Abstract
Competency-based education (CBE) is advocated for, to improve the competence of professionals for health systems performance in the 21st century. Limited evidence of efforts in advancing CBE in the training of Human Nutrition/Human Nutrition and Dietetics (HN/HND) at the undergraduate level exists in Uganda. Failing to develop and validate competencies required of HN/HND professionals to perform in Uganda’s health systems may limit advances towards CBE of HN/HND in the country, lead to the adoption of inappropriate competencies, and cause inefficient investments in HN/HND professional education. The purpose of this review, therefore, is to create awareness for the need to: (1) identify competencies required of HN/HND professionals to competently perform in Uganda’s health systems and (2) develop and validate a competency-based undergraduate HN/HND education model suitable for use in Uganda. Keywords: Competence, Competency, Competency-based Education, Health professionals, Human Nutrition and Dietetics Competencies, and Validation Funding: This review was made possible courtesy of a grant from the Kyambogo University African Development Bank Higher Education Science and Technology Project and the PEARS Research Grant from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Author disclosure: Peterson Kato Kikomeko, Sophie Ochola, Irene Ogada, Archileo N. Kaaya, and Peace Nakitto have no conflict of interest. DOI : 10.7176/JEP/10-21-08 Publication date :July 31 st 2019
Highlights
Good nutrition underpins human well-being (Fanzo et al, 2015); the need to improve nutrition is upheld in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN 2016-2025 Decade of Action on Nutrition (United Nations, 2015 & 2016) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2025 global nutrition targets (Branca et al, 2012)
Despite the past and present global declarations and commitments relevant to nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN estimated the number of people who are undernourished to have reached 821 million globally in 2017; with Africa having the highest prevalence of undernourishment at 21%, followed by Asia at 11.4% and South America at 5% (FAO et al, 2018)
This review aims to create awareness for the need to: (1) identify the competencies required of Human Nutrition/Human Nutrition and Dietetics (HN/HND) professionals to competently perform in Uganda’s health systems and (2) develop and validate a Competency-based education (CBE) Undergraduate HN/HND model suitable for use in Uganda
Summary
Good nutrition underpins human well-being (Fanzo et al, 2015); the need to improve nutrition is upheld in the United Nations (UN) 2030 Global Agenda for Sustainable Development, the UN 2016-2025 Decade of Action on Nutrition (United Nations, 2015 & 2016) and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2025 global nutrition targets (Branca et al, 2012). Despite the past and present global declarations and commitments relevant to nutrition, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN estimated the number of people who are undernourished to have reached 821 million globally in 2017; with Africa having the highest prevalence of undernourishment at 21%, followed by Asia at 11.4% and South America at 5% (FAO et al, 2018). For children under five years, the 2018 Global nutrition report indicates that globally, 22.2% of children are stunted, 7.5% are wasted, and 5.6% are underweight (Development Initiatives, 2018). Uganda’s demographic and health survey statistics indicate that 29% of children under five years are stunted, 4% are wasted and 11% are underweight. The causes of malnutrition in Uganda reportedly vary from inadequate dietary intake; frequent illness; food insecurity at the household level; insufficient maternal and child care; limited access to health care and a healthy environment; limited livelihood opportunities; culture, education, and awareness; and limitations in policy and financing (Government of Uganda, 2011)
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