Program Overview

Programme Overview

The programme aims to enable healthcare professionals to gain a critical understanding of the impact of nutrition and diet to prevent and manage diabetes. Students will apply knowledge gained and develop their skills to assist individuals with diabetes to implement evidence-based dietary recommendations to optimise their nutritional status and diabetic control.

Highlights

• The programme focuses on the role of nutrition and diet in the prevention and management of diabetes.
• Students will learn to plan dietary strategies for diabetics with varying personal preferences, ethnicity, and culture.
• The programme covers challenges encountered by clients/patients attempting to modify their diet to prevent or manage their diabetes.
• Students will devise evidence-based behavioural change strategies to enable clients/patients to implement the dietary changes needed to improve their glycemic control.

Programme Details

Intended Learning Outcomes

On completion of the programme, students should be able to:

1. Critically evaluate the role of nutrition and diet in the prevention and management of diabetes.
2. Integrate and apply knowledge to plan dietary strategies for diabetics with varying personal preferences, ethnicity, and culture.
3. Describe the challenges encountered by clients/patients attempting to modify their diet to prevent or manage their diabetes.
4. Devise evidence-based behavioural change strategies to enable clients/patients to implement the dietary changes needed to improve their glycemic control.

Course Content

• Diabetes: prevalence, causes, diagnosis, and medical management
• Pharmacotherapy: medications for diabetes and their nutritional considerations
• Nutritional recommendations for those at risk of or with pre-diabetes
• Dietary management of diabetes: Type 1, Type 2, and gestational diabetes
• Evidence-based guidelines
• Adapting guidelines to accommodate individual’s cultural, ethnic background, and personal preferences
• Nutritional considerations to prevent and manage DM complications
• Diabetes remission
• Implementing dietary recommendations - practical issues: portion size, menu planning, reading food labels
• Educating and empowering individuals with diabetes to implement dietary changes:
  • Nutrition education
  • Behaviour change
  • Nutritional considerations for diabetics during sport and exercise

Assessment

Assessment for this programme is based on coursework assignments.

Mode of Delivery

The programme will be delivered through face-to-face seminars and interactive class discussions.

Award

Upon successful completion of the programme, students will be awarded a "Certificate for Module (Nutrition and Dietary Management of Diabetes)" within the HKU system through HKU SPACE.

Fee & Entry Requirements

Fee

• Application Fee: HK$150
• Course Fee: HK$7900

Entry Requirements

• Applicants shall be health care professionals who hold a bachelor’s degree or equivalent awarded by a recognised university.
• If the degree or equivalent qualification is from an institution where the language of teaching and assessment is not English, applicants shall provide evidence of English proficiency such as:
  • HKDSE English Language Level 3 or above
  • HKALE Grade D or above
  • HKCEE English Language Grade C (Syllabus B) (obtained before 2007) or Level 3 (obtained after 2007)
  • An overall band of 6.5 average with no subtests lower than 5.5 in the IELTS
  • Equivalent qualifications
• Applicants with other qualifications will be considered on individual merit.

CEF

• The CEF Institution Code of HKU SPACE is 100
• This course has been included in the list of reimbursable courses under the Continuing Education Fund.