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TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. Diploma in Public Health Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine: Course Overview……….3

2. Target Audience…………………………………………………………………………….3
3. Course Learning Objectives……………………………………………………………….4
4. Students Learning Objectives……………………………………………………………..4
5. Program Length……………………………………………………………………………..5
Course-wise Credit Hours and Marks Distribution
a. Certificate in Public Health Nutrition-- 1st Semester…………………………………5
b. Certificate in Lifestyle Medicine—2nd Semester……………………………………..5
6. Delivery Methods……………………………………………………………………………6
7. Evaluation Procedure and Grading Criteria………………………………………………6
8. Student Recruitment and Admissions
a. Eligibility Criteria………………………………………………………………………...7
b. Basic Qualifications………………………………………………………………….....7
c. Work Experience………………………………………………………………………..7
d. Age Limit…………………………………………………………………………………7
9. PHN and LSM Admissions
a. Final Selection……………………………………………………………………….....7
b. Course FEE……………………………………………………………………………..7
10. Teaching Faculty……………………………………………………………………………8

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 DIPLOMA IN PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION AND
LIFESTYLE MEDICINE

COURSE OVERVIEW:

Nutrition and lifestyle play a crucial role in the global burden of morbidity and mortality.
They are a measure of physical, social, and economic indicators of health; which
determine the economic prosperity and development of a country. Nutrition in
combination with lifestyle changes including physical activity, sleep regularization, stress
management, fostering healthy relationships, and quitting unhealthy habits such as
tobacco, alcohol and other harmful behaviors are critical for the health of individuals and
communities.
Present-day health and nutrition challenges call for a paradigm shift in approach by
focusing more on preventive, holistic, and patient centered solutions. Poor diet, lack of
exercise, stress, inadequate sleep, and smoking are the primary modifiable risk factors
for many chronic health conditions. However, these factors are often overlooked in the
health system dominated by the treatment model.
Acknowledging the lack of knowledge and skills of health care professionals in
recognizing common modifiable risk factors to disease, there is a need to train them to
identify, understand and discuss health-promoting behaviors with the public.
This course introduces theoretical and practical knowledge and skills by combining
public health nutrition and lifestyle medicine to multi -sectoral health care professionals.
Both components gel together to inform health professionals about how they can
transform population health by applying principles of nutrition and lifestyle interventions
to prevent and treat nutrition and lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease,
diabetes, stroke, obesity, some neurological conditions, and some cancers. Overall, the
students will gain the necessary real-world experiences, specialized expertise, and
interdisciplinary public health knowledge needed to create a resilient culture of health for
people of Pakistan. The course covers epidemiological, dietary, public health, social, and
biological aspects of nutritional science and lifestyle medicine. The first half of the course
covers foundations of public health and public health nutrition, nutritional epidemiology
and biostatistics, fundamentals of human nutrition and applied nutrition. The second half
of the course is built upon the science of exercise and physical activity, mental health
and behavioral physiology including stress management and sleep regulation, and
intervention and prevention for unhealthy habits such as substance abuse and relapse
prevention.
The Diploma mainly focuses on nutritional and lifestyle problems in Pakistan and other
low and middle-income countries – although skills and learning outcomes are widely
applicable to all populations nationally and internationally. This curriculum is developed
by consulting public health courses of international universities such as American
college of lifestyle medicine, Harvard school of public health, Bloomberg School of public
health, Emory University, London school of hygiene and tropical medicine, University of
Chester etc. List and detail of course and reference documents are attached as
annexation one.
Target audience: The target audience of this diploma are graduates from different
disciplines such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, dentists, nutritionists, exercise
physiologists and other allied health or non-health professionals who wish to develop

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skills in public health nutrition and lifestyle medicine research and teaching, operational
work in the field or community nutrition and lifestyle programs, design nutrition and
lifestyle intervention programs, including health promotion and nutrition and lifestyle
education, and policy and program planning in nutrition and lifestyle.

COURSE LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

The course objective is to create a workforce of public health professionals with

knowledge and skills of public health nutrition and lifestyle medicine to recognize,
manage, communicate and research nutritional and lifestyle concerns at the individual,
community and population level.

