What about Health Educators? Nutrition Education for Allied Health Professionals

Abstract

Background: Health educators are critical members of the health care team who may be called upon to provide nutrition education. However, are health educators prepared for this task? What have scholars concluded regarding this pertinent topic? Purpose: This study has three purposes: (1) to determine the definition of and criteria for nutrition education among allied health professionals, (2) to identify commonalities across health professions for nutrition education definitions and training requirements, and (3) to determine if there are criteria for nutrition education and training for health educators. Methods: A comprehensive review of the literature. Results: Twenty-three articles addressed how researchers conceptualize nutrition and their rationale for nutrition's inclusion into the respective allied health discipline's curriculum. None of the studies examined nutrition education or the advocacy of nutrition for pre-professional or professional health educators. Discussion: Scholarly literature is currently silent on the topics of nutrition education provided by health educators, the ability of health educators to deliver nutrition education, and the advocacy of nutrition by the health education profession. Translation to Health Education Practice: This study represents the first step towards addressing the limitations associated with the role of nutrition educator and identifying possible changes needed for the health education profession.