J Am Diet Assoc
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It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that access to adequate amounts of safe, nutritious, and culturally appropriate food at all times is a fundamental human right. Hunger continues to be a worldwide problem of staggering proportions. The Association supports programs and encourages practices that combat hunger and malnutrition, produce food security, promote self-sufficiency, and are environmentally and economically sustainable. ⋯ The Association supports programs and encourages practices that combat hunger and malnutrition, produce food security, promote self-sufficiency, respect local cultures, and are environmentally and economically sustainable. The ADA recognizes that decisions and actions that dietetics professionals make as practitioners and consumers can help reduce the extent of poverty and hunger both here and abroad. This paper provides information, resources, and strategies to assist dietetics professionals in improving the public's understanding of key issues, becoming advocates of the poor, and influencing the political will to end world hunger.
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As the first part of a multiphase process to develop a Nutrition Quality of Life (NQOL) survey, our objective was to identify items that later will be psychometrically evaluated for inclusion into the NQOL survey, a survey that can be used in routine practice to monitor the impact of medical nutrition therapy (MNT). ⋯ Based on comments generated in client and dietitian focus groups, we identified 50 items in six clusters: 9 items in food impact; 6, self-image; 10, psychological factors; 7, social/interpersonal; 9, physical; and 9, self-efficacy. Whenever possible, we developed items using the clients' own words. Clients, responding to the mailed survey, indicated that they took approximately 10 minutes to complete the NQOL survey. Applications/Conclusions At this time, dietitians may use the 50 questions to probe the impact of MNT on their clients' NQOL. However, psychometric and clinical testing will be necessary to further refine these items before the NQOL survey can be scored and used to measure the NQOL of patients at baseline, to monitor the impact of MNT over time, and to manage future MNT interventions by using an NQOL survey in a quality improvement program.
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Practice Guideline Guideline
Position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada: Vegetarian diets.
It is the position of the American Dietetic Association and Dietitians of Canada that appropriately planned vegetarian diets are healthful, nutritionally adequate, and provide health benefits in the prevention and treatment of certain diseases. Approximately 2.5% of adults in the United States and 4% of adults in Canada follow vegetarian diets. A vegetarian diet is defined as one that does not include meat, fish, or fowl. ⋯ Dietetics professionals have a responsibility to support and encourage those who express an interest in consuming a vegetarian diet. They can play key roles in educating vegetarian clients about food sources of specific nutrients, food purchase and preparation, and any dietary modifications that may be necessary to meet individual needs. Menu planning for vegetarians can be simplified by use of a food guide that specifies food groups and serving sizes.
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To examine baseline fat-related dietary behaviors of white, Hispanic, and black participants in Minimal Contact Education for Cholesterol Change, a National Institutes for Health-funded cholesterol screening and education project conducted in New England. ⋯ The results of this study suggest that there is a need for improvement in dietary behaviors related to fat intake, especially for blacks and Hispanics, and that the specific dietary behavior issues differ widely by ethnicity. These results can be used by nutrition educators and researchers to help them decide what messages to emphasize in dietary counseling, nutrition education programs, and materials. The results can also be used to help design better dietary assessment tools and more effective interventions for culturally diverse populations.