STUDENTS LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

By the end of this course, students should be able to:

● Demonstrate an advanced knowledge of Public health Nutrition and lifestyle

medicine at biological, social and policy levels
● Identify common nutrition and lifestyle risk factors affecting health of individuals
and communities.
● Evaluate critically, select and apply a range of appropriate research skills and
techniques, including anthropometry, dietary analysis, statistics, epidemiology,
research, computing & information retrieval.
● Interpret and synthesize different types of data used to analyze and assess
nutritional and lifestyle problems at population and subpopulation levels
● Understand public health nutrition and lifestyle interventions such as exercise
and nutrition prescriptions, stress management and resilience building, quitting
smoking and smoking products, and evaluating sleep patterns.
● Comprehend the importance of promoting social connections, harnessing
individuals' strengths, and using positive emotions such as gratitude and laughter
as medicine to empower individuals to reach their optimal health and wellbeing
● Disseminate research findings in a range of formats to experts and the general
population.
● Identify and formulate appropriate responses and intervention strategies to
address nutritional and lifestyle issues, considering the public health and social
policy contexts
● Apply knowledge of effective teamwork and communication skills to solve
problems and achieve goals

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 PROGRAM LENGTH: One-year program comprising 24 credit hours
Duration of semester = 6 months
Diploma= 2 semesters
Certificate in Public health nutrition= 1 semester
Certificate in lifestyle medicine= 1 semester

1st Semester
Course Code Course Title Credit Hours Total Marks
CPHN01 Foundations of Public Health 3 150
Nutritional Epidemiology and Applied
CPHN02 Research 3 150

CPHN03 Fundamentals of Public Health Nutrition 3 150

CPHN04 Community Based Nutrition Interventions 3 150

2nd Semester
Course Code Course Title Credit Hours Total Marks
LSM05 Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine 3 150

LSM06 Intervention and Prevention 3 150

LSM07 Mental Health and Behavioral Psychology 3 150

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LSM08 Physical Activity 150

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DETAIL OF COURSES

Foundations of Public Health

Course Description

This interdisciplinary course provides an opportunity for students to investigate the

fundamental determinants and the complex set of intermediate factors that underpin
health and disease status in different populations at various scales of analysis. Using
public health and healthcare delivery as the overarching framework, the course will
cover foundational elements of public health, including, but not limited to, its history and
impact, the importance of health equity and human rights, and Population dynamics and
various static and dynamic measures of populations, how social determinants manifests
and is perpetuated within public health and healthcare systems. The course content
highlights core competencies and crosscutting themes essential for successful public
health intervention programs. These theoretical linkages, following exposure to how
public health practice is organized in the world, will hopefully prepare students to explore
more deeply within the curriculum organized around the core disciplines of biostatistics,
epidemiology, social and behavioural sciences, and health policy and management.

Course Objectives

After successfully completing the course, students will be able to:

1. Compare and critique public health and healthcare organizations, systems, and
approaches.
2. Evaluate the evolution and impact of public health programs and healthcare
delivery on population health outcomes.
3. Define the core functions of public health and explain how each contributes to
primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention of diseases in different settings.
4. Integrate historical and social justice lenses to describe major causes and trends
of population health.
5. Apply concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion to function as an effective
member of an inter- professional team.

Recommended Readings

1. Raymond L. Goldsteen, Karen Goldsteen and Terry L. Dwelle. Introduction to

public health: promises and practices. 2015. New York: Springer Publishing
Company.
2. Walley, J., & Wright, J. (2010). Public health: an action guide to improving health.
Oxford University Press.
3. Marmot, M., Wilkinson, R. (2016) Social Determinants of Health and Equity
4. Tulchinsky, T.H., & Varavikova, E.A. (2014). The New Public Health: An
Introduction for the 21st Century: Elsevier Science.
5. Brassington, I. (2007). Public Health and Globalisation: Why a National Health
Service is Morally Indefensible: Imprint-academic.com.
6. Brownson, R.C., Baker, B.A., Leet, T.L., Gillespie, K.N. (2003). Evidence-based
public health. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.

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7. Detels, R., McEwen, J., Beaglehole, R., Tanaka, H., (eds). (2002). Oxford
textbook of public health: the practice of public health, 4th ed. Oxford: Oxford
University Press
8. Fidler, D. P. (2001). The globalization of public health: the first 100 years of
international health diplomacy. Bull World Health Organ, 79(9), 842-849.
9. Detels R, Beaglehole R, Lansang MA, Gulliford M. Oxford textbook of public
health: Oxford University Press; 2011.
10. Carr S, Unwin N, Pless-Mulloli T. An introduction to public health and
epidemiology: McGraw-Hill Education (UK); 2007.
11. Poston Jr DL, Bouvier LF. Population and society: An introduction to
demography: Cambridge University Press; 2010.
12. Santerre RE, Neun SP. Health economics: South-Western; 2012.

