UAB’s new nutrition major gaining speed

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We know that what we eat makes a big difference in our health, but we might not always eat what’s best for us.

College students at UAB want to change that, thanks to a new major called Bio Behavioral Nutrition and Wellness. Community health improvement is a big reason this major was created.

“We all eat every single day, but we don’t really think about what we’re putting into our body, like how it actually functions in our body,” said Allison Jackson, a sophomore in the program.

UAB is working to change the bigger picture of health in the state of Alabama.

“Alabama particularly is very challenged in health statistics. So we are at the bottom 5% of the majority of chronic diseases [like] hypertension, obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease,” said Assistant Professor and Program Director Doug Moellering.

Students immediately have the opportunity to dive into ways to improve the community as a whole.

“They go into [what] is called Healthy People Healthy Planet. And that gives the students an opportunity to see at a community level, what are the needs of that community may have, ‘Is it sidewalks? Is it fresh produce? Is it fruit and vegetable stands? Is it a community center? Is it parks?,’ said Moellering.

It takes health back to the fundamentals.

“I just felt like just learning the science behind eating not just like, enjoying food, but like actually knowing what it’s doing for you,” Jackson said.

Moellering said studying Bio Behavioral Nutrition and Wellness supports a variety of future jobs.

“Nutrition and wellness or health care coaches, counselors are educators. And the Bureau of Labor Statistics suggests that those fields are going to increase by 12% over the next 10 years. [Other jobs include] nutrition and wellness support, whether it be medical or health service managers, fitness and wellness coordinators, research support pharmaceutical medical sales, policy advocates in the health care industry itself,” Moellering said.

Thomas Ward is another student in the program. He plans on going to medical school and says this wholistic approach will set him apart.

“I feel that medicine is very preventative. And if you could get ahead of the problem, through nutrition and through a good lifestyle, then you might not even have a need to go to the doctor and I want to see more people, I guess advocating for their own health through their own lifestyles eventually,” Ward said.

They said the energy is high for this major, which developed in 2021, and it is just gaining more momentum.

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