Healthcare professionals: strengthening the role of nutritional prevention

While the link between diet and health is becoming increasingly obvious to both the general population and healthcare professionals, data show that the nutritional quality of the diet, in particular fruit and vegetables intake, remains inadequate (Guillaumie et al., 2020). It is therefore important to understand the obstacles that limit access to a balanced diet, and how to overcome them. Among the levers available, the involvement of healthcare professionals in helping their patients to change their eating habits is vital.

Despite their obvious interest in nutrition, healthcare professionals face a number of obstacles when it comes to prevention. They find it difficult to understand their exact role, not only because of a lack of initial and ongoing training, but also because of the time constraints associated with consultations. All these factors limit their ability to establish the dialogue needed to support lifestyle changes.

To overcome these barriers, several tools and initiatives have been developed to facilitate nutritional prevention, although these remain insufficient. Public health authorities’ guides and recommendations provide a framework for action and guidelines for the management of certain pathologies or physiological situations. Nutritional assessment tools, such as standardized questionnaires, help to identify patients’ specific needs. Ongoing training courses – webinars or practical workshops – aim to boost practitioners’ skills and confidence in this field.

This month, the Global Fruit and Vegetables Newsletter highlights the nutritional resources available to healthcare professionals, and identifies the levers that can be used to improve these tools and enhance their effectiveness.

The first article (Agwara et al., 2024) highlights the importance of integrating nutrition into the training and practice of healthcare professionals in order to improve the quality of care. Based on workshops conducted with 169 practitioners in England, this study shows that sessions run locally and led by physician are the most effective in reinforcing the place of nutrition in the curricula of medical students.

The second article (Hobby et al., 2022) explores the influence of personal experiences on healthcare professionals’ eating behaviors and their ability to provide nutritional advice. Through qualitative interviews with 22 professionals, three main themes emerge: the impact of life experiences on self-confidence, learning through observation and modelling, and the influence of social interactions. Authors suggest that strategies to improve professionals’ diets need to be supported by a favorable social environment to enhance the care they provide.

Finally, the third article (Mesters et al., 2023) evaluates the effectiveness of motivational telephone interviewing on the physical activity and fruit and vegetables intake of 232 participants. The results show that motivational interviewing is effective in encouraging physical activity and fruit consumption, while raising questions about its impact on vegetable intake. These observations nevertheless reinforce the value of motivational interviewing in promoting healthy lifestyle habits.

These articles illustrate how the training and personal experiences of healthcare professionals, as well as the quality of their working environment, play a decisive role in their ability to guide patients towards healthier eating habits. These studies call for a review of educational and organizational approaches to fully integrate nutrition into care. Investing in appropriate training and supportive environments could not only improve patient health, but also strengthen the commitment of professionals to the sustainable prevention of non-communicable diseases.

Martine Laville Emeritus professor

Lyon 1 University