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Nutritional Epidemiology and Applied Research
Course Description
In this course, students will learn and apply basic concepts of nutritional epidemiology
and applied research to multiple domains of public health. This course provides a
foundation of topics in epidemiology through examining nutritional diseases, chronic
diseases, and general health. The course will cover applications of epidemiologic
methods and procedures to the study of the distribution and determinants of health and
diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. Other topics include
major nutritional public health concerns across the globe and nutrition research

Course Objectives

Upon completion of the course, students will be able to

1. Understand the concept, basic principles and methods of Nutritional
Epidemiology, Epidemiological Studies and its application and uses in controlling
Public Health Nutrition problems
2. Explain and practise some key techniques in epidemiology and their broad
applicability to public health nutrition
3. Identify and understand public health nutrition issues and problem in terms of
context and magnitude
4. Develop critical insights to understand and critique quantitative research designs
used in nutrition research and interpret the results.

Recommended Reading

1. Gordis, L. (2008). Epidemiology.4th ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders

Company.
2. Daniel WW, Cross CL. Biostatistics: a foundation for analysis in the health
sciences: Wiley; 2018.
3. L. Epidemiology. Philadelphia: WB saunders; 2000.
4. Willett W. Nutritional epidemiology: Oxford university press; 2012.
5. Sullivan LM. Essentials of biostatistics in public health: Jones & Bartlett Learning;
2017.

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Fundamentals of Public Health Nutrition
Course Description
In this course, students will explore the principles and importance of public health
nutrition. They will study the core concepts of food and nutrition like basic micro and
macronutrients, their deficiencies, basic disease pathology and role of nutrition across
the life span. The will learn the nutritional assessment methods, dietary guidelines and
their application in public health and community setting.
Course Objectives
Upon completion of the course, students will be able to
1. Understand the importance and basic principles Public health Nutrition
2. Identify and understand the core concepts of nutrition in context of public health
nutrition issues and problems
3. Explore advanced metabolic and physiological actions of human body in different
life cycles
4. Explain and practise some key methods in nutritional assessment and their
implementation in public health nutrition settings
Recommended Reading
1. Barasi M. Nutrition at a Glance: John Wiley & Sons; 2013.
2. Brown JE. Nutrition through the life cycle: Cengage Learning; 2016.
3. Insel PM. Discovering nutrition: Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 2013.
4. Whitney E, Rolfes SR. Understanding nutrition: Cengage Learning; 2018.

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Community Based Nutrition Interventions
Course Description
The aim of this course is to train students in handling nutritional problems at community
level. They will learn practical approaches to successful behavior modification strategies
along with an advanced look at nutrition in emergencies, nutritional interventions and
management in malnutrition and in infectious and non-communicable diseases. The field
visits will enable them to understand the practical implications in preventing and
managing nutritional problems at the community level
Course Objectives
After the completion, students will be able to
1. Understand the impact of the environment and society on nutrition related
behaviors
2. Apply evidence-based nutrition principles to the prevention and treatment of
malnutrition and other nutritional problems
3. Learn different techniques and strategies to use in advocacy for public health
nutrition issues
4. Equip themselves in managing nutritional problems in different nutritional
settings, for example, emergencies

Reading Material
1. Mahan LK, Raymond JL. Krause's food & the nutrition care process-e-book:
Elsevier Health Sciences; 2016.
2. Gandy J. Manual of dietetic practice: John Wiley & Sons; 2019.
3. Garrow J, James W, Ralph A. Nutrition in Prevention and Treatment of Disease.
Translated by Ebrahimov S, Mohamadizadegan M, Mousavi Yazdanpanah M,
Saber M, Khabbaz N Tehran: Kamal Danesh Pub. 2000:10-24.
4. Gibson RS. Principles of nutritional assessment: Oxford university press, USA;
2005.
5. Bean A. The complete guide to sports nutrition: Bloomsbury Publishing; 2017.
6. Contento IR. Nutrition education: linking research, theory, and practice. 2007.

