The Knowledge, Attitudes, and Practices of Dietitians Licensed in Oregon Regarding Functional Foods, Nutrient Supplements, and Herbs as Complementary Medicine
Section snippets
Selection of Subjects
The subjects in this study were a geographically stratified, random sample of 202 of the 289 Oregon LDs with current residential or work addresses in Oregon. A power calculation indicated a sample of 165 would be sufficient to provide population estimates of the use of complementary medicine by Oregon LDs at the .05 level of precision (33). In a pilot study, almost 17% of respondents who were not currently practicing dietetics or who worked in government offices, research centers, and
Personal Use
A large majority of LDs reported personal use of functional foods (86%) and nutrient supplements (84%). Fewer than half (42%) of LDs reported using herbs during the past year.
Perceived Knowledge about the Role of Complementary Medicine
Many LDs reported being knowledgeable about the role of functional foods and nutrient supplements for each of the 4 narrowly defined purposes: maintenance of good health, prevention of chronic illness, treatment of chronic illness, and treatment of acute illness (Table 1). About two thirds or more of the LDs were confident
Discussion
To our knowledge, this study is one of the first reports of the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of US dietitians with respect to complementary medicine. Our results demonstrate that licensed dietitians in Oregon have a positive view of functional foods and nutrient supplements as nutrition therapies. Oregon LDs consider themselves to be relatively knowledgeable about these less-traditional nutrition therapies. Most of these LDs were confident that functional foods and nutrient supplements
Applications/Conclusions
Although the results of this study may not be generalizable to unlicensed dietitians in Oregon or dietitians in other states, the study does provide the timely information that the members of one group of US dietitians consider themselves to be actively practicing in the area of complementary medicine. This study also identifies a strong desire for training on the role of complementary medicine among LDs instate with an active complementary medicine profession.
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