Evaluating nutrition education interventions for medical students: A rapid review

Abstract

Background: Unhealthy diets account for 20% of all deaths globally. Most medical schools do not sufficiently teach their students the clinical application of nutrition science. Evaluating the efficacy of nutrition education interventions is therefore important for their widespread implementation. Methods: A rapid review of the literature published between 2015 and 2020 was conducted to identify nutrition education interventions delivered to undergraduate medical students. The modified Kirkpatrick hierarchy score was used to evaluate the outcome measures. Study characteristics and outcomes were charted and discussed using narrative synthesis. Included studies were appraised using the MERSQI criteria. Results: Fifteen nutrition education interventions met the inclusion criteria. Twelve were from the USA and most were optional rather than compulsory. Interventions involved a mixture of methods including cooking sessions, lectures, and student-led programs. The content covered was variable and the median duration was 11 h (range 90 min to 75 h). The modified Kirkpatrick scores varied and the median MERSQI score was 12.8/18. No studies reported the use of national or standardised guidance to inform the learning objectives of the interventions. Conclusions: The interventions reviewed are heterogenous in their nature and outcomes. This review highlights the advantages of utilising interprofessional learning, focusing on student's personal health behaviours and harnessing novel teaching methods such as hands-on cooking. Using national guidance to develop learning outcomes will help to standardise the content taught. Future studies may aim to use validated assessment tools and investigate the long-term impacts on delivery of care and patient outcomes.

Factors That Influence the Use of Dietary Supplements among the Students of Wroclaw Medical University in Poland during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…As it was found in the study of Coleman et al [ 30 ], education in the first year of medical studies changed their dietary choices for the better and it may also impact the possibility to advise patients on nutrition in the future. A recent review [ 31 ] also showed that a variety of teaching approaches provided students with many benefits which are particularly important since an unhealthy diet is the cause of about 20% of deaths.…”

“…In the study by Axon et al [ 51 ], pharmacy students considered knowledge about dietary or herbal supplements as important, but they indicated that their knowledge was limited, which led to the conclusion that good education is necessary from the early years of medical majors. In general, it is stated that nutritional education is under-represented and underestimated in medical schools, and many medical school students reported inadequate knowledge and teaching methods that require employing more modern, interactive, and student-engaging approaches [ 31 ]. Different methods may be used to improve the students’ knowledge about DS or OTC drugs, especially in the experiential learning formulas, such as in-class activities (simulated patients) or work-based placements [ 57 ].…”

The role of dietitians in educating and training future dietitians and other healthcare professionals

“…Culinary nutrition education has been proposed as an approach to engage other professions in nutrition education. Patel and Kassam 15 recently reviewed the need for nutrition training as medical education, highlighting not only the need for more education, but also the necessity for quality data to measure the impact on patient care. Ultimately, nutrition and dietetic education needs to be integrated at the appropriate level for all health professionals because nutrition is everyone's business.…”

Nutrition Education in Medical Schools: What do Medical Students Think?

“…28 This nutrition course offered to UCLA health professional students and medical students during the 2019 to 2020 academic year used a blended approach to deliver educational nutrition content including in-class didactics, interactive hands-on cooking sessions, and a servicelearning experience. 23,28,29 This upstream approach to increasing food literacy benefits medical students and future patients. 23,28,29 Lastly, students acknowledged the extremely problematic and common cultural issue of weight stigma.…”