New degree tackles Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle

13.11.2008

Trinity College Carmarthen is launching a new degree in September 2009 in response to the Welsh Assembly Government’s concern for the increase of chronic diseases within the general population. Such is the level of concern that WAG has pumped £190million recently into public health and health improvement in Wales.

health-nutrition-lifestyle Government sources claim that inactivity in Wales costs the economy around £500m per year. In Carmarthenshire specifically, only 30.4% of adults are reported as doing sufficient regular exercise to obtain health benefits and costs incurred amount to £35m. Carmarthen County Council’s key strategies for 2008-11 covers an individual’s whole life span, from childhood through to adulthood and old age, addressing the health, social care, and well-being of the population. Clearly, there is a move to raise public awareness of the health and well-being issues in Wales, including amongst others a healthy diet, physical activity, & emotional health.

Ceredig Emanuel, Head of the School of Sport, Health and Outdoor Education at the College says “Evidence suggests that people who develop healthy eating habits at an early stage of their life are more likely to maintain them in adulthood and have reduced risk of obesity, which is a significant risk factor for type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease, and stroke. In addition to healthy eating, regular physical activity plays an important role in improving physical and psychological health and well-being and inactivity is associated with amongst other conditions, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure and diabetes. In addition, levels of emotional health can have a considerable impact on an individual’s sense of physical well-being and the ability to adopt a healthy lifestyle. Several factors contribute to this, including stress which can manifest itself in many health compromising behaviours and ultimately lead to an unhealthy lifestyle.”

The new degree programme offered by the School is aimed at students from further education colleges and secondary schools studying Health and Social Care, Health Studies, as well as mature students interested in the field. The course will be accessible to part time students and those already in employment in the health sector, wishing to enhance their professional development. There is also the potential for students to study stand alone modules for continuing professional development. Ceredig continues “Graduates of the new BSc in Health, Nutrition and Lifestyle will possess the relevant knowledge and skills to work towards addressing the government agenda of improving health in Wales. Positions which graduates are expected to undertake include working in health promotion, as food development officers, active communities’ development workers, GP referral co-ordinators, community health improvement workers and healthy school’s co-ordinators.”

The School of Sport, Health & Outdoor Education is holding its next informal interview day on December 17th at 11am. Phone 01267 676643 or e-mail c.emanuel@trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk for further details.

The School of Sport, Health & Exercise also offer the following degrees:

BSc Health & Exercise
BA & MA Outdoor Education
BA Physical Education
BA Sports Studies

Further Information

Eleri Beynon
Press Office
(01267) 676767
e.beynon@trinitysaintdavid.ac.uk

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