title: A comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for human nutrition training in Cameroon.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  There is consensus among stakeholders in Cameroon on the need to develop and strengthen human resource capacity for nutrition. This study was conducted to provide a comprehensive mapping of the current capacity for tertiary-level human nutrition training in Cameroon.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participating institutions included university-level institutions offering dedicated nutrition degree programs or other programs in which nutrition courses were taught. A semi-structured questionnaire administered during in-person interviews was used to collect data on existing programs and content of training curricula. Nutrition curricula were reviewed against the following criteria: intended objectives, coverage of nutrition topics, and teaching methods.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, five nutrition degree programs (four undergraduate programs and one master's program) were identified. Three additional programs were about to be launched at the time of data collection. We did not find any doctorate degree programs in nutrition. All the undergraduate programs only had little focus on public health nutrition whereas the master's program in our sample offered a good coverage of all dimensions of human nutrition including basic and applied nutrition. The predominant teaching method was didactic lecture in all the programs. We did not find any formal documentation outlining the competencies that students were expected to gain upon completion of these programs. Nutrition courses in agricultural and health schools were limited in terms of contact hours and scope. Public health nutrition was not covered in any of the health professional schools surveyed. We found no institution offering in-service nutrition training at the time of the study.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on our findings, we recommend that nutrition training programs in Cameroon be redesigned to make them more responsive to the public health needs of the country.
authors.affiliation: UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Dakar, Senegal; rsodjinou@unicef.orgrsodjinou@gmail.com.|West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: Roger
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sodjinou
authors.affiliation: UNICEF Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Ines
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Lezama
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Higher Education, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Marie-Louise
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Asse
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Public Health, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Georges
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Okala
authors.affiliation: West Africa Health Organization (WAHO), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso.
authors.forename: William K
authors.initials: WK
authors.lastname: Bosu
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Abomey-Calavi, Abomey-Calavi, Benin.
authors.forename: Nadia
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Fanou
authors.affiliation: UNICEF Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Ludvine
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Mbala
authors.affiliation: UNICEF Regional Office for West and Central Africa, Dakar, Senegal.
authors.forename: Noel Marie
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Zagre
authors.affiliation: UNICEF Cameroon, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Félicité
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Tchibindat
mesh_terms: D002163:Cameroon; D003479:Curriculum; D004500:Education, Graduate / Q000592:standards; D004517:Education, Professional / Q000379:methods / Q000592:standards*; D006801:Humans; D052756:Nutritional Sciences / Q000193:education*; D011634:Public Health / Q000193:education*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014495:Universities / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*
keywords: Cameroon; capacity; nutrition; public health nutrition; training
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2014 Mar;17(3):682-8
references.pmid: 23651529
references.citation: Glob Health Action. 2014;7:24763
references.pmid: 25034256
references.citation: Glob Health Action. 2014;7:24827
references.pmid: 25084833
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2003 Sep;6(6):615-20
references.pmid: 14690043
references.citation: Health Policy Plan. 2004 Sep;19(5):336-45
references.pmid: 15310668
references.citation: J Epidemiol Community Health. 2010 Apr;64(4):360-5
references.pmid: 19692732
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2012 Nov;15(11):2020-5
references.pmid: 22115338
references.citation: Public Health Nutr. 2012 Nov;15(11):1979-80
references.pmid: 23075510
references.citation: J Nutr. 2013 Mar;143(3):369-77
references.pmid: 23343673
references.citation: Lancet. 2013 Aug 10;382(9891):552-69
references.pmid: 23746781
references.citation: BMC Med Educ. 2014;14:3
references.pmid: 24397258
references.citation: Glob Health Action. 2014;7:23247
references.pmid: 24433946