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Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine
Course Description
In this course, students will be able to study lifestyle medicine is an evidenced-based
specialty, and review research basics including the value of randomized, controlled
studies, observational studies, longitudinal studies, and prospective and retrospective
studies, as well as case studies. They will explore how the development of vaccines and
antibiotics changed the landscape of medicine, and how the Industrial Revolution played
a part in the spread of lifestyle-related diseases. In addition, the economics of lifestyle
medicine are addressed, looking at the cost and burden of chronic diseases such as
diabetes, obesity, cardiac disease, and metabolic disorder.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, the participant will be able to:
1. Define lifestyle medicine.
2. Explain the concept of evidence-based lifestyle medicine.
3. Summarize the importance of lifestyle medicine for individuals, society, and
healthcare.
4. Describe the history, economics, and competencies attendant to lifestyle
medicine.

Reading Material
1. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. Understanding lifestyle medicine.
In: Frates B, ed. Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of
Healthy Habits. Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning; 2021:17-44.
2. Egger G, Binns A, Rossner S. Chapter 1 Introduction to lifestyle medicine. In:
Egger G, Binns A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle
in the 21st Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:1–10.
3. DeCourten M, Egger G. Chapter 2 The epidemiology of chronic disease. In:
Egger G, Binns A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle
in the 21st Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:11–24.
4. Frates EP. Interview With Award Winners From ACLM 2015: Dean Ornish and
John Kelly, Nashville, Tennessee. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2016.
5. Dysinger WS. Lifestyle medicine competencies for primary care physicians.
Virtual Mentor. 2013;15(4):306–310.
doi:10.1001/virtualmentor.2013.15.4.medu1-1304.
6. Katz D. Lifestyle is medicine. Virtual Mentor. 2013;15(4):286–292. doi:10.1001/
virtualmentor.2013.15.4.ecas1-1304.
7. Fahey TD, Insel PM, Roth WT. Introduction to Wellness, Fitness, and Lifestyle
Management In: Fahey TD, Insel PM, Roth WT. Fit and Well: Core Concepts and
Labs in Physical Fitness and Wellness. 9th ed. New York: McGraw Hill Higher
Education;2010: 1-26
8. Diabetes Prevention Research Group. Reduction in the incidence of type 2
diabetes with lifestyle intervention or Metformin. New England Journal of
Medicine. 2002;346(6):393–403. doi: 10.1056/nejmoa012512.

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9. Subramanyam R. Art of reading a journal article: Methodically and effectively.
Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Pathology: JOMFP. 2013; 17(1): 65-70. Doi:
10.4103/0973-029X.110733.

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Intervention and Prevention
Course Description
In this course, basic nutritional assessment methods and possible interventions will be
explored. Research on how healthy whole foods, plant based diet (WFPB) diet can
prevent, treat, and reverse disease is emphasized. The notion that more intensive
dietary changes (specifically, following WFPB diet) can potentially offer superior health
outcomes (i.e., disease reversal) is discussed. The students will also understand the
meaning and impact of substance use disorders, and the use of motivational
interviewing techniques for their cessation.
Course Objectives
By the end of this course, participants will be able to:
1. Identify the role that nutrition plays in lifestyle medicine.
2. Describe the key factors associated with a healthy eating pattern.
3. Evaluate the diet spectrum, ranging from the standard American diet (SAD) to
the whole food, plant-based (WFPB) diet.
4. Discuss the need to focus on behaviour change, with regard to weight
management.
5. Address controversies in defining addiction and discuss under what
circumstances certain behaviour may move from healthy to unhealthy.
6. Discuss the signs and symptoms of various substance use.
7. Invite the students to consider the negative effects of smoking, alcohol
consumption, and the use of other drugs.
8. Review different ways in which the Coach Approach may help patients with
substance use disorder.

Reading Material

1. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. The nutrition health connection. In:
Frates B, ed. Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of
Healthy Habits. Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning; 2021:173-228.
2. Price JM, Egger G. Chapter 10 Nutrition for the Non Dietitian. In: Egger G, Binns
A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle in the 21st
Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:127–139.
3. Egger G, Pearson S. Chapter 11 Fluid, Fitness, and Fatness. In: Egger G, Binns
A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle in the 21st
Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:140–150.
4. King N, Egger G. Chapter 12 Behavioral Aspects of Nutrition. In: Egger G, Binns
A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle in the 21st
Century. 2nd ed.North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:151–164.
5. U.S. Departments of Health and Human Services, U.S. Departments of
Agriculture. Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015-2020, Executive Summary,
(2015). https://health.gov/ dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/executive-summary/.
6. Accessed June 10, 2020.
7. Katz DL, Meller S. Can we say what diet is best for health? Annual Review of
Public Health. 2014;35(1):83–103. doi: 10.1146/annurev-publhealth-032013-
182351.
8. Herrero M, Havlík P, Valin H, et al. Biomass use, production, feed efficiencies,
and greenhouse gas emissions from global livestock systems. Proceedings of

