EFFECTIVENESS OF NUTRITION EDUCATION INTERVENTIONS ON ENHANCING NUTRITION KNOWLEDGE AND PRACTICE AMONG HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW

Abstract

Nutrition is very important in the prevention, treatment and recovery of diseases. Nevertheless, most medical practitioners are poorly trained in clinical nutrition and this limits their effectiveness in offering effective dietary advice and nutrition services. The proposed systematic literature review (SLR) examines the available evidence regarding the effectiveness of nutrition education interventions in enhancing the knowledge, attitudes, and practices of healthcare providers regarding nutrition care. Electronic databases, such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, and Science Direct, were searched systematically. The PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items to Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines were used to conduct the review and identify the relevant studies. Four hundred and one studies were first identified, and 28 full-text articles were evaluated in terms of eligibility and 10 studies were included in the final review. These were quantitative studies, qualitative research and systematic reviews on nutrition training among healthcare professionals. The results indicate that the interventions of structured nutrition education have a significant positive impact on the knowledge, confidence, and capacity of healthcare providers to deliver dietary counseling. Nevertheless, there are various obstacles that prevent the successful application of nutrition care in clinical practice, including time constraints, inadequate training in the formal education, and institutional support. The conclusion of the review is that incorporating structured nutrition education modules into healthcare curricula and ongoing professional development programs have the potential to improve the competence of healthcare providers to provide quality nutrition care.