Factors affecting nutrition training in four family practice residencies.

Nutrition education at the four institutions studied was not highly effective. Not all educators were qualified in terms of education or experience. The individuals were not recruited using suggested faculty search methods, and turnover was high. Nutrition education was part of the distant environment for the family practice resident, rather than in the foreground. Nutrition education should be part of the scheduled activities of residents, so that they do not have to borrow time from patient care and other obligations. Then, the residents could devote their full attention to nutrition and see its importance as equivalent to that of other subspecialties.