The 2023 Dietitians of Canada (DC) National Conference held on 25–26 May 2023 was our first in-person conference since June 2019 and celebrated our unity and resiliency as a profession. It was amazing! The Canadian Foundation for Dietetic Research (CFDR) showcased a diverse array of experience sharing and research abstracts through oral and poster presentations, and virtual sessions. There were 23 Early Bird (EB) research abstracts, in which 10 were selected for in-person presentations during the conference, and 19 Late Breaking research abstracts which were posters. Thank you to all who submitted abstracts! Thanks to the dedication and commitment of the Abstract Review Committee members. Early Bird Abstract Review Committee: Susan Campisi (University of Toronto); Andrea Glenn (University of Toronto); Mahsa Jessri (University of British Columbia); Louise St-Denis (University of Montreal). Late Breaking Abstract Review Committee: Lesley Andrade (University of Waterloo); Carla D’Andreamatteo (Consultant, Winnipeg); Laura Forbes (University of Guelph); Billie Jane Hermosura (University of Ottawa); Christine Nash (University Health Network); Louise St-Denis (University of Montreal). Thanks to the CFDR Board, DC Conference team, digital partners, all of the moderators, and conference attendees for supporting the research presentations. Warm regards, Christina Lengyel, PhD, RD Chair, 2023 EB/LB Abstract Committees Professor Food and Human Nutritional Sciences University of Manitoba Ravi Sidhu Managing Director Development & Operations CFDR

Purpose: Co-operative (co-op) education facilitates development of workplace competencies but may have unintended consequences for financial stability and food security. This study examined the association between co-op program enrolment and food security status among a sample of undergraduate students. Financial insufficiency and strategies to cope with it were also characterized.Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from 167 co-op and 89 non-co-op students at the University of Waterloo from January to March 2019. Logistic regression assessed associations between co-op program enrolment and food insecurity.Results: Twenty-four percent of co-op and 39.3% of non-co-op students lived in moderately or severely food insecure households. Adjusting for confounders, the odds of living in moderately or severely food insecure households were lower among co-op students (adjusted odds ratio: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.27-0.97), though no association was observed when marginal food insecurity was included within the food insecure category. One-quarter (26.3%) of co-op students and 38.2% of non-co-op students reported financial insufficiency, which they tried to cope with by asking parents or friends for assistance or initiating paid work.Conclusions: Co-op program enrolment was weakly associated with lower odds of living in moderately or severely food insecure households, and food insecurity prevalence was high overall. Efforts are needed to alleviate food insecurity among postsecondary students.

Purpose: To examine the level of agreement between a patient-completed food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and assessment of usual intake by a registered dietitian (RD) to score adherence to a Mediterranean diet (MedD) in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).Methods: Patients with IBD completed a short FFQ and were subsequently interviewed by an RD. A 12-item MedD score (MDS), adapted from the Mediterranean Diet Adherence Screener (MEDAS), was calculated from the FFQ and RD assessments. To determine agreement between individual items, Cohen's kappa coefficients were calculated. Absolute agreement between assessment methods was quantified using a one-way random intra-class correlation coefficient for a single measure.Results: Forty-six patients with IBD participated. The mean FFQ-MDS was 4.59 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.65), and mean RD-MDS was 4.83 (SD = 1.53). Kappa coefficients for individual MEDAS items ranged from 0.41 to 0.78 (p < 0.01) between the FFQ- and RD-MDS. Most items demonstrated moderate to substantial agreement. The intra-class correlation coefficient for absolute agreement between the summed FFQ-MDS and RD-MDS was 0.71 (95% confidence interval: 0.52-0.83, p < 0.001), indicating moderate reliability.Conclusions: This patient-completed FFQ may be a promising tool in clinical practice and research and would benefit from additional evaluation to validate its use in patients with IBD.

