Viewpoint regarding the limited nutrition education opportunities for physicians worldwide

Abstract

Current trends in obesity and modifiable chronic disease are on the rise globally. Yet in primary care nutrition and lifestyle counseling, potentially the ‘first line of defense’ to address public health concerns, is limited. Unfortunately, nutrition and lifestyle education in the medical education curriculum is minimal and, in many countries, on the decline. Patients however expect their primary healthcare provider to assist them with diet and lifestyle modification to prevent and delay progression of chronic disease. This is indeed a paradox: the lack of nutrition focused education expertise in the face of the increased demand for nutrition counseling being placed on the physician. Across many countries, programmes of nutrition-centered continuing education, both online and face to face, are scarce. There is a pressing need for these educational opportunities to improve physician knowledge and self-efficacy in integrating nutrition counseling into routine practice, with the ultimate goal of improving overall patient health outcomes.

Keywords:

• Nutrition
• continuing education
• physician nutrition education
• primary care education
• international nutrition