The need to advance nutrition education in the training of health care professionals and recommended research to evaluate implementation and effectiveness.
Nutrition is a recognized determinant in 3 (ie, diseases of the heart, malignant neoplasms, cerebrovascular diseases) of the top 4 leading causes of death in the United States. However, many health care providers are not adequately trained to address lifestyle recommendations that include nutrition and physical activity behaviors in a manner that could mitigate disease development or progression. This contributes to a compelling need to markedly improve nutrition education for health care professionals and to establish curricular standards and requisite nutrition and physical activity competencies in the education, training, and continuing education for health care professionals. This article reports the present status of nutrition and physical activity education for health care professionals, evaluates the current pedagogic models, and underscores the urgent need to realign and synergize these models to reflect evidence-based and outcomes-focused education.
Department of Nutritional Sciences, Penn State University, University Park, PA (PMK-E); the Institute of Human Nutrition, Columbia University, New York, NY (SRA); Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC (CWB); Harvard University Medical School, Boston, MA (BB); Rush University Medical Center, Chicago, IL (LB); University of Texas Medical School, Houston, TX (MSE); the UK Medical Research Council, Human Nutrition Research Unit, Cambridge, United Kingdom (CL and SR); the Division of Pediatric Nutrition, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA (CML); the Division of Primary Care and General Pediatrics, Department of Pediatrics, Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC (MDL); Tufts University School of Dental Medicine, Boston, MA (CA Palmer); the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, NIH, Bethesda, MD (CA Pratt); the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine, University of California, San Diego, La Jolla, CA (CLR); the Department of Nutrition Sciences, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA (ES); the Vanderbilt Center for Human Nutrition, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN (DLS); and the Department of Preventive Medicine, Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago, IL (LVH).
Penny M
PM
Kris-Etherton
Sharon R
SR
Akabas
Connie W
CW
Bales
Bruce
B
Bistrian
Lynne
L
Braun
Marilyn S
MS
Edwards
Celia
C
Laur
Carine M
CM
Lenders
Matthew D
MD
Levy
Carole A
CA
Palmer
Charlotte A
CA
Pratt
Sumantra
S
Ray
Cheryl L
CL
Rock
Edward
E
Saltzman
Douglas L
DL
Seidner
Linda
L
Van Horn
D002983:Clinical Competence; D003756:Dental Hygienists / Q000193:education; D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008019:Life Style; D017145:Models, Educational; D009043:Motor Activity; D009722:Nurse Practitioners / Q000193:education; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D010820:Physicians; D014481:United States