Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine (Online)Non-credit

Available over twelve weeks, this online course is aimed at doctors, nurses and allied health professionals and others interested in learning more about lifestyle medicine. It consists of a series of recorded lectures with online self-assessment materials and weekly live discussions with the course instructors.

Recorded lectures introduce the principles of nutrition, dietary assessment and some of the evidence linking diet to health; and teaching materials also discuss the role of physical activity in relation to health. There is teaching on the role of sleep and management of insomnia; a lecture on brief interventions for smoking; as well as an introduction to motivational interviewing and to concepts of behaviour change.

In addition, there is teaching on the principles of behaviour change and on deprescribing. The course is delivered by experienced clinicians and researchers with interests in nutrition, sleep, promoting physical activity, smoking cessation, behaviour change and deprescribing.

Learning outcomes:

Nutrition

• Identify the dietary recommendations that the UK population typically do not meet
• To identify the most commonly used dietary assessment methods
• To have an awareness of behavioural approaches to supporting individuals to achieve dietary change
• To have an awareness of digital resources that can support individuals to achieve dietary change

Knowledge of basic principles of physical activity

• Understand the evidence for the relationship between physical activity and health
• Know how to develop an exercise prescription

Knowledge of the importance of social connectedness and some examples of community projects

• Understand the evidence linking health to social connectedness
• Understand assets-based community development
• To know one example of a community project

Introduction to principles of brief interventions for behaviour change and practical motivational interviewing skills

• To be aware of different theories of behaviour change
• Understand the key principles of motivational interviewing
• To practice motivational interviewing skills

Introduction to concepts of deprescribing (balancing potential risks and benefits of withdrawing medicines)

• To be aware of deprescribing toolkits
• To be aware of deprescribing networks (e.g. English Deprescribing Network)
• To stimulate further study of the principles of lifestyle medicine

Course dates:

• Available online from the 6th January - 28th March 2025

Informal Zoom Discussions:

• Thursday 9 January 2025 - 12:00: Dr Marie Murphy - Nutrition
• Thursday 16 January 2025 - 19:00: Dr Francesca Crowe - Diet and illness
• Thursday 23 January 2025 - 19:00: Prof Colin Greaves - Behaviour change
• Thursday 30 January 2025 - 12:00: Dr Amanda Farley - Smoking cessation
• Thursday 6 February 2025 - 19:00: Dr Laura Kudnra - Happiness
• Thursday 13 February 2025 - 19:00: Dr Sam Finnikin - Overprescribing 

Course content:

• Diet and diabetes prevention
• Diet and cardiovascular disease prevention
• Dietary assessment
• Sleep and managing insomnia
• Social prescribing
• Wellbeing in chronic illness
• Smoking cessation
• Principles of behaviour change
• Behaviour change in practice
• Overtreatment

Place availability:

50 places

Programme team:

• Tom Marshall, University of Birmingham
• Jodie Blackadder-Weinstein, University of Birmingham
• Marie Murphy, University of Birmingham
• Francesca Crowe, University of Birmingham
• Sam Finnikin, University of Birmingham
• Colin Greaves, University of Birmingham
• Amanda Farley, University of Birmingham
• Manny Bagari, NHS
• Emma Woolf, Birmingham Open Spaces Forum

Course results:

Certificate of completion

This course is aimed at Clinicians (primary and secondary care; doctors; nurses & allied health professionals).

For further information on entry requirements, please email mdscpdenquiries@contacts.bham.ac.uk

£250 per person

Applications are now closed.

To enquire about the course, please use our enquiry form.

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