Human Nutrition
Human Nutrition has been taught at Otago for almost a hundred years. In terms of academic staff and students the Department of Human Nutrition is the largest University Department involved in this discipline in Australasia and one of the best known in the Southern Hemisphere. During the past sixteen years it has been responsible for all Dietetic training in New Zealand. Our graduates are to be found in interesting positions in a number of countries throughout the world as well as in leading roles in Australia and New Zealand. Our research programmes extend beyond the shores of New Zealand with staff members involved in research as far afield as Thailand, Ethiopia, Zambia, Mongolia, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Germany, France and the Netherlands.
The Department has enjoyed international recognition of outstanding leadership and excellence in nutrition research for well over half a century. Our courses continue to receive an exceptionally high rating from past and present students and we aim to ensure that all students continue to receive the quality education for which Otago is famous.
Recent Deposits
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Dietary folate intake of female adolescents in New Zealand
Background: Folate plays an important role in DNA synthesis and methylation and thus, dietary inadequacy is of particular concern primarily among reproductive age women. Studies to date show that achieving recommended ... -
Physical Activity, Sedentary Behaviour and Sleep in Adolescent Females in New Zealand
Background: Physical inactivity, sedentary lifestyles, obesity, and their associations with numerous adverse health outcomes are arguably the largest health concerns to children and youth. Historically, moderate-to-vigorous ... -
Iodine intakes and the main food sources of iodine in adolescent females aged 15-18 years in New Zealand
Background: Iodine plays an essential role in normal growth and development. Formerly iodine deficiency has been common in New Zealand because of the low levels of iodine in the soil. However, in recent times, the Children’s ... -
Dietary intake and food sources of riboflavin in New Zealand adolescent females
Background: Riboflavin is an important B-vitamin for a range of metabolic and antioxidant processes within the body. Adolescent females are particularly at risk of inadequate riboflavin intake due to traditionally poor ... -
Iodine intakes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females
Background: The New Zealand government mandated fortification of bread with iodised salt as a strategy to address the re-emergence of iodine deficiency. Studies conducted since the fortification of bread with iodised salt ... -
Folate intakes of vegetarian and non vegetarian adolescent females
Background: Folate is a water soluble B vitamin found naturally among food sources such as dark green vegetables, legumes, beans and offal such as liver. The synthetic form of folic acid is found in fortified food sources ... -
Intakes and main food sources of calcium for vegetarian and omnivorous New Zealand adolescent females
Background: Calcium is an essential mineral required to assist peak bone mass formation during adolescence. Calcium can only be obtained through the diet and is not widely spread throughout dietary sources with dairy ... -
Zinc intakes and food sources in vegetarian compared to non-vegetarian adolescent females in New Zealand
Background: The number of individuals choosing to follow a vegetarian, or reduced meat, diet is thought to be increasing in high income countries such as New Zealand. Consuming a vegetarian diet with adequate macro- and ... -
Fibre intakes between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females in New Zealand
Background: The mean fibre intakes for 15-18-year old females from the last national nutrition survey (2008/09 New Zealand Adult Nutrition Survey) was 16.0 grams/day, well below the adequate intake for this age group of ... -
Dietary intake and food sources of protein among adolescent females aged 15-18 years living in New Zealand
Background: Adolescence is a life stage characterised by rapid physical growth and development. These rapid changes increase the requirement for protein and energy (1). Protein has a functional and structural role in the ... -
Comparison of sugar intakes between vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females
Background: Sugar consumption has been associated with an increased risk of obesity and non-communicable diseases. Adolescents are high consumers of sugar in New Zealand (NZ), particularly added sugar. With NZ’s high obesity ... -
Iron intakes and food sources of iron in New Zealand adolescent females
Background: Adolescent females may be at risk of poor iron status even when following a diet that includes iron-rich meat, due to a combination of high requirements for growth, expanding blood volume, and the onset of ... -
Food choice motivations of adolescent females in New Zealand
Describes the food choice motivations of adolescent females in New Zealand. Secondly, examines whether the perceived importance of health in making food choices is related to food intake. -
Vitamin B12 intakes of vegetarian and non-vegetarian adolescent females
Background: The adoption of plant-based diets for reasons of health and sustainability is becoming increasingly popular especially among the younger generation. Indeed, reducing meat consumption has been associated with ... -
Dietary intakes and food sources of dietary fat among vegetarian and non-vegetarian female adolescents in New Zealand.
Background: Adolescents are often exploring how they want to identify within society and this may be represented in the decisions they make surrounding food choices. One pattern of eating called vegetarianism appears to ... -
The dietarian identities of adolescent females
Background: In our daily life, what we eat and why we eat certain foods have always been more than a matter of nutritional value. Instead, it had been proposed that there is an overarching concept of food-choice identity ... -
Zinc intakes and main food sources of zinc in New Zealand adolescent females
Background: It has been proposed that New Zealand (NZ) adolescent females are currently going through a dramatic change in food selection patterns. Due to this, there have been concerns around the adequacy of zinc intake ... -
Fibre intake and the main food sources of fibre in New Zealand female adolescents aged 15 - 18 years
Abstract Background: Dietary data from the 2008/9 New Zealand Adult Nutrition survey showed that the mean dietary fibre intake of New Zealanders was below the recommended dietary fibre adequate intake (AI). In particular, ... -
The dietary habits of female adolescents in New Zealand
Background: Adolescence is a complex and vulnerable period of life, where significant physical, developmental and social transformations occur. With these transitions, changes in dietary habits become apparent. The dietary ... -
Weight loss intentions of adolescent females in New Zealand
Background: Adolescents, in particular females, have been recognised as a high risk group in terms of trying to lose weight. Little is known about the prevalence of New Zealand female adolescent weight-loss intentions and ...