SE779-7-SP-CO:
Dietary and Body Composition Assessment
2025/26
Sport, Rehabilitation and Exercise Sciences (School of)
Colchester Campus
Spring
Postgraduate: Level 7
Current
Monday 12 January 2026
Friday 20 March 2026
15
09 August 2024
Requisites for this module
(none)
(none)
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This module covers various dietary and body composition assessment methods, including dietary recall, bioelectrical impedance analysis, and DXA. It also explores the relationship between dietary intake, body composition, and health outcomes, emphasising the validity and reliability of these tools.
The aim of this module is:
- To equip students with the skills to accurately assess dietary intake and body composition, understanding their relevance in sports nutrition and health.
By the end of this module, students will be expected to be able to:
- Utilise different dietary assessment methods, demonstrating an understanding of their application and limitations in current research and practice contexts.
- Apply body composition assessment techniques, employing advanced analytical skills to interpret results, and demonstrating originality in solving complex problems related to nutritional status and health outcomes.
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of the principles and applications of body composition and dietary assessments techniques, in the context of current research-related themes relating to diet, health and disease.
- Critically evaluate the validity and reliability of nutritional and dietary assessment tools and demonstrate an advanced critical awareness of their limitations and appropriateness as applied to a wide range of populations.
Syllabus Information
- Dietary assessment methods
- Body composition assessment techniques
- Nutritional epidemiology
- Food diaries and recall methods.
- Bioelectrical impedance analysis
- Dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) (with IRMER certification)
- Skinfold measurements
- Dietary intake and health outcomes
- Validity and reliability of assessment tools
Complimentary learning
During the module, students will have the opportunity to complete the Ionising Radiation (Medical Exposure) Regulations (IR(ME)R) certification (1-day course), a prerequisite qualification to operate ionising radiation medical devices such as a DEXA.
The module will be delivered via a total of:
- Ten 1-hour lectures
- Two 2-hour workshops
- One 1-hour workshop
- Five 3-hour laboratory practicals
- Two 1-hour support classes
Weekly number and duration of sessions will vary.
Students are expected to undertake the reading before classes and be prepared to engage in discussion.
This module does not appear to have any essential texts. To see non - essential items, please refer to the module's
reading list.
Assessment items, weightings and deadlines
| Coursework / exam |
Description |
Deadline |
Coursework weighting |
| Coursework |
Client report |
|
100% |
Exam format definitions
- Remote, open book: Your exam will take place remotely via an online learning platform. You may refer to any physical or electronic materials during the exam.
- In-person, open book: Your exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer to any physical materials such as paper study notes or a textbook during the exam. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, open book (restricted): The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may refer only to specific physical materials such as a named textbook during the exam. Permitted materials will be specified by your department. Electronic devices may not be used in the exam.
- In-person, closed book: The exam will take place on campus under invigilation. You may not refer to any physical materials or electronic devices during the exam. There may be times when a paper dictionary,
for example, may be permitted in an otherwise closed book exam. Any exceptions will be specified by your department.
Your department will provide further guidance before your exams.
Overall assessment
Reassessment
Module supervisor and teaching staff
Dr Catherine Kerr, email: catherine.kerr@essex.ac.uk.
SRES Office, email: sres (Non essex users should add @essex.ac.uk to create the full email address)
No
No
No
Dr Philip Daniel Brian Price
St Mary's University
Senior Lecturer
Available via Moodle
No lecture recording information available for this module.
* Please note: due to differing publication schedules, items marked with an asterisk (*) base their information upon the previous academic year.
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