Farzaneh Sadeghi-Ghotbabadi1, Elham Shakibazadeh2, Nasrin Omidvar2, Fathieh Mortazavi3, Fariba Kolahdooz4. 1. 1Nutrition Department,Ministry of Health and Medical Education,Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran. 2. 2Department of Community Nutrition,National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute; and Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology,Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences,46 West Hafezi Street,Farahzadi Boulevard,Shahrak Qods,1981619573 Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran. 3. 3School of Medical Education,Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences,Tehran,Islamic Republic of Iran. 4. 4Aboriginal and Global Health Research,Department of Medicine,University of Alberta,Edmonton,Alberta,Canada.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: To assess key experts' opinion regarding essential competencies required for effective public health nutrition practice within the health-care system of Iran. DESIGN: Qualitative study using the modified Delphi technique through an email-delivered questionnaire. SETTING: Iran. SUBJECTS: Fifty-five experts were contacted through email. The inclusion criterion for the study panel was being in a relevant senior-level position in nutrition science or public health nutrition in Iran. RESULTS: In the first round, forty-two out of fifty-five experts responded to the questionnaire (response rate=76 %). A sixty-five-item questionnaire was designed with nine competency areas, including 'nutrition science', 'planning and implementing nutritional interventions', 'health and nutrition services', 'advocacy and communication', 'assessment and analysis', 'evaluation', 'cultural, social and political aspects', 'using technology' and 'leadership and management'. All experts who had participated in the first round completed a modified version of the questionnaire with seventy-seven items in the second round. The experts scored 'nutrition science' as the most essential competency area, while more applied areas such as 'management and leadership' were less emphasized. In both rounds, the mean difference between the opinions of the necessity of each area was 5.6 %. CONCLUSIONS: The Iranian experts had general agreement on most of the core competency areas of public health nutritionists. The results indicated the need for capacity building and revisions to educational curricula for public health nutritionist programmes, with more emphasis on skill-based competency development.
OBJECTIVE: To assess key experts' opinion regarding essential competencies required for effective public health nutrition practice within the health-care system of Iran. DESIGN: Qualitative study using the modified Delphi technique through an email-delivered questionnaire. SETTING: Iran. SUBJECTS: Fifty-five experts were contacted through email. The inclusion criterion for the study panel was being in a relevant senior-level position in nutrition science or public health nutrition in Iran. RESULTS: In the first round, forty-two out of fifty-five experts responded to the questionnaire (response rate=76 %). A sixty-five-item questionnaire was designed with nine competency areas, including 'nutrition science', 'planning and implementing nutritional interventions', 'health and nutrition services', 'advocacy and communication', 'assessment and analysis', 'evaluation', 'cultural, social and political aspects', 'using technology' and 'leadership and management'. All experts who had participated in the first round completed a modified version of the questionnaire with seventy-seven items in the second round. The experts scored 'nutrition science' as the most essential competency area, while more applied areas such as 'management and leadership' were less emphasized. In both rounds, the mean difference between the opinions of the necessity of each area was 5.6 %. CONCLUSIONS: The Iranian experts had general agreement on most of the core competency areas of public health nutritionists. The results indicated the need for capacity building and revisions to educational curricula for public health nutritionist programmes, with more emphasis on skill-based competency development.
Authors: Panmela Soares; Carmen Vives-Cases; Vicente Clemente-Gómez; Rocío Ortiz-Moncada; Elena Lobo-Escolar; Diego Rada-Fernández de Jauregui; Victoria Arija; Ángel R Zapata-Moya; Mari Carmen Davó-Blanes Journal: PLoS One Date: 2021-01-29 Impact factor: 3.240
Authors: Elaine Lehane; Heloise Agreli; Simone O' Connor; Josephine Hegarty; Patricia Leahy Warren; Deirdre Bennett; Catherine Blake; Frank Burke; Mark Corrigan; Jonathan Drennan; Martina Hayes; Elizabeth Heffernan; Frances Horgan; Helen Lynch; Joseph McVeigh; Nicole Müller; Elizabeth O'Keeffe; Niamh O'Rourke; Eve O'Toole; Colm O'Tuathaigh; Laura Sahm; Eileen Savage Journal: BMJ Evid Based Med Date: 2020-07-27