OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, personal use and recommendations of herbal supplements among registered dietitians (RDs) in Massachusetts. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted by a self-administered survey. SUBJECTS: One hundred and fifty-eight RDs from active members of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association (MDA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multivariate regression identified statistical significance and examined the association between the dietitians' test scores from eight herbal knowledge questions with their personal herbal use and recommendations to clients and their age, education, work experience, and work status. RESULTS: We obtained a 53% response rate. The dietitians scored an average of 5.4 of a possible 8 on the herbal knowledge questions. Seventy-three percent (73%) perceived themselves to have little or no knowledge of herbal supplements. Only 37% reported using herbs and 22% recommending herbs to clients in the past year. A significant positive association was observed between herbal supplement knowledge score and frequency of personal use (p = 0.004), and recommendation to clients (p = 0.001). Eighty-nine percent (89%) agreed that herbal supplement education should be incorporated into dietetic curricula. DISCUSSION: The majority of the dietitians may lack herbal supplement familiarity. Therefore, these dietitians may be reluctant to personally use or recommend herbs to clients, even though the majority believe herbs can be effective for specific illness and health maintenance. These results may indicate a need to include more extensive education in the dietetic curricula and to continue education regarding herbal supplements in response to the increasing consumer herbal supplement use.
OBJECTIVE: To assess the knowledge, personal use and recommendations of herbal supplements among registered dietitians (RDs) in Massachusetts. DESIGN: A descriptive, cross-sectional study conducted by a self-administered survey. SUBJECTS: One hundred and fifty-eight RDs from active members of the Massachusetts Dietetic Association (MDA). STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal-Wallis tests, and multivariate regression identified statistical significance and examined the association between the dietitians' test scores from eight herbal knowledge questions with their personal herbal use and recommendations to clients and their age, education, work experience, and work status. RESULTS: We obtained a 53% response rate. The dietitians scored an average of 5.4 of a possible 8 on the herbal knowledge questions. Seventy-three percent (73%) perceived themselves to have little or no knowledge of herbal supplements. Only 37% reported using herbs and 22% recommending herbs to clients in the past year. A significant positive association was observed between herbal supplement knowledge score and frequency of personal use (p = 0.004), and recommendation to clients (p = 0.001). Eighty-nine percent (89%) agreed that herbal supplement education should be incorporated into dietetic curricula. DISCUSSION: The majority of the dietitians may lack herbal supplement familiarity. Therefore, these dietitians may be reluctant to personally use or recommend herbs to clients, even though the majority believe herbs can be effective for specific illness and health maintenance. These results may indicate a need to include more extensive education in the dietetic curricula and to continue education regarding herbal supplements in response to the increasing consumer herbal supplement use.