Public Knowledge about the Role of Clinical Dieticians
Author(s): Nasser Alqahtani*
Abstract
The role of dieticians has dramatically increased over the years. People have opted to eat healthy foods to prevent certain diseases instead of getting sick and going for treatment. Dieticians have been crucial in this idea because they advise patients on what type of food to eat and not what to eat. Moreover, in the hospital setting, dieticians help patients in diet modification, give advice on nutritional labels and diet plans, provide dietary services and educational programs to patients, and so forth. However, the question is, are people familiar with the role of dieticians, or do they have limited knowledge. This paper aims to identify if people and the community know about the role of dietitians. The method involved answering a questionnaire by 530 randomly selected male and female adults. The findings revealed that more than half of the participants knew about dieticians and their contribution to preventing and controlling lifestyle diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and gastrointestinal infections. Moreover, the findings were supported by evidence from peer-reviewed or scholarly sources talking about the role of dieticians in promoting health. In the case of an existing illness such as diabetes, dieticians advise the patients on the best dietary plan, which helps control the condition. Dieticians play an essential role in preventing and managing lifestyle diseases.