MSCM 5301
T2: Community Health Interventions I (Nutrition and Health)

This course conveys the skills needed to evaluate programs that are designed to help people change their eating habits so that students can bring such programs to local communities. Students first gain a broad understanding of what current research suggests healthy diets are and are not, as well as the barriers to identifying standards for healthy eating. Next, students learn about the systems available for getting healthy food to members of underserved and underrepresented communities, including key points of intervention within those systems as well as challenges to employing those systems to meet the needs of such communities. Finally, students analyze the pros and cons of specific programs designed to improve community nutrition. 

Course Learning Outcomes – After completing the course, students should be able to:

1. Characterize healthy foods and describe food-related health conditions
2. Describe the dynamic health equity systems that help get healthy food on the table of a typical family.
3. Identify points of intervention to help people select, buy and consume healthy foods.
4. Describe the key elements of programs that change eating habits.
5. Evaluate programs designed to help people change their eating habits.