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Objective:To analyze the competence assessment examinations of registered dietitians in China during 2017-2021 to inform the training of dietetic professionals.Methods:A systematic review was conducted about the composition and changing trends of examination participants during 2017-2021. Participants were divided into subgroups based on gender, age, education, professional background and affiliations and the qualification rate was compared across different subgroups.Results:The number of examination participants showed an increasing trend overall, with the majority being females and aged 26-35 years. The ratio of participants with bachelor's: master's: doctor's degree was about 15: 9: 1. The proportion of participants majoring in nutrition science decreased from 32.1% to 20.3%, while that of participants majoring in other medical and food sciences increased. Among participants from healthcare institutions, a decreasing proportion of participants were with a major in nutrition science, while this proportion among participants from companies were stable at 38.8% to 50.2%. The average qualification rate was 35.7%, showing no significant differences among different gender and age groups. But the qualification rate varied significantly across subgroups with different education level, professional background, and affiliations ( P < 0.05). Subgroups with more advanced degrees showed higher qualification rate and the best rate was observed in the subgroups with professional background in nutrition science and from nutrition-related institutions. Conclusion:The training of dietetic professionals in China should be improved, lifelong learning should be promoted in nutrition practitioners, and the sustainable development of dietitians should be impelled.
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ABSTRACT Background: Body composition assessment in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) is essential to plan feasible dietary strategies for sarcopenic obesity prevention. Objective: Studying the effect of an individualized nutrition intervention according to socioeconomic status and grocery shopping behavior on BCSs relative fat mass (RFM). Methods: BCSs attending an academic medical center were studied; participants saved all 1-week supermarket tickets and answered a grocery shopping consumer preference survey. RFM was assessed at baseline and after the 3-month nutrition intervention. Nutrition plans were based on the dynamic macronutrient meal-equivalent menu method (MEM) and dietary guidelines for BCSs. Results: Thirty-three BCSs completed the study and 91% of them presented obesity or overweight at baseline. After the intervention, BCSs lost 1.6 kg (p < 0.01) of body weight, 1.8 kg (p < 0.01) of RFM, 3 cm (p < 0.01) of waist circumference, and 2.4 cm (p < 0.01) of hip circumference, while no changes were observed in fat-free mass (p = 0.6) and arm bone-free muscle area (p = 0.7). Conclusions: RFM and body weight in breast cancer survivors decreased after an individualized nutrition intervention according to socioeconomic status and grocery shopping consumer behavior. Based on the participants food preferences and consumer behavior, plant-based protein diet plans cost less than the animal-based protein diet plans.
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Objective To investigate the candidate profile and pass rate of the 2016 pilot qualification examination for registered dietitians in Shanghai,and attempt to inform the improvement of the examination.Methods An analysis was conducted on the profiles of all the 193 qualified candidates in the signing-up system of the 2016 pilot examination.Questionnaire surveys were carried out to collect feedback from the candidates on the enrollment requirements of the examination.The pass rates were compared between subgroups divided by age,gender,education,major,workplace (as employee or intern),working years and academic rank.Results 81.3％ of the candidates were aged between 20 and 29.Females accounted for 80.3％.The candidates had all received bachelor's degree,75.6％ from full-time undergraduate programs and 96.4％ from programs of nutrition.78.3％ of the candidates rated the enrollment requirements of the examination as "reasonable" or "relatively reasonable".The overall pass rate of the examination was 38.3％.The pass rate of the examinees working or doing internship in hospitals (45％) was significantly higher than that of others (24.5％) (P=0.012).Conclusions The overall pass rate is reasonable.Examinees working or doing internship in hospitals had a higher pass rate than those working in other places.The majority of the candidates had bachelor's degree of nutrition,which is in accordance with the requirement of similar exams in other parts of the world.
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<b>Background:</b> We set up a team to take charge of preparing and providing “meals to support minds” for patients in a palliative care unit when it was established in April, 2012. <b>Method:</b> We examined the data of 82 patients who left the palliative care unit from April 2012 to March 2013. National registered dietitians visited the patients on regular and temporary bases to assess their dietary intake and meal preferences. <b>Result:</b> A total of 76 kinds of dishes and foods were requested; 27 kinds of dishes related to the staple food, 12 kinds of main dishes, 13 kinds of side dishes, 18 kinds of fruits, desserts and beverages, and 6 kinds of pickles and dry seasonings. A total of 57% of the patients who died at the palliative care unit took their meals just before they died (0－7days before death). <b>Conclusion:</b> By allocating one dietitian per patient during the entire period of stay, who, besides visiting the patient once a week on a regular basis also made some additional visits, we were able to provide meals in accordance with the patients’ wishes and support their desire to eat until their last days.
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We conducted a survey to measure the change of awareness about Kampo medicine following through four lectures of educational interventions delivered to the third-year students in a national registered dietitian training program. Awareness with regard to Kampo medicine was surveyed before and immediately after the interventions. We also collected the same questionnaire again five months after the interventions. The students' scores changed significantly between before and immediately after the interventions in the favorable direction regarding their interest in Kampo medicine, the necessity of including Kampo medicine in future educational programs, and the potential usefulness of Kampo medicine at their future workplaces, and the changes were maintained for five months.<BR>About 70% of students answered that they became more familiar with Kampo medicine as a result of the classes, but their knowledge of Kampo medicine was poor before the lectures and even immediately after the interventions. These results suggest that education about Kampo medicine for students in a national registered dietitian training program is important, because it could be a positive incentive for them to learn about Kampo medicines and herbs and to accept the use of Kampo medicine at their future workplaces.
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Background and objective : Diet has been recognized as an important part of Kampo medicine, and various plants with which we often cook are included as components of many Kampo formulations. Accordingly, nutritional science is closely related to Kampo medicine. So there is a need for national registered dietitian and nutritional science students to learn Kampo medicine. Despite this, no survey has reported on the awareness of nutritional science students toward Kampo medicine in Japan. We conducted for the first time a survey on this awareness amongst nutritional science students about Kampo medicine.Methods : A 13-item anonymous questionnaire was distributed to the third-year students in a national registered dietitian training program in Japan.Results : We obtained answers from 509 students in 9 institutions. Of the respondents, 59.3% answered that they were interested in Kampo medicine, and 86.4% of the students who were not interested in Kampo medicine answered that the reason was they had no chance to learn it. However, 81.3% of the students answered that they would attend lectures on Kampo medicine if it was adopted as part of their curriculum.Conclusions : These results suggest that Kampo medicine should be included in educational programs for nutritional science students.
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A registered dietitian credential is generally accepted and recognized as the most authoritative certificate of eligibility for American dietitians.In this article we describe in detail the American Registered Dieti-tian (RD) training system,administered by the Commission on Accreditation for Dietetics Education (CADE) and the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR) of the American Dietetic Association (ADA).Taking the Division of Nutritional Sciences of Cornell University as a good example of the RD training unit,we describe the Cornell Un-dergraduate Didactic Program in Dietetics and Dietetic Internship.Career opportunities and job outlook for Ameri-can registered dietitians are also presented.