Personalised Nutrition Technologies and Innovations: A Cross-National Survey of Registered Dietitians

Abstract

Background: Commercial technology-enabled personalised nutrition is undergoing rapid growth, yet its uptake in dietetics practice remains low. This survey sought the opinions of dietetics practitioners on personalised nutrition and related technologies to understand the facilitators and barriers to its application in practice. Method: A cross-section of registered dietitians were recruited in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, Israel, Mexico, Portugal, Spain, and South Africa. The questionnaire sought their views on the risks of genetics technology, the ethics of genetic testing, the usefulness of new personalised nutrition technologies, entrepreneurism, and the perceived importance of new technologies to dietetics. Validated scales were included to assess personality (the Big Five) and self-efficacy (NGSEI). The survey was available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Regression analyses were performed to identify factors associated with the integration of nutrigenetic testing into practice, and to identify factors associated with the perceived importance of bio-information, and mobile technology to dietetics practice. Results: A total of 323 responses (response rate 19.7%) were analysed.

Exploring Knowledge of Gene-Based Nutrition Services Among Indonesian Nutritionists

“…All informants have not applied this knowledge in their workplace using actual procedures. This is in line with Abraham et al (2019) that the application of genebased nutrition services throughout the dietetics profession is low 13 . Some informants (4 out of 7 informants) stated that the application can be done by providing education about gene-related diseases during counseling.…”

“…genetic testing, test reliability, scientific validity, clinical utility, and efficacy of this new technology 13 .…”

“…Thus, nutritionists need to apply and integrate nutritional genomics into their practice 11 . However, the implementation of gene-based nutrition services is low [12][13] . The development of gene-based nutrition services in Indonesia faces some challenges such as low trust in genetic technology, lack of knowledge about the role of genetics in chronic disease, and concerns about Direct-To-Consumer (DTC) testing related to the ethics of…”

Is Digital Health Intervention Effective in Inflammatory Bowel Disease Patients?

“…For example, since 2017, dietitians in the UK have had access to free, on-demand webinars for patients (www.patientwebinars.co.uk) as part of their treatment and/or education regarding certain gastroenterological conditions [5]. On the other hand, a 2019 survey by Abrahams et al [6] demonstrated that most dietitians did not consider technology to play an important role in their current practice. The most important reasons for this were fear of the profession losing value and lack of financial standards while the unsystematic approach may not have a lasting effect on patients.…”

Digital disruption of dietetics: are we ready?

“…Although dietitians typically use face-to-face consultations, patients may be more interested in technology-assisted consultations (13) . A 2019 survey by Abrahams et al (14) demonstrated that most dietitians did not consider technology to play an important role in their current practice. This may be the result of a lack of e-readiness (15) , training and professional development, remuneration, or exposure to the opportunities that it provides to enhance the efficiency and delivery of patient-centred care (11) .…”