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 the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America.
2013;110(52):20888-20893. doi:10.1073/ pnas.1308149110.
9. Martindale W. Is a vegetarian diet really more environmentally friendly than
eating meat? CNN The Conversation on February 6, 2017. http://www.cnn.
com/2017/02/06/health/vegetarian- diet-conversation/.
10. How Not To Die: The Role of Diet in Preventing, Arresting and Reversing our Top
15 Killers NutritionFacts.Org https:// nutritionfacts.org/video/how-not-to-die/.
Accessed June 10, 2020.
11. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. Substance Abuse. In: Frates B, ed.
Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits.
Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning; 2021:397-430.
12. Egger G, Binns A, Rossner, S. Chapter 17. In: Lifestyle Medicine. 2nd ed. North
Ryde, Australia:McGraw-Hill; 2010.
13. Dwyer-Clonts M, Frates E. Suzuki J. Managing Problem Drinking: Screening
Tools and Brief Interventions for Primary Care Physicians. Am J Lifestyle Med,
2016. Available here: Week 11 - AJLM-ManagingProblemDrinking-
DwyerClonts+Frates.pdf.
14. Alcohol Screening Tools available at National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and
Alcoholism Web site. Available at http:// pubs.niaaa.nih.gov/publications/arh28-
2/78-79.htm
15. Gearhardt, A, Corbin W, Brownell KD. Preliminary Validation of the Yale Food
Addiction Scale. Appetite, 2009;52:430-436.
16. Yale Food Addiction Scale. Available at: http://abcnews.go.com/Health/quiz-
addicted-food/ story?id=14406763.
17. Nicotine Addiction and Assessment. Fagerstrom Test for Nicotine Dependence,
first published in: Fagerstrom K, Heatherton T, Kozlowski L. Nicotine Addiction
and its Assessment. Ear, Nose, and Throat Journal, 1990; 69(11):763-765.
Available at: http://www.dartmouth.
edu/~thlabpubs/90_Fagerstrom_etal_ENTJ.pdf.
18. Various substance/area-specific addiction scales: Global Addiction Conference
for alcohol, smoking, drugs, food, sex and more. Available at
http://www.globaladdiction.org/scales.php.

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Mental Health and Behavioural Psychology

Course Description

This course will introduce different techniques that practitioners can use to empower
patients, including change talk with motivational interviewing and finding the positive with
appreciative inquiry. The 5-step model for creating a collaborative change will be
reviewed. It will further explore different mindfulness stress reduction meditation
practices and how sleep can be a connection between a healthy body and mind.

Course Objectives

After the course, the students will be able to

1. Integrate motivational interviewing, appreciative inquiry, and the social-ecological
model of change into practice.
2. Demonstrate collaboration as the key piece of goal setting.
3. Recognize the importance of evidence-based information concerning sleep.
4. Identify the key factors that inhibit sleep.
5. Describe the connection between peace of mind and health.
6. Compare and contrast mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation.

Reading Material

1. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. Peace of Mind with Meditation,
Mindfulness, and Relaxation. In: Frates B, ed. Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An
Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits. Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning;
2. 2021:319-347.
3. Stahl JE, Dossett ML, LaJoie AS, Denninger JW, Mehta DH, Goldman R, et al.
(2015) Relaxation Response and Resiliency Training and Its Effect on Healthcare
Resource Utilization. PLoS ONE 10(10): e0140212. https://doi.org/10.1371/
journal.pone.0140212.
4. Galla, BM, O’Reilly GA, Kitil, MJ, Smalley SL Black DS, Community-Based
Mindfulness Program for Disease Prevention and Health Promotion: Targeting
Stress Reduction American Journal of Health Promotion 2015:30(1):36 -41.
5. Laneri, D., Krach, S., Paulus, F. M., Kanske, P., Schuster, V., Sommer, J. and
Müller-Pinzler, L. Mindfulness meditation regulates anterior insula activity during
empathy for social pain. Hum. Brain Mapping. 2017:. doi:10.1002/hbm.23646.
5. Haines J, Spadaro KC, Choi J, Hoffman LA, Blazeck AM. Reducing stress and
anxiety in caregivers of lung transplant patients: benefits of mindfulness
meditation. Int J Organ Transplant Med 2014;5:50-6.
6. Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD Guided Mindfulness Meditation Series 3 – (Excerpt from
Introduction).
7. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. Sleep Matters. In: Frates B, ed.
Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of Healthy Habits.
Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning; 2021:261-272.
8. West C, Egger G. Chapter 18 To Sleep Perchance...To Get Everything Else
Right. In: Egger G, Binns A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of
Lifestyle in the 21st Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill;
2010:226–241.

