NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA 
                                                           FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES 
                                             DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH SCIENCE 
                                                                     COURSE CODE: PHS802 
                                                            
                                                                                                                                                                
                                               
                                              COURSE TITLE: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC  
                                                                                        HEALTH NUTRITION 
                                     
                                     
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                COURSE 
                GUIDE 
             PHS802: INTRODUCTION TO PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION                            
             Course Developers/Writers:     Dr. Florence N. Uchendu 
                                            Department of Public Health Science 
                                            National Open University of Nigeria 
              
                                            Dr. Victor Ajieroh 
                                            Melinda Gates Foundation 
                                             
                                                   
             Course Coordinator             Dr. Florence N. Uchendu 
                                            Department of Public Health Science 
                                            National Open University of Nigeria 
                                             
              
             Course Editor:                Associate Professor Folake Samuel 
                                           Department of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 
                                           University of Ibadan 
              
              
              
             Programme Coordinator:    Professor Grace Okoli         
                                          Faculty of Health Sciences 
                                          National Open University of Nigeria 
                                                   
                    
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       NATIONAL OPEN UNIVERSITY OF NIGERIA 
       National Open University of Nigeria 
       Headquarters 
       University Village, 91 Cadastral Zone,  
       Jabi – Abuja 
        
       email: centralinfo@nou.edu.ng 
       URL:  www.nou.edu.ng 
        
       Published by:  
       National Open University of Nigeria 
       Printed   2020 
       ISBN: 
       All Rights Reserved 
        
        
        
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          PHS802 
               
          CONTENTS                                      PAGE 
          Introduction……………………………………………………………………iv 
          What you will Learn in this Course…………………………………………...iv 
          Course Aim……………………………………………………………….........v 
          Course Objectives………………………………………………………….......v 
          Working through this Course………………………………………………….v 
          Course Materials………………………………………. ………………….....vi 
          Study Units……………………………………………………………………vi 
          Text Books and References…………………………………………………..vii 
          Assessment…………………………………………………………………..viii 
          Tutor-Marked Assignment…………………………………………………..viii 
          Final Examination and Grading……………………………………………….ix 
          Summary……………………………………………………………………….x   
           
          Introduction 
          This course PHS802: Introduction to Public Health Nutrition is a two-credit unit course 
          with three modules. Nutrition is the science of food and its nutrients, their functions, 
          interactions and balance in relation to health and diseases. Public Health Nutrition is the 
          branch of human nutrition that deals with nutritional problems that affect large numbers 
          of people which can be solved most effectively through group action. Examples of large 
          numbers of people include communities, displaced  people,  refugee  camps,  war  and 
          emergency  situations,  specific  populations  such  as  pre-school  children  (the  Under-
          fives), school children, adolescents, pregnant and lactating mothers and the aged. The 
          major  functions  of  public  health  nutrition  are  assessment,  policy  development  and 
          assurance.  
          This course guide tells you what to expect from reading this course material. 
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