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Nutrition & Health Elective for First Year Medical Students
Author(s) -
MossavarRahmani Yasmin,
Reznik Marina,
Barnhart Janice,
Davis Nichola,
Kligler Benjamin,
Burton William
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.47.5
Subject(s) - session (web analytics) , attendance , nutrition education , medical education , test (biology) , dieting , medicine , reading (process) , psychology , motivational interviewing , scale (ratio) , obesity , gerontology , psychological intervention , nursing , computer science , paleontology , weight loss , world wide web , political science , law , economics , biology , economic growth , physics , quantum mechanics
Objective We describe a six session elective on Nutrition and Health for first year medical students at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine that combines nutrition content with a motivational interviewing‐based approach to interact with patients. Methods Sessions were developed with student input and facilitated by a nutritionist and physicians. Topics consisted of : Nutrition Assessment; Science behind USDA Nutrition Recommendations; Dispelling Myths about Dieting; Motivational Interviewing; Reading Nutrition Facts Label and Hot Topics in Nutrition. In the first session students also assessed their percent body fat using a Tanita scale. For the nutrition facts session students paired up with patients with limited English speaking ability and used an elicit‐provide‐elicit approach to assist patients with reading labels. Summary Data for the 2011–2012 classes are presented. A total of 28 students participated (N=24 with complete data). Pre‐ and post‐multiple choice knowledge test consisting of 13 questions indicated an average increase of 2.68 points on all test items, (p<0.0001). High attendance (>; 86% for each class yr) and student ratings (4.2 for course facilitation & content from a scale of 1= poor to 5=excellent) attest to the engagement of students. Conclusions A nutrition elective that combines the art and science of nutrition engages students and improves their knowledge of nutrition.