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9. Division of Sleep Medicine at Harvard Medical School, WGBH Educational
Foundation. Assess your sleep needs. Get Sleep
http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/ what-can-you-do/assess-needs.
Updated December 15, 2008. Accessed June 10, 2020.
10. Buysse DJ. Sleep Health: Can We Define It? Does It Matter? Sleep
2014;37(1):9-17. doi:10.5665/sleep.3298.
11. Havekes R, Park AJ, Tudor JC, et al. Sleep deprivation causes memory deficits
by negatively impacting neuronal connectivity in hippocampal area CA1.
Takahashi JS, ed. eLife. 2016;5:e13424. doi:10.7554/eLife.13424.
12. Touitou Y, Reinberg A, Touitou D. Association between light at night, melatonin
secretion, sleep deprivation, and the internal clock: Health Impacts and
mechanisms of circadian disruption. Life Sciences 2017: 173: 94-106.
13. Kahn MS, Aouad R. The effects of insomnia and sleep loss on cardiovascular
disease. Sleep Medicine Clinics. 2017:12(2): 167-177.

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Physical Activity
Course Description
In this course, understanding the definitions and differences between types of physical
activity is stressed with a special appreciation for lifestyle exercise. The four parts of the
exercise prescription (FITT= frequency, intensity, time, and type) are introduced as a
framework for exercise counseling, to be used along with the Coach Approach for
behavior change. Updated recommendations for pre- screening patients, and specific
exercise prescriptions for diseases and conditions including heart disease, diabetes,
obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis, and multiple sclerosis are explored.
Course Objectives
By the end of this module, participants will be able to:
1. List the definitions of exercise
2. Recall the physical activity guidelines.
3. Utilize a framework to make exercise prescriptions.
4. Understand the positive and negative factors associated with physical activity

Reading Material
1. Frates B, Bonnet JP, Joseph R, Peterson JA. Improving health through exercise.
In: Frates B, ed. Lifestyle Medicine Handbook: An Introduction to the Power of
Healthy Habits. Monterey, CA: Healthy Learning; 2021:119-175.
2. Egger G, Climstein M. Chapter 8 Physical Activity: Generic Prescription for
Health. In: Egger G, Binns A, Rossner S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases
of Lifestyle in the 21st Century. 2nd ed. North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill;
2010:91–110.
3. Egger G, Climstein M. Chapter 9 Physical Activity: Specific Prescriptions for
Disease Management and Rehabilitation. In: Egger G, Binns A, Rossner
S.Lifestyle Medicine: Managing Diseases of Lifestyle in the 21st Century. 2nd ed.
North Ryde, Australia: McGraw-Hill; 2010:111–126.
4. 2008 Physical Activity Guidelines. Office of Disease Prevention and Health
Promotion. http://www.health.gov/ paguidelines/guidelines/. Accessed June 10,
2020.
5. The Executive Summary of the Advisory Report and selected passages of
interest to the student-- for the student to decide.
6. Naci H, Ioannidis JPA. Comparative effectiveness of exercise and drug
interventions on mortality outcomes: Metaepidemiological study. BMJ. 2013;
347(oct01 1): f5577. doi:10.1136/bmj.f5577.
7. Hallowell E, Frates EP. Mini Distraction #20: Why walking is powerful medicine.
2016. Distraction. Available at:
http://www.distractionpodcast.com/2016/08/03/minidistraction-20- why-walking-
is-powerful-medicine/ Published August 3, 2016.
8. Frates E, McBride Y, Bonnet J. It’s fun: A Practical algorithm for counseling on
the exercise prescriptions: A method to mitigate the symptoms of depression,
anxiety, and stress- related illness. Clinical and Experimental Psychology.
2016;02(116). doi:10.4172/2471- 2701.1000116.
9. Riebe D, Franklin BA, Thompson PD, et al. Updating ACSM's recommendations
for exercise preparticipation health screening. 2015.
https://www.acsm.org/docs/default-source/ files-for-resource

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 library/updating_acsm_s_recommendations_for_exercise-28-
(1).pdf?sfvrsn=3aa47c01_4. Accessed July 6, 2020.
10. DocMikeEvans. 23 and 1/2 hours: What is the single best thing we can do for our
health? [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aUaInS6HIGo
Published December 2, 2011. Accessed June 10, 2020.

