-13: 978-0074715536
• Coggon, D., Rose, G. and Barker, D.J.P. (2003) Epidemiology for the Uninitiated. Wiley Blackwell; 5th Edition edition  ISBN-10: 0727916041 ISBN-13: 978-0727916044. Fourth edition available free online at: http://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/epidemiology-uninitiated Epidemiology, the study of factors affecting the health and illness of populations, serves as the foundation for many interventions made in public health. It is considered a cornerstone methodology of public health research, and is highly regarded in evidence-based medicine for identifying risk factors for disease. This is a great primer on the subject.