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Dental students’ comfort discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers
Author(s) -
Smith Patrick D.,
Noorullah Khatija,
Iqbal Laila,
Tomar Scott L.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of dental education
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.53
H-Index - 68
eISSN - 1930-7837
pISSN - 0022-0337
DOI - 10.1002/jdd.12575
Subject(s) - obesity , psychological intervention , medicine , childhood obesity , family medicine , food service , nutrition education , psychology , gerontology , nursing , overweight , marketing , business
Purpose Dentists can address childhood obesity by educating patients about mediating factors, such as nutrition and dietary habits, facilitating behavioral interventions, and participating in interprofessional collaborations. Dental schools are encouraged to prepare future dentists to address childhood obesity. The aim of this study was to assess dental students’ attitudes, comfort, and perceived barriers discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers of children aged 0–5, after a one‐time service‐learning experience in a pediatric primary care setting to promote oral health. Methods Following conversations with parents and caregivers, students completed an 11‐item survey via Qualtrics. Results Of 144 second‐year dental students that participated in the service‐learning experience over 2 years, 101 participated in the survey for a response rate of 70.1%. Most students agreed that dentists’ roles include discussing nutrition (98.0%) and obesity prevention (83.2%). During the service‐learning experience, 78.2 percent of students discussed nutrition, and 5.0% discussed obesity prevention, with 3.0% and 22.8% of students reporting some level of discomfort with each topic, respectively. The most reported barriers for discussing both nutrition and obesity prevention were concern for “appearing judgmental” and “fear of offending clients.” Mean comfort scores among students who reported barriers of “appearing judgmental” ( p = < 0.0001) and “fear of offending clients” ( p = 0.017) for nutrition discussions, and a “lack of parental acceptance of guidance” as a barrier for discussing obesity prevention ( p = 0.016), suggest that those barriers were associated with less comfort. Conclusion Dental students’ perceived barriers to discussing nutrition and obesity prevention with parents and caregivers may negatively influence dental students’ comfort.