Olo nutritional follow-up care offers vulnerable pregnant women food vouchers, multivitamin supplements, tools, and nutritional counselling to support healthy pregnancy outcomes.Purpose: To evaluate the contribution of Olo follow-up care to nutritional intakes and eating practices, as well as to assess the programme-related experience of participants.Methods: Participants (n = 30) responded to questionnaires and web-based 24-hour dietary recalls and participated in a semi-structured interview (n = 10).Results: Olo follow-up care reduced the proportion of participants below the recommended intake for groups for many micronutrients, with the greatest reduction for folate (by 96.7%), vitamin D (by 93.3%), iron (by 70.0%), calcium (by 50.0%), and zinc (by 30.0%), mainly due to the prenatal multivitamin supplements. Most participants (96.7%) did not follow Olo's typical recommendations but, if they had, hypothetically they would have consumed an average of 746 additional calories per day and be above the recommendations for excessive intakes of folic acid and iron (100% and 33.3%, respectively). More than half of the participants were moderately to severely food insecure. Olo contributed to reducing the impact of isolation and increased food accessibility and budget flexibility among participants.Conclusion: Olo follow-up care helped reduce the proportion of women below the recommended intake for micronutrients, but revising the food offered and strategies to address food insecurity may be necessary.

Purpose: Self-reported coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic effects on dietetic job search, employment, and practice of recent graduates were explored within a national workforce survey.Methods: Graduates (2015-2020) who were registered/licensed dietitians or eligible to write the Canadian Dietetic Registration Exam were recruited through dietetic programmes, Dietitians of Canada's communication channels, and social media. The online survey, available in English and French from August through October 2020, included questions about pandemic experiences. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis were applied to closed and open-ended responses, respectively.Results: Thirty-four percent of survey respondents (n = 524) indicated pandemic effects on job search and described delayed entry into dietetics, fewer job opportunities, and challenges including restricted work between sites. The pandemic affected employment for 44% of respondents; of these, 45% indicated working from home, 45% provided virtual counselling, 7% were redeployed within dietetics, 14% provided nondietetic COVID-19 support, and 6% were furloughed or laid off. Changed work hours, predominantly reduced, were identified by 29%. Changes in pay, identified by 12%, included loss (e.g.,raises deferred) or gain (e.g.,pandemic pay). Fear of infection and stress about careers and finances were expressed.Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly affected both acquiring positions and employment in 2020 for recent dietetic graduates.

Purpose: To investigate the experiences of dietetic students in a faculty-supervised, noncourse-based service-learning (NSL) opportunity called Nutrition Ignition! (NI!) to understand how NSL activities contribute to dietetic education.Methods: This study used focus group methodology. A convenience sample was recruited from current members of NI!. Participants completed a brief demographic questionnaire and then engaged in a focus group discussion led by a trained moderator who followed a semi-structured guide. Six focus group discussions were transcribed, and a common theme template was developed by researchers.Results: Out of 46 eligible members of NI!, 33 agreed to participate. The main reasons participants joined NI! were to develop professional skills and to help children in the community. Participants discussed many outcomes from their participation in NI!, including enhanced communication skills, especially in terms of knowledge translation; increased ability to be flexible and adapt to "real-world" situations; deeper awareness of the research process; and expanded world view.Conclusion: This study suggests that NSL is an effective way to build dietetic students' personal and professional skills and provide an additional opportunity in academic settings to prepare dietetic students for entry-level practice.

The Coordinated Approach to Child Health (CATCH) programme is an accredited obesity prevention programme in the United States, teaching children about nutrition, physical activity, and screen time limits. This study aimed to evaluate the perceptions of undergraduate and graduate student leaders' about their experience delivering the CATCH programme in elementary schools in Northern Illinois school districts during the 2019-2020 school year and its impact on their personal and professional skills and on programme participants. An email questionnaire was sent to eligible students. Grounded theory was used to analyze the students' responses. Two researchers assigned codes to the data and identified themes. Twenty-one students responded (50% response rate). Six identified themes include "purpose of CATCH programme," "school facilities and resources," "university students experience with CATCH lessons and activities," "benefits to university student," "benefits to children and teachers," and "identified weaknesses and suggested improvements to CATCH." University students delivering the CATCH programme appreciated the opportunity to practice in a real-world setting, gained transferable professional skills, increased programme content knowledge, identified CATCH programme benefits/strengths, and planned to apply lessons learned to future practice.

