Short course

Introduction to Lifestyle Medicine

Start date: 6th January 2025
Duration: Available online until 28th March 2025

Time commitment: 30 hours
Mode: This is an online course with some synchronous sessions conducted via Zoom

Cost: £250
Subject: Behaviour change, exercise, diet, disease prevention, wellbeing

Level: Postgraduate Short-Course (CPD)

Assessment: Self-assessment quizzes

An online course introducing the principles of nutrition, the role of physical activity in relation to health, and brief interventions for smoking.

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.

What previous students say:

“The course was fantastic ” - RB (medical student)

“The aim for being evidence based was well met. This thread was consistently applied, and meant much higher quality discussions and critiques of topics. Already, the diet one in particular has influenced my thinking on consultations with patients” - JP (general practitioner)

“I really enjoyed the course. I thought there was a good selection of materials and I enjoyed the varied approach. Overall, it was a really good course and I would recommend it to others. It was excellent value as well.” - HI (university lecturer)

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

Dates of the course:

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

Informal Zoom Discussions:

Day	Date	Time	Lead	Topic
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

Place availability:

50 places

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

How to apply:

Apply here

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

See how the University of Birmingham uses your data, view the Event attendee privacy notice.

I really enjoyed the course. I thought there was a good selection of materials and I enjoyed the varied approach. Overall, it was a really good course and I would recommend it to others, it was excellent value as well.
HI, University Lecturer

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

Course results:

Certificate of completion

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