Healthy Weight Education Opportunities

U of M Courses

Students can find basic coursework that will help them become more acquainted with healthy population weights, along with more advanced coursework which can send them on their way to a career in research. The following courses are offered on the Twin Cities University of Minnesota campus.

Courses

Find out when a particular course is offered using the Class Schedule or Class Search. You may also register for classes online or find out more information in the course guide.

PUBH 7392-Healthy Weight Research Group Seminar (Readings in Epidemiology)
FALL/SPRING | 1.0 credits
This seminar course has a monthly speaker or discussion group. Contact Melissa Laska (mnlaska@umn.edu) for information. Contact Kerrin Brelje (kbrelje@umn.edu) for information about how to register.

PUBH 3954/6954 – Personal, Social, and Environmental Influences on the Weight-related Health of Pediatric Populations
FALL | Online course | 2.0 credit
This course provides an introduction to the epidemiology of weight-related problems among young people. Assumptions of the course include (1) the prevention of excess weight gain in childhood is an important public health issue and (2) making changes to help pediatric populations maintain overall weight-related health will lead to reduced rates of associated pediatric health problems as well as chronic diseases of adulthood. With this perspective, strategies and policies to protect the weight-related health of children and adolescents are needed. There will be extensive discussion of the social-ecological factors that influence weight-related health and implications for the development of interventions and policies. The development of this course was supported by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture  (2012-70003-19985, PI: M. Laska).

PUBH 3955/6955 – Using Policy to Address Child & Adolescent Obesity Prevention
SPRING | Online course | 1.0 credit
This course provides an overview of federal, state, and local policy approaches and national initiatives for the prevention of pediatric obesity. Specific examples of relevant policies directed at individuals, organizations, and communities will be discussed. There will also be extensive discussion of evidence for the impact of policies on child and adolescent overweight, including ethnic/racial and socioeconomic disparities. The development of this course was supported by a grant from the US Department of Agriculture (2012-70003-19985, PI: M. Laska).

PUBH 6094 – Obesity & Eating Disorder Interventions
SPRING | 2.0 credits
This course examines obesity and eating disorders at individual, social, environmental, and policy levels. Etiology, measurement and prevalence; treatment and prevention interventions are examined at the individual, group, and community level. Links between eating disorders and obesity are explored.

PUBH 6914 – Community Nutrition Intervention
SPRING | 3.0 credits
This course provides students with the tools for developing community nutrition interventions. Using behavioral therapy, conducting needs assessments, writing program objectives, developing intervention strategies, evaluating program implementation/effectiveness, planning a budget, writing grant proposals.

PUBH 6915 – Nutrition Assessment
FALL | 2.0 credits
Common nutritional assessment using dietary, biochemical, and anthropometric approaches. Applications of methods, interpretation of results. Hands-on experience, training in common anthropometric methods.

PUBH 6907 – Maternal, Infant, and Child and Adolescent Nutrition
FALL, SUMMER, offered periodically | 2.0 credits
This course provides an overview of nutrition issues affecting pregnant and postpartum women, females of reproductive age, infants, children and adolescents. The course integrates public health practice and policy recommendations with evidence-based clinical practice guidelines to provide a comprehensive view and maternal and child health nutrition issues seen by practitioners in community settings.

PUBH 6933 – Nutrition and Chronic Diseases
SPRING | 2.0 credits
Issues in nutrition and public health. How nutrition research is translated into dietary recommendations for public health. Relation of nutrition to obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer.

U of MN Online Continuing Education Courses

For a full list of all online trainings offered through the School of Public Health, which address a wide range of issues such as promoting successful intra-professional collaborations, enhancing diversity and cultural competencies in the classroom and the workplace, addressing inequities in health literacy and translating data into public health priorities, please see:

U of MN Obesity Prevention Training Program (MnOPT)

U of MN Obesity Prevention Training Program (MnOPT)

The Minnesota Obesity Prevention T32 Training grant was awarded from NIH/NIDDK. The training grant is housed within the OPC and has two training tracks: epidemiology/behavioral and basic sciences/clinical. The program currently provides training for three predoctoral and three postdoctoral or medical fellows. Robert Jeffery, Professor in the Division of Epidemiology & Community Health, is the Program Director. Catherine Kotz, Professor in the Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, is Co-director.

Departmental / Center Seminars:

Departmental / Center Seminars