Predictors of effectiveness among public health nutritionists.

This study investigated how public health nutrition directors and practitioners each rated the effectiveness of their professional performance. We examined the specific factors which were predictive of each set of effectiveness ratings. Eleven directors supplied the names and addresses of 226 practitioners, each of whom was mailed a questionnaire. The response rate to the mailing was 84 per cent. Director ratings of practitioners were not significantly related to the self-ratings. Results of multiple regression analysis revealed that the directors had based their evaluation on more "external" criteria, such as age, being a Registered Dietitian, and possessing an extroverted personality. In contrast, the nutritionists' self-ratings were based on more introspective qualities, including self-perceived innovativeness, and the number of competencies which they felt they were currently performing well. The roles of work environment, nature of supervision, and type of educational preparation need to be assessed in future research.