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Are nutrition students equipped for the future? The knowledge and barriers of using sustainable diets

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 May 2023

C. Baungaard ,
K.E. Lane  and
L.D. Richardson
C. Baungaard
Affiliation:
The Rowett Institute, University of Aberdeen, UK
K.E. Lane
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
L.D. Richardson
Affiliation:
Faculty of Science, Sport and Exercise Sciences, Liverpool John Moores University, UK.
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Abstract

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This abstract was awarded the Student Competition prize.

Nutrition professionals are important stakeholders in sustainable food systems with necessary skills to promote the connection between health, food production, environment, culture, and economics. Yet, there is limited research on how nutrition professionals can further this agenda and their skills(Reference Pettinger1).

While higher education institutions are increasingly recognising the importance of teaching sustainability, e.g. in medical sciences(Reference Innes, Shephard and Furnari2), there still exists a gap in the literature detailing the pedagogy of sustainability issues for undergraduate nutrition students. Additionally, most research has been conducted outside of the UK(Reference Pettinger1). The purpose of this study was to ascertain the knowledge of sustainable diets and the perceived barriers to using sustainable diets by final year (Level 6) nutrition students on Association for Nutrition (AfN) accredited degrees.

This study ascertained environmental and sustainable food literacy through an online questionnaire based on a modification of the Nutrition Environmental Literacy Evaluation Instrument (ELEI)(Reference Ede3,Reference Braun and Clark4) and through interviews on Skype or face-to-face on Liverpool John Moores University premises in 2019. Students were recruited through AfN programme leader e-newsletters, university affiliated student nutrition societies and Twitter. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics (KruskalWallis, Jonckheere-Terpstra, independent t test, Spearman, Pearson Correlations). Qualitative data were analysed using the six-step approach to thematic analysis (5).

The questionnaire responses (n = 51) and student interviews (n = 6) represented seventeen AfN accredited undergraduate courses (34% of AfN accredited universities in 2019). The majority (76%) of students stated they had some content pertaining to sustainable diets throughout their degree.

Students were predominantly environmentally literate however, mean score was just under 50%. Students had fragmented understanding of sustainable diets, focusing on environmental aspects and listed lack of knowledge, monetary and location as barriers preventing them from adopting sustainable practices in the present and future. There was agreement on the vital role nutritionists have in advocating for sustainable diets in the future and the need for more education in nutrition courses at universities. Students suggested holistic integration of the social, environmental, health aspects of sustainable food system into nutrition degrees.

To integrate sustainability into their future practice more consistently, nutrition students require more holistic sustainability education and knowledge.

References

Pettinger, C (2018) Nutr Bul 43, 226–237.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Innes, S, Shephard, K, Furnari, M, et al. (2018) J Hunger Environ Nutr 13(2), 192–204.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Ede, J et al. (2011) Moving Towards Sustainable Food Consumption: Identifying Barriers to Sustainable Student Diets. [Available at: https://www.divaportal.org/smash/get/diva2:830659/FULLTEXT01.pdf].Google Scholar
Braun, V & Clark, V (2006) Qual Res Psycho 3(2), 77–101.10.1191/1478088706qp063oaCrossRefGoogle Scholar