Predictors of dietary orientation among registered dietitians and dietetics students

Abstract

ABSTRACT Interest has arisen regarding different dietary approaches, namely prescriptive vs non-dieting approaches. Nonetheless, evidence on which individual factors orient professionals toward either approach is currently lacking for dietetics students and registered dietitians (RDN). For this reason, the present study aimed at investigating personal and interpersonal factors associated with the adoption of such approaches in dietary practice. This cross-sectional observational study involved 174 participants through an online survey (response rate 74.41%, n = 128). Participants were recruited from two universities in Italy, encompassing both RDNs and dietetics students. The sample was then divided by self-reported dietary approach orientation and group differences were explored. Personal (such as previous history of dieting, personality factors, intuitive eating, eating experiences) and interpersonal factors (like areas of work interest, years of clinical expertise) potentially influencing dietary orientation were investigated. Group differences were estimated by Analysis of Covariance (ANCOVA) for continuous variables, after adjustment for age and gender, and by Chi-squared tests for categorical variables. Moreover, network structures for psychometric variables were estimated for both groups, employing a mixed graphical model, and computing a comparison between groups after bootstrapping (edge invariance test, n = 5,000). Results showed that openness to experience (F-value: 3.989 p-value: <0.05) and intuitive eating (F-value: 9.836, p-value: <0.01) were higher among participants which oriented toward non-dieting approaches. RDNs with more years of clinical experience (p-value: 0.004) and working within the field of eating disorders (p-value: <0.001) were more likely to be oriented toward non-dieting approaches. Current findings suggest that personal and interpersonal factors shape dietary orientations.