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DELIVERY METHODS:

The contents of the course will be delivered using interactive learning strategies
including but not limited to

• Lectures
• Group Discussions
• PowerPoint Presentations
• Web Based Learning using the latest version of LMS
• Video Clips
• Class activities: Class participation (individual and group).
• Additional strategies can be adopted to enable students to pass the course.

EVALUATION PROCEDURES AND GRADING CRITERIA

Grades are not negotiable and are awarded according to the following criteria:

S No Marks in %age Grades GPA

1. 80 - 100 A 4.00

2. 75 - 79.99 A- 3.67

3. 70 - 74.99 B+ 3.33

4. 65 - 69.99 B 3.00

5. 60 - 64.99 B- 2.67

6. 55 - 59.99 C+ 2.33

7. 50 - 54.99 C 2.00

8. Below 50 F 0.00

9 W Withdrawal

10 I Incomplete

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ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
Basic Qualifications
The candidate should possess one of the following qualifications or an equivalent degree
from a recognized university or accrediting body.
• MBBS (Bachelor of Medicine & Bachelor of Surgery)
• BDS (Bachelor of Dental Surgery)
• B. Pharmacy (Bachelor’s in Pharmacy)/ D. Pharmacy (Doctor of Pharmacy) or
M. Pharmacy (Master’s in Pharmacy)
• BSc Nursing (Bachelor of Sciences in Nursing)
• DVM (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine)
• Master’s Degree in a relevant subject such as Anthropology, Business
Administration, Economics, Human Nutrition, Microbiology, Physiology,
Psychology, Public Health Engineering, Sociology, Statistics and Zoology

WORK EXPERIENCE
The candidate should preferably have one years of full-time work experience (in the
case of medical doctors, after the house job) in public health-related fields in either the
private sector or the public sector, including the armed forces. For students performing
extra-ordinary during viva/interviews, the admission committee can waive off the
experience.

AGE LIMIT
There is no Age-limit restrictions for admission in this Program.

DPHN and LSM ADMISSIONS

HSA has its own Admissions Committee, comprising of Program Coordinator, the
Registrar, a Senior Faculty Member, and one nominated alumnus/alumna. The
Admissions Committee has the responsibility for the selection of applicants to be
admitted to the Program. It establishes procedures for the timely review of applications
to the Program. Deferrals of admission are at the discretion of the Admissions
Committee. The selected candidates from the Admissions Committee will be exempted
from any test or interview.

FINAL SELECTION
The applicant’s acceptance is contingent upon the receipt of all required documents
including official transcripts. The Admissions Committee is responsible for identifying
those students with missing documents and/or credentials, which do not meet eligibility
standards.

COURSE FEE
Course Fee is Rs. 60,000 per semester. Total fee for One Year Diploma is Rs.120, 000
which is payable in two instalments

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Faculty Members
1. Prof. Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan

Prof. Dr. Shahzad is Vice Chancellor of Health

Services Academy. He holds Medical degree along
with MSc. in Public health and Finance and PhD in
Management Sciences. He carries a vast teaching
and research experience both at undergraduate and
graduate level in the field of Health Financing and
Health Economics. His research work is extensively
disseminated through more than 130 peer-reviewed
publications in national and international journals

2. Prof. Dr. Mubashir Hanif

Prof. Dr. Hanif is the research scholar and the

Director ORIC in Health Services Academy. He holds
a PhD degree and has over 20 years of academic
experience in European Union and North America. He
directed and managed different educational/research
projects, and has more than 100 publications in
national and international journals

3. Prof. Dr. Shagufta Feroze

Dr. Shugufta Feroz is the Director RIPHAH Institute of

Lifestyle Medicine, RIPHAH University. Recently she
has joined HAS as an adjunct Professor and will serve
as an advisor for this course. She has specialized in
Family Medicine, done two online PhDs from USA in
Holistic Nutrition and Integrative Medicine. She has
certifications in lifestyle medicine, physician
leadership, and positive psychology from Harvard
University USA. Her independent research called
"Synchronized Lifestyle Modification Program-SLP".
and preventive health along with disease reversal.

