NTR30001 - Position Paper Assignment - Swinburne University of Technology

Assignment Task

Background

In any scientific related career, it is important to learn how to synthesise available scientific literature on a given health topic and be able to present findings in written form. The ability to clearly articulate scientific information in a succinct manner is very important. This skill is important for a range of careers in research, academia, policy and health. In the context of nutrition, you are often required to interrogate, critically appraise and interpret scientific literature on nutrition and diet; then provide evidence-based advice on dietary intake for individuals and populations.

Task

This assignment requires you to produce a position paper which outlines the ‘position’ of a relevant public organisation (such as the Heart Foundation, Nutrition Australia, Diabetes Australia, Cancer Council, etc), in relation to a dietary pattern or habit and its links with disease prevention or onset. The position paper should be written with health professionals/practitioners as its intended audience.

In order to produce this position paper, you will be required to select a specific diet-related health condition, carefully undertake a literature review to examine the most up-to-date evidence related to this topic, and from closely examining the literature, determine strengths, limitations in the current evidence as well as practical applications/ recommendations relating to diet and your chosen health condition.

1) Defining your topic

a) Choose a dietary pattern (e.g. Mediterranean diet, Nordic Diet, etc) or dietary habit (e.g. high sodium intake, high caffeine intake, low soy intake, etc).

b) You will investigate the links between disease chosen in a) and the prevention or onset of a disease of your choice (e.g. Lung cancer, stroke, osteoporosis).

c) The population group should be adults aged 18-65 years, however you could narrow this to a more specific age group if you wish.

2) Literature review: Critiquing and reviewing recent scientific literature on your topic

a. Search for peer-review journal articles relevant to your topic using a variety of databases. The articles should not be more than 10 years old

b. You should aim to include no less than 5 peer-reviewed research articles. Whilst there is no restriction on the use of reviews (such as narrative reviews, systematic reviews, etc), please note that depending on the quality and content of these reviews, you may still be required to individually examine the original research articles included in these reviews as part of completing your journal appraisal. There is no upper limit to the number of original research articles to use, however more articles cited reflects detailed searching and will contribute to a higher quality position statement as well as contribute to greater strength in your position arguments.

c. Complete a summary and critical appraisal for each article you decide to include for the position paper. Fill in details using the template provided on Canvas (Assignment 1 Journal Appraisal table), and attach as an appendix to your assignment.

3) Writing your position paper Your position paper should include the following headings and information:

Summary: Provide a summary of key findings and recommendations/advice on dietary intake relating to your chosen disease and dietary pattern/habit. *This section should be completed last, and should read like an abstract- this provides your readers a quick ‘glance’ of what your position paper is about/what to expect if they continue reading your entire paper!*

Introduction/background: Provide an overview to your chosen disease. Discuss the aetiology of the disease, including the populations most at risk in Australia, why it is an important disease to address, and provide relevant statistics (health, economic, social, etc) to support this. Provide details of your chosen dietary pattern/habit, what it is/definitions and components of it, what Australians are consuming in relation to it, and its relevance/linkage to your chosen disease. Explain why your position paper topic is of importance and interest to your target audience.

Findings and limitations: Explain and discuss findings from your journal articles, and remember to include practical application aspects in your discussion such as food sources, quantities, associations between quantity consumed and disease prevention or risk, etc. Also discuss limitations in the scientific literature as well as any limitations of your position paper. You may want to group findings into themes/sub-headings. This will also make your position paper easier to read and follow.

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