Article 2009

Nutrition professionals' self-assessment of cultural competency and adequacy of professional education

WM
Wittwer, Marci
 HN
Herbold, Nancie H.
Topics in Clinical Nutrition
Journal · Vol. 24 · Issue 2 · pp. 161-172
Abstract

Racial and ethnic minority groups in the United States are increasing; therefore, it is necessary to incorporate cultural competency into nutrition practice. This study determined the level of cultural competence of nutrition professionals through self-assessment of knowledge and how it is integrated into practice. Respondents completed an Internet-based questionnaire. Eighty-nine percent (n = 85) of respondents knew fairly or very well the dietary choices/patterns of individuals they serve based on cultural preferences. More than 50% (n = 60) never or seldom asked about the use of traditional cultural practices, and 41% (n = 39) never or seldom asked about traditional remedies. Forty-eight percent (n = 43) regularly modified health education materials to meet the linguistic needs of individuals they serve, whereas 53% (n = 46) regularly modified materials to meet literacy needs. Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer Health | Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Keywords

Author Keywords

Assessment cultural competency Cultural sensitivity Nutrition education

Index Keywords

training questionnaire Article Vocational education United States knowledge Health education self evaluation Nutrition ethnic group race cultural competence Internet minority group priority journal nutritional assessment diet nutrition education taste preference
Author Affiliations
Department of Nutrition, Simmons University, Boston, MA, United States
Funding & Acknowledgements
No funding information
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