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What Nutrition-Related Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Should Medical Students Develop?

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Abstract

Nutrition is a significant determinant in the leading causes of death in the USA, and yet recent studies have shown that most American medical schools provide insufficient nutrition education. To address this deficiency, a concise and updated set of nutrition learning objectives was created from the 2002 Nutrition Curricular Guide for Training Physicians. A panel of 66 experts provided feedback to revise the initial objectives. The resulting objectives are presented here, as well as one recommended overarching goal to help match the needs of patients with the skills of future physicians.

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Abbreviations

NAA:

Nutrition Academic Award

IAMSE:

International Association of Medical Science Educators

IRB:

Institutional Review Board

BMI:

Body Mass Index

DRI:

Dietary Reference Intake

RDA:

Recommended Dietary Allowance

AI:

Adequate Intake

UL:

Upper Limit

CDC:

US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

DASH:

Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension

RD:

Registered Dietitian

RDN:

Registered Dietitian Nutritionist

WIC:

Women, Infants, and Children

SNAP:

Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program

EFNEP:

Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Martin Kohlmeier, MD, PhD, for sharing the survey link with his network of nutrition educators.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biochemistry, University of Utah School of Medicine, 15 N. Medical Dr. East, Salt Lake City, UT, 84112-5650, USA

    Janet E. Lindsley

  2. Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, 675 Hoes Lane, Piscataway, NJ, 07670, USA

    Emine Ercikan Abali

  3. Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Brigham Young University, 4005 LSB, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Benjamin T. Bikman

  4. Department of Biomedical Sciences, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1501 Mercer University Dr., Macon, GA, 31207, USA

    Susan D. Cline

  5. Department of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of California, 450 Parnassus Ave., San Francisco, CA, 94143-0450, USA

    Tracy Fulton

  6. Department of Community Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine, 1501 Mercer University Drive, Macon, GA, 31207, USA

    Blanca Lopez

  7. LECOM Bradenton College of Osteopathic Medicine 5000 Lakewood Ranch Blvd, Bradenton, FL, 34211, USA

    Oren D. Rosenthal

  8. Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Rochester, MI, 48309, USA

    Virginia E. Uhley

  9. Department of Family Medicine, Mercer University School of Medicine/Navicent Health, 1550 College St., Macon, GA, 31207, USA

    Roberta J. Weintraut

  10. Department of Nutrition, Dietetics, and Food Science, Brigham Young University, S-221 ESC, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    D. Pauline Williams

  11. Department of Physiology and Developmental Biology, Neuroscience Center, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT, 84602, USA

    Jonathan J. Wisco

  12. Department of Neurobiology and Anatomy, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City, UT, 84132, USA

    Jonathan J. Wisco

  13. Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, 11 Hills Beach Road, Biddeford, ME, 04005, USA

    Kathryn Thompson

Authors
  1. Janet E. Lindsley
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  2. Emine Ercikan Abali
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  3. Benjamin T. Bikman
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  4. Susan D. Cline
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  5. Tracy Fulton
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  6. Blanca Lopez
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  7. Oren D. Rosenthal
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  8. Virginia E. Uhley
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  9. Roberta J. Weintraut
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  10. D. Pauline Williams
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  11. Jonathan J. Wisco
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  12. Kathryn Thompson
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Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Janet E. Lindsley or Kathryn Thompson.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Cite this article

Lindsley, J.E., Abali, E.E., Bikman, B.T. et al. What Nutrition-Related Knowledge, Skills, and Attitudes Should Medical Students Develop?. Med.Sci.Educ. 27, 579–583 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0476-3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40670-017-0476-3

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