Understanding Obesity

The University of Edinburgh

About this Course

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In this course, we’ll look at the facts and misconceptions around obesity and discuss key physiological and psychological concepts around the brain’s control of appetite and body weight. We’ll consider the biological and environmental pressures that make it easy to gain weight (and hard to lose it!). Most importantly, we'll give you the opportunity to reflect on your own knowledge and assumptions around the subject.
We deliver course materials as a mixture of videos, audio-only MOOCcasts, and a selection of short readings. There are  short weekly quizzes, a peer-reviewed exercise, and discussion activities on the forum. These will help you prepare for the final project. In it, you are invited to demonstrate your evidence-informed understanding and express how you'll develop it beyond the course.

The course features Citizen Science projects. We'll collect data from you (anonymously, of course) and use it to drive participant-led discussions of controversial ideas. In this way, we hope to explore ideas around diet and obesity.  These projects also give a taste of how scientific evidence is collected and interpreted by scientists, and give some indication how much there still is to discover and understand.

Learner Career Outcomes

67%

started a new career after completing these courses

50%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

25%

got a pay increase or promotion

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 6 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.57/5 (38 Ratings)

Dr John Menzies

University of Edinburgh

44,835 Learners

1 Course

Learner Career Outcomes

67%

started a new career after completing these courses

50%

got a tangible career benefit from this course

25%

got a pay increase or promotion

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 6 hours to complete

English

Subtitles: English, Arabic

Offered by

The University of Edinburgh

Influencing the world since 1583, The University of Edinburgh is consistently ranked as one of the world's top 50 universities. Today, we are an established and global leader in online learning, providing degree-level education to 3,000 online students in addition to 36,000 students on-campus. We also offer a wide range of free online courses in a variety of subjects. To find out more about studying for one of our online degrees, search for ‘Edinburgh online’ or visit www.ed.ac.uk/studying/online-learning/postgraduate

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating97%(3,432 ratings)

Week

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Week 1: What we know, and how we know it.

This week we'll discuss what we know about diet, appetite and obesity. But, and perhaps more importantly, we'll point out the gaps in our knowledge.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 30 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

4 videos

Rules of engagement3m

Why is obesity a problem?8m

What do we know about appetite and obesity? Part 110m

What do we know about appetite and obesity? Part 27m

3 readings

About the course3m

MOOCcast 1.1: The Scientific Method10m

MOOCcast 1.2: Science, evidence and the media10m

1 practice exercise

Week 1 quiz10m

Week

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Physiology and Stress

This week we discuss some aspects of the physiology of obesity and learn how so-called "food addiction", stress and early-life experience can affect our eating choices.

2 hours to complete

2 videos (Total 17 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes

2 videos

The physiology of appetite9m

Early-life experience8m

3 readings

MOOCcast 2.1: Is food an addictive substance?10m

MOOCcast 2.2: Is eating a behavioural addiction?10m

MOOCcast 2.3: Stress, eating and dieting10m

1 practice exercise

Week 2 quiz15m

Week

Week 3

1 hour to complete

Psychology and Behaviour

This week we discuss some aspects of the psychology of appetite control and learn how portion sizes and food insecurity might affect our behaviours.

1 hour to complete

2 videos (Total 20 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

2 videos

The psychology of appetite10m

Economic approaches to obesity9m

2 readings

MOOCcast 3.1: Portion size and meal size10m

MOOCcast 3.2: Food insecurity10m

1 practice exercise

Week 3 quiz15m

Week

Week 4

2 hours to complete

Consolidation and Discussion

This week online material will be posted ad hoc as we consolidate and discuss what we've already learned. This week's main tasks are a quiz on the scientific method and the peer-reviewed assignment. Please note you can attempt the Week 4 quiz only once.

2 hours to complete

1 practice exercise

Week 4 quiz10m

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You’ll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. Learn more.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Understanding Obesity