Diversity demographics are needed to enhance accurate assessment of diversity in the nutrition and dietetics profession

Abstract

A diverse workforce is vitally important to ensure that our nation has quality, affordable, and accessible health care. Diversity, equity, and inclusion are crucial to the nutrition/dietetics profession. As the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (Academy) strives to increase and better target its efforts in these areas, assessment will be required to measure progress. Evaluation of progress hinges on the cooperation of individual nutrition/dietetics practitioners — registered dietitians (RDs) or registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) and dietetic technicians registered (DTRs) and nutrition dietetics technicians, registered (NDTRs) to report race/ethnicity and/or gender to the Academy and/or the Commission on Dietetic Registration (CDR). Furthermore, accurate assessment and reporting of diversity demographics of the profession rely on the Academy and/or the CDR to use the full de-identified database of practitioners rather than smaller surveys. This article 1) summarizes reports on practitioners in health occupations by race/ethnicity and gender diversity from the CDR, U.S. government, and other professional organizations, 2) summarizes data collection standards issued by the U.S. government on race and ethnicity, 3) provides a recommended action step to encourage nutrition/dietetics practitioners to self-report race/ethnicity and gender to the Academy and/or the CDR, and 4) provides recommended action steps to encourage the Academy and/or the CDR to use the full de-identified database of nutrition/dietetics practitioners rather than smaller surveys to report diversity demographics of RDs/RDNs and DTRs/NDTRs by Academy groups, and to make several revisions to the CDR Registry Statistics and surveys to enhance future diversity and more accurate assessment of diversity in the profession.