Management Responsibilities Among Dietitians: What is the Level of Job Satisfaction and Skills Involved? A Scoping Review

@#The role of dietitians involves not solely on clinical responsibilities. Additionally, operation management responsibilities such as managing human labor, financial resources, and problem solver are the tasks that a dietitian look after. It is reported to be challenging and stressful and could affect job satisfaction levels in the working environment. This scoping review aimed to explore the job satisfaction level and skills needed among dietitians to assume management responsibilities at their workplace. This study was completed using PRISMA guidelines. Online databases (Scopus and Science Direct) were used to identify papers published from 2000 to 2019. We selected English publications from the United States, Australia, South Africa, Korea, and the United Kingdom that used job satisfaction as a primary or secondary outcome. Studies were included if they addressed dietitians who were involved in clinical work, food service, and management in their dietetic practices. Findings on existing skills, including managerial skills, communication, teamwork, and time management among dietitians with management responsibilities, have helped to enhance the job satisfaction and work quality of the dietetic profession. The findings would be useful for human resource management in the organisation, preserving the professional identity of a dietitian.

The Gadget Generation: Body Mass Index And Duration Of Physical Activity And Screen-Viewing Among Preschoolers In Kuantan, Pahang

@#Sedentary lifestyle due to physical inactivity and increased screen-viewing (SV) duration is one of the risk factors for childhood obesity. Thus, this study aimed to assess body mass index (BMI), SV and physical activity (PA) durations among children aged four-to-six years (N=284) attending kindergartens in urban and rural areas of Kuantan, Pahang. The SV and PA durations were estimated via a questionnaire completed by their parents. The preschoolers’ height and weight were measured using a stadiometer and a digital weighing scale, respectively. The BMI-for-age status was interpreted using the CDC growth charts and cut-off points. A total of 37.8% of respondents were underweight, 16.7% overweight/obese, while the rest had normal BMI. Almost 90% of the children were using electronic gadgets. In addition, 89.8% of them recorded >two hours/day of total SV duration, exceeding the international recommendation of <two hours/day of screen time and the Malaysian Dietary Guideline’s recommendation of <two hours/day of sedentary activity. Only 49.8% (on weekdays) and 75.4% (on weekends) of the children met the recommended one hour/day of moderate PA by the WHO. There were no significant differences of BMI, SV and PA durations between urban and rural respondents. The preschoolers in Kuantan were largely found to exceed the recommended SV duration and only half of them met the recommended PA duration on most days. This suggests that intervention is needed to curb these obesity-inducing sedentary behaviours due to long SV duration and physical inactivity among preschoolers across urban and rural areas of the Pahang capital district.

Effectiveness of a Structured Weight Management Programme at Workplace among Employees of a Petroleum Industry in Malaysia / Jurnal Sains Kesihatan Malaysia

Recognising the epidemic of overweight and obesity among Malaysians, formulation of intervention programmes such as a weight management programme at workplace is essential. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of a structured weight management programme at workplace among overweight and obese employees. In this quasi-experimental study, sixty-four of overweight and obese adults were recruited and divided into two groups (intervention group, n = 32 and control group, n = 32). Subjects in the intervention group received three months scheduled programme and the control group received a routine weight management consultation from dietitians. Significant group effect was found on waist circumference (WC) in men (p < 0.05) and Body Mass Index (BMI) in women (p < 0.05). Men from the intervention group had reduced their WC by 3.4% (-3.7 cm) as compared to controls of 0.7% (-0.8 cm). Women in the intervention group improved their BMI by 1.4% (-0.4 kg/m2) as compared to controls at 0.3% (-0.1 kg/m2). Total cholesterol and LDL-C reduced among women in both intervention and control group with significant time effect (p < 0.05). As a conclusion a structured weight management programme effectively improved WC in men and BMI in women, and appeared to be as effective as individual diet counselling by dietitians in improving lipid profiles in women.