Abstract
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.
Alex's Notes: I find it amazing that in a time where proper nutrition is being shown continuously to mitigate the countless diseases that plague our modern world, proper nutrition training of health care professionals, physcians, and other clinicians remains such a low priority. This is a long review that concludes that dietitians and nutrition professionals should assume a leadership role in medical education training for health care professionals, and that stakeholder groups launch an initiative to tackle these relevant health care professional education and training needs. We need this. No doubt.
