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Fruit and Vegetable Intake, Food Security, Barriers to Healthy Eating, and Empowerment among Dietetic Interns and Physician Assistant Interns: A Cross-Sectional Pilot Study

Authors :
Alison Campbell
Maren Stirling
Natalie Keele
Alisse Larkin
Rachel Crandall
Aubree N. Wilcox
Meghan Adair
Cloie Malan
Jaidyn Thomson
Alexis Bennett
Heather Jensen
Hadyn Flygare
Lacie Peterson
Holly Hopkins
Nikki Kendrick
Maria Givler
Rebecca Charlton
Katie N. Kraus
Source :
Nutrients, Vol 16, Iss 7, p 1034 (2024)
Publication Year :
2024
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2024.

Abstract

Students are required to complete supervised practice hours prior to becoming Registered Dietitians and Physician Assistants. Research suggests that environmental and social factors affect dietetic interns’ diets during their internship, although these factors have not been studied among physician assistant interns. This cross-sectional study utilized an online survey to compare dietetic interns’ (n = 81) and physician assistant interns’ (n = 79) fruit and vegetable intake, food security, barriers to healthy eating, and empowerment for making healthy dietary choices during an internship. Differences were assessed via independent t-tests and chi-square distributions. The significance was set at p < 0.05. Dietetic interns had a higher vegetable intake (p = 0.002) while physician assistant interns had higher rates of food insecurity (p = 0.040). Dietetic interns reported a greater impact on their dietary choices due to mental fatigue (p = 0.006), while physician assistant interns’ dietary choices were more heavily impacted by peer influence, interactions with patients, and interactions with preceptors (p < 0.05). There was not a group difference in overall empowerment (p = 0.157), although both groups rated empowerment for asking for help with food and nutrition challenges the lowest of the empowerment sub-items. Addressing interns’ unique needs may support students’ educational success and wellbeing once they are professionals, promote a diverse workforce, and ensure optimal care for patients.

Details

Language :
English
ISSN :
16071034 and 20726643
Volume :
16
Issue :
7
Database :
Directory of Open Access Journals
Journal :
Nutrients
Publication Type :
Academic Journal
Accession number :
edsdoj.6fb6eb51ed04353ae029bc77faec923
Document Type :
article
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16071034