Abstract
Providing Plant-based Nutrition for Pediatric Populations
Brittany Nagel1, Micah Ngatuvai1, Daniel Griffin1
1Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Allopathic Medicine (NSU MD)
Introduction: Nutrition plays a vital role in the health of pediatric populations. Plant-based diets are becoming more prevalent in society, however, children and adolescents following this diet require providers to have adequate education on the topic and provide counseling. For these reasons, we aimed to assess the nutritional knowledge on plant-based diets of healthcare educators and providers. We also examined what educational materials exist for plant-based nutrition education and familiarity of guidelines.
Methods: One focus group of 6 participants was conducted regarding pertinent plant-based nutrition topics; participants consisted of nutritionists, registered dieticians, physicians, and healthcare educators. A cross-sectional study will later be conducted using a newly developed questionnaire based on focus group responses. For each participant, responses regarding knowledge and attitudes towards veganism/vegetarianism was recorded and calculated by sentiment analysis and discussion time.
Outcomes: The sentiment analysis displayed an overall positive attitude towards plant-based nutrition. The words utilized in the discussion of the focus group had primarily a positive connotation (50%); 34.5% of words had a neutral connotation and 15.5% had a negative connotation. Discussion during the focus group also led to identification of three main themes: education (49.2%), health benefits (17.5%), and adoption strategies (23.8%).
Discussion: The group responses demonstrated a great desire for more comprehensive education on plant-based nutrition for both healthcare providers and the general public. The participants proposed many strategies to convey to patients the benefits (primarily health benefits) of being plant-based. Overall, more education needs to be oriented towards teaching about nutrition and plant-based diets.
