Multicultural Competence in Dietetics and Nutrition
Section snippets
Multicultural Competence
The term “multicultural” is rather fluid and confounding (3). It is often used to refer to ethnic background, race or national origin. However, religion, age, educational background, gender, and social affiliations are but a few of the “nonexclusive” social groups that confound such “exclusive” categories as ethnicity, race or nationality. For instance, there may be fewer cultural differences between a middle class nutrition counselor and a middle class client from a different ethnic group than
Strategies for Increasing Multicultural Competence
To a certain extent every nutrition counseling intervention is multicultural or cross-cultural because counselor and client each has a unique worldview (2). The implication of this statement is that general counseling skills and multicultural counseling skills are not mutually exclusive. Many basic counseling strategies apply across the board. The breadth of awareness and knowledge in multicultural counseling increases as the diversity of patients/clients increases. We have only lately come to
References (5)
- et al.
Model for Multicultural Nutrition Counseling Competencies
J Am Diet Assoc.
(2000) - et al.
Cross Cultural Issues in CounselingNew Approaches to Diversity
(1991)
Cited by (20)
Communication Skills: A Scoping Review of Experiences, Perceptions, and Use in Dietetics Practice
2024, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsConceptualizing Professionalism in Dietetics: An Australasian Qualitative Study
2022, Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsFood, culture, and identity in multicultural societies: Insights from Singapore
2020, AppetiteCitation Excerpt :Epidemiological studies often discuss morbidity along broad racial categories, but increasingly dietary advice should be personalised rather than assume that individuals have a set of food practices based on their racial background. We expect the need for dietary recommendations to be sensitive to inter-cultural food practices will be increasingly relevant to cosmopolitan settings in different parts of the world, as we join other scholars (Ayala, Baquero, & Klinger, 2008; Curry, 2000; Liu, Berhane, & Tseng, 2010; Vorster et al., 2001) in advocating for more flexible and tailored interventions in multicultural societies. Food was also perceived to serve a healing purpose for many participants in our study based on traditional health beliefs.
Language: A Crucial Part of Cultural Competency
2008, Journal of the American Dietetic AssociationCitation Excerpt :Healthy People 2010 (4), in fact, calls for cultural and linguistic competency within a diverse public health workforce. “Therefore, entry-level and practicing dietetics professionals must be multiculturally competent in delivering culturally appropriate services (2). In addition, cultural competency is an aspect of programs approved by the Commission on Accreditation and Dietetics Education.
Food practices, changes, preferences, and acculturation of Thais in the United States
2006, Journal of the American Dietetic AssociationCultural literacy in health care
2004, Journal of the American Dietetic AssociationCitation Excerpt :At present, to some extent, a health care professional with a multicultural background is considered as having a niche in the marketplace. But according to Curry (11), this is the wrong way to view this skill set: “In nutrition counseling, where many therapeutic interventions are on a personal level, sensitivity to the strong influence of culture on an individual’s food intake, attitudes, and behaviors is especially imperative. If [dietetics professionals] are to meet our professional potential in the 21st century, we must strengthen our practice in nutrition counseling and communications.