Watowicz Rosanna P, Krishnan Varsha, Butsch W Scott
School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University, 10900 Euclid Ave, Cleveland, OH, 44106, USA.
Department of Nutrition, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA.
BMC Med Educ. 2024 Dec 5;24(1):1424. doi: 10.1186/s12909-024-06433-8.
Registered Dietitian Nutritionists (RDNs) have long been part of the interdisciplinary team recommended for obesity treatment. Obesity education for RDNs is important not only for ensuring adequate knowledge but also for reducing weight stigma. The objective of this study was to benchmark the inclusion of obesity-related competencies in dietetic supervised practice programs, as self-reported by supervised practice directors, to begin to understand the training that U.S. RDNs receive.
This was an exploratory, cross-sectional, online survey of U.S. dietetic supervised practice directors distributed in July of 2022. The directors were asked about the importance and extent of inclusion of 31 obesity-related competencies, as well as barriers for inclusion. The competencies were derived from the 2017 Provider Competencies on the Prevention and Management of Obesity.
We received 36 survey responses, representing 10.4% of supervised practice directors in the U.S. Very few programs reported 'not at all incorporated' for any competencies; the most frequent were 'potential role of genetics/epigenetics' (15%, n = 5) and 'physiology/pathophysiology of obesity' (12%, n = 4). The competencies most frequently reported as 'very important' were 'perform effectively in an interprofessional team' and 'discuss obesity in a non-judgmental manner'. Lack of time in the curriculum was the most frequently reported barrier.
For programs hoping to both expand obesity education and decrease weight stigma in a limited amount of time, improving coverage of competencies related to non-modifiable causes of obesity may be an area to prioritize.
注册营养师长期以来一直是肥胖症治疗推荐的跨学科团队的一部分。对注册营养师进行肥胖症教育不仅对于确保足够的知识很重要，而且对于减少体重歧视也很重要。本研究的目的是根据实习主管的自我报告，对饮食实习项目中肥胖相关能力的纳入情况进行基准评估，以开始了解美国注册营养师接受的培训。
这是一项于2022年7月开展的对美国饮食实习主管的探索性横断面在线调查。向主管们询问了31项肥胖相关能力纳入的重要性和程度，以及纳入的障碍。这些能力源自2017年《肥胖症预防与管理的提供者能力》。
我们收到了36份调查回复，占美国实习主管的10.4%。很少有项目报告对任何能力“完全未纳入”；最常见的是“遗传学/表观遗传学的潜在作用”（15%，n = 5）和“肥胖症的生理学/病理生理学”（12%，n = 4）。最常被报告为“非常重要”的能力是“在跨专业团队中有效发挥作用”和“以无偏见的方式讨论肥胖症”。课程中时间不足是最常报告的障碍。
对于希望在有限时间内既扩大肥胖症教育又减少体重歧视的项目来说，提高与肥胖症不可改变原因相关能力的覆盖范围可能是一个需要优先考虑的领域。