Weight bias and discrimination are highly pervasive and harmful to Canadians with higher weights. Researchers and practitioners who deliver, evaluate, and advise on dietary and weight-related interventions may inadvertently perpetuate weight bias through their work; however, trainees in these fields rarely have access to weight bias education within their applied health programs. This study evaluated the acceptability of an online educational weight bias module developed for undergraduate students enrolled in health courses. The intervention included a pre-recorded 20-minute online module with prompts for reflection or discussion, a self-assessment quiz, as well as a separate module and range of resources for instructors. Overall, 211 students from applied health courses and 4 instructors completed an online survey querying the module's delivery, impact, and relevance. Students agreed that the module provided useful information (82%), was easy to understand (97%), and was the right length (75%), but reported wanting more interactivity and engagement with the content. Instructors found the module engaging and useful and expressed interest in additional resources and support for weight bias education. Future research should explore the impact of weight bias education on students' weight-related attitudes and perceptions as well as feasibility and relevance of online features such as multimedia tools.

Purpose: Describe food/beverage intake among all patients and those with low meal intake and determine if the Hospital Food Experience Questionnaire (HFEQ), or its shorter version (HFEQ-sv), predicts food intake while considering patient (e.g.,gender) and hospital characteristics (e.g.,foodservice model).Methods: Cross-sectional study of 1087 adult patients from 16 hospitals in Ontario, Canada. The valid and reliable HFEQ assessed patients' meal quality perceptions. Visual estimation determined overall meal and food/beverage intake using the Comstock method. Binary logistic regressions tested the association between patient and hospital characteristics and whether HFEQ or HFEQ-sv scores added utility in predicting overall meal intake (≤50% vs. ≥75%).Results: Approximately 29% of patients consumed ≤50% of their meal. Models assessing patient and hospital characteristics and either the HFEQ or the HFEQ-sv were significant (LRT(43) = 72.25, P = 0.003; LRT(43) = 93.46, P < 0.001). Men and higher HFEQ or HFEQ-sv scores demonstrated significantly higher odds of ≥75% meal consumption. Considering HFEQ or HFEQ-sv scores explained greater variance in meal intake and resulted in better model fits.Conclusions: The HFEQ and HFEQ-sv predict patient meal intake when adjusting for covariates and add utility in understanding meal intake. Either version can be confidently used to support menu planning and food delivery to promote food intake.

Purpose: Barriers in research for women and dietitians have been documented. We sought to describe tri-council funding awarded within the nutrition discipline according to institution type, academic rank, gender, dietitian status, and primary research methods used.Methods: Using an online search methodology, faculty members with research appointments were identified from nutrition departments offering accredited dietetic programs and/or at Canada's collective of research-intensive universities known as U15. All data regarding faculty members, their institutions, and funding were collected through publicly available websites and Scopus. Tri-council funding associated with the nominated principal investigator, from a 5-year period, 2013-2014 to 2017-2018, was extracted. Binary logistic regression was used to test for predictors of receiving any tri-council operating funds within the 5-year period.Results: Faculty members (n = 237) from 21 institutions were identified for inclusion. Those from U15 institutions, at the full professor rank, nondietitians, men, and those who engaged in primarily quantitative research methods (vs. qualitative or mixed-methods) were significantly more likely to hold any tri-council funding during the eligible period. Dietitians (n = 76) were significantly less likely to hold tri-council funding, independent of institution, rank, gender, and primary research methods utilized.Conclusions: The apparent under-funding of academic dietitians from federal tri-council sources requires exploration.