4. Nadia Raees

Nadia Raees is the Program coordinator for this

course. She holds MPhil degree in International
Health with majors in Nutrition from Norway, and
has 6 years of working experience in the field of
health and nutrition

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5. Dr. Tehzeeb Zulfiqar

Dr. Zulfiqar is a highly motivated Medical

Epidemiologist, Public Health researcher, academic
and clinician with international experience in
Research, Obesity Management and Public Health.
She has over 20 years’ experience of teaching and
research in Pakistan and Australia. She has been
involved in high profile research with policy impact.

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6. Dr. Katrina Ronis
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Dr. Katrina A. Ronis has over thirty-five years work
experience in the health sector (private and public).
She has worked in Australia, Saudi Arabia and
Ireland in human nutrition (clinical, community and
policy development). From 2005 until 2012 she
worked with the local NGO Heart-file in Islamabad
as Senior Public Health Officer. Since the
completion of her Doctorate in Public Health in 2012
she has worked at Health Services Academy (HSA)
as Associate Professor, teaching in the PhD
Program, Health Systems, Health Policy and Health
Promotion courses. She is currently Adjunct Faculty
at HSA.

7. Dr. Khawaja Masood

Dr. Khawaja Masood Ahmed is the National

Coordinator of the Nutrition and National
Fortification Alliance of the Ministry of National
Health Services, Regulations and Coordination,
Government of Pakistan. Dr. Khawaja has over 30
years of experience working in health and nutrition.

8. Dr. Noreen Nishtar

Dr. Nishtar is a Medical doctor and Public Health

expert with 15 years of extensive experience in
Nutrition; Maternal and child health care;
implementing large scale health and nutrition
programmes; Research, Advocacy, Health Systems;
Policy formulation and analysis; Grant handling and
proposal writing; Surveillance and Monitoring and
Polio Surveillance in Pakistan and have managed and
coordinated in numerous projects and programmes in
Pakistan for National and International organizations

22
9. Ms. Saba Shuja

Saba Shuja is a Nutrition Officer for UNICEF

Pakistan and a public health professional with
over 15 years’ experience of working in health and
nutrition both in emergency and developmental
contexts with the United Nations (UN) and other
humanitarian organisations.

10. Dr. Irshad Danish

Dr. Danish is an Advocacy Advisor at Nutrition

International and Chairman SUN Civil Society
Network. He has more than 20 years work
experience in the field of Health and Nutrition

11. Ms. Sara

Miss Sara is a PhD Econometrics scholar and

statistician at NIH with more than three years of
experience in research. She has been a co-author of
funded research projects with several national and
international research publications. Her expertise lies
in sampling techniques, Statistical modeling, survival
analysis, study designs, and Machine learning
techniques. She has immense fluency in statistical
software like R, Python, Stata, SSPS, Eview’s, and
Oxmetrics.

12. Dr. Abdul Momin

Dr. Abdul Momin is a Registered Dietitian/Nutritionist
and Public Health Specialist with extensive experience
across all areas of Nutrition and Public health. He is a
double Bachelor’s and holds a Post-graduation in Public
Health and a Doctorate in Food & Nutrition. He is
currently working as Assistant Professor at the
Department of Nutrition & Dietetics, National University
of Medical Sciences, Rawalpindi. He is also rendering
his services as a Consultant Clinical Dietitian at Ali
Medical Centre, F-8, Islamabad. Dr. Abdul Momin has
got more than 8 years of teaching and research
experience. To date, he has published 9 research
papers in peer-reviewed journals of international repute.

23
13. Ms. Anum Nazir

Anum Nazir is a PhD scholar and Clinical and Public

Health Nutritionist. She is a lecturer at the department
of Dietetics and Nutrition at the University of
Faisalabad. Her areas of expertise are Nutritional
Epidemiology, Nutraceuticals Functional Foods and
Public Health Nutrition

14. Dr. Hajra Ahmed

Dr. Hajra Ahmed is a Chairperson/ Associate

Professor at the Department of Environmental
Design, Health and Nutritional Sciences at AIOU.
She holds PhD in Foods and Nutrition and has over
30 years of teaching and research experience,
along with 30 publications in national and
international journals.

24