Canadian Inventory of Nutrition and Dietetic Associated Research
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Nutrition Education Needs and Preferences of Three Groups of Consumers: Developing Guidelines for Practice
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Principal Investigator 2: Catherine Morley
Date Submitted: 7/28/2005
Abstract: Primary Language
The three purposes of this project are to learn about the nutrition education needs and preferences of three groups of consumers, to develop research-derived, client-centred nutrition education guidelines, and to build capacity for dietetic research. The three consumer groups are those who are ‘healthy’ (live without any medical condition), those who live with chronic medical conditions whose eating experiences are minimally or not affected, and those who live with life altering conditions where eating is profoundly changed. This project builds on the findings of a study that identified key differences in the eating and feeding experiences of respondents in these groups that raised questions about appropriate approaches to nutrition education relative to health status. The research questions are: 1) How, if at all, does health status influence consumers' nutrition education needs and preferences?; and, 2) how do dietitians’ use consumer feedback to develop guidelines for nutrition education? The project has four phases:
1. a national online survey of dietitians’ perceptions of consumers’ needs and preferences for nutrition education to inform construction of a consumer survey; 2. a national online survey of consumers about their nutrition education needs and preferences (with recruitment via grocery stores, clinics, by invitations to callers to a nutrition information line, and through partners’ websites); 3. focus groups with dietitians to develop guidelines for nutrition education based on the consumer survey findings; 4. dissemination of the findings and guidelines. The study is intended to enhance capacity for dietetic research through the collaboration of dietetic researchers and students with different amounts and types of research experience and from different practice settings. The resultant nutrition education guidelines would have application in nutrition education planning, dietetic education and training, and for further nutrition education research.