Relationship Between Dietetic Students’ Travel and Study Abroad Experience and Cultural Competence

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Given the demographics and health disparities in the U.S., there is a greater need for culturally competent healthcare providers. Cultural competence research for nursing and physical therapy students is extensive. This study investigates dietetic students’ cultural competence. Dietetic students participated in an online anonymous survey about their multicultural personality (MP) and travel and study aboard experiences. MP Questionnaire uses a 5-point scale to evaluate adaptability to other cultures via five personality traits: cultural empathy, flexibility, social initiative, open-mindedness, and emotional stability. The Multicultural Experiences Questionnaire uses a 5-point Likert scale to measure cultural experiences/attitudes. Non-parametric statistics, t-tests and ANOVA were used. Of the 220 students who participated, 19% had never traveled outside of the United States. Most (59%) students had participated in at least one course related to intercultural communication. There were a few significant difference by travel experience (P<0.05), students whom traveled out of the country, 1-2 times in their lifetime were less open to media and art from other countries; whereas those with the most travel experience were significantly more likely to seek people of different backgrounds. Only 20% of the students, had already studied abroad, and 20% intend to in the near future. Because of the structure and specificity of dietetic curricula, most students lack the option of traveling abroad for an entire semester, which makes short term aboard experiences a crucial opportunity for students to enhance their cultural competency. The results of this survey call for a further analysis of dietetic students and the effect of short-term study abroad programs on their cultural competencies.