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Background: An evidence-based school nutrition policy that helps increase the availability and accessibility of healthy foods is needed in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Aims: This study investigated the compliance of selected schools with Saudi nutrition policy and assessed the nutritional value of food offered in such schools using the Institute of Medicine (IOM) standards. Methods: A total of 76 boys public high schools were randomly selected from four areas in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Principals and canteen managers were interviewed using validated questionnaires. Schools were observed using a food checklist. Results: Meals offered in Saudis schools come prepackaged with minimal cooking in schools. From a calorie perspective, there was not a significant difference between the food allowed and food not allowed. For the Saudi policy, 94.7% of the schools scored in between category 2 and 3 (moderate compliance). For the IOM standards, 96.1% of the schools scored in category 1 (low alignment). Conclusions: While the Saudi policy is clear on what should not be served in school cafeterias, it fails to provide guidance on what must be served to improve the nutritional value of meals provided.

Background Dietitians play a major role in health promotion and chronic diseases prevention. Graduates from clinical nutrition and dietetics major should be equipped with the necessary knowledge and skills for their role to be more effective. The purpose of this study is to investigate the knowledge and skills needed by current and future graduates in clinical nutrition and dietetics. Methods In this qualitative study, structured interviews by focus groups were conducted. Dietitians from different governmental and private sectors were invited to participate in the study. Focus groups were stratified based on the participants’ gender and years of experience to promote self-disclosure. Abridged transcript of relevant and useful points was performed. The transcripts were coded and cross-validated by two researchers. Results A total of four focus groups were conducted. Two focus groups comprise 9 male participants and the other two comprise 10 females. The age of participants ranged 25–40 years old. Participants were employees in Riyadh city with experience that ranged 3–10 years old. Nine themes of the necessary knowledge and skills were identified. Conclusion It is recommended for the Saudi government to create standards specialised for clinical nutrition and dietetics undergraduate and graduate programmes.

Background: Nutrition education in school may positively affect students' eating behaviour. Teachers need to be empowered to teach nutrition, but no studies have investigated teachers' views on this topic in Saudi Arabia. Aims: This study investigated the perspective of teachers on nutrition education and their confidence in teaching it in boys' public high schools in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: In 2015, 80 boys' public high schools were randomly selected from four areas of Riyadh, and 80 teachers (biological sciences, physical education and health education teachers) were interviewed using a validated questionnaire. A Fisher exact test was run to test the relationship between teachers' perspective and confidence level, and their subject taught. Results: Almost all the teachers (98%) agreed that the health education curriculum should be taught as a core subject for high-school students. Most of the teachers (89%) were interested in teaching nutrition. However, 64% indicated that they did not have adequate nutrition curricular materials and 70% considered that they had not received adequate training on nutrition education. However, 89% were confident that their students would be interested in nutrition and that such education would change their dietary behaviour. Science and health education teachers were more interested in teaching nutrition and were more confident in their ability to do so than physical education teachers (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Most of the teachers were interested in teaching nutrition but barriers existed, such as lack of training and teaching materials, which affected teachers' confidence in delivering nutrition education in their curricula.

Background: Nutrition plays a major role in the prevention and management of diet-related disease. With the absence of clinical nutrition dietitians, physicians are considered responsible for prescribing nutritional support. Identifying weaknesses in nutritional knowledge among Saudi physicians may provide guidance to improve their nutritional knowledge. Methods: A cross-sectional study that used an anonymous electronic questionnaire to investigate physicians’ knowledge of the clinical nutrition discipline. In addition to demographics, the questionnaire consisted of 15 questions covering six areas in the clinical nutrition discipline (macro- and micronutrients, nutrition and chronic diseases, nutrition and metabolic diseases, nutrition care process, nutrition support therapy, and research). For continuous variables, independent t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used. Results: A total of 332 had completed the questionnaire and were included in the study. Most of the physicians were Saudi (87%), male (73.5%), aged between 26 and 35 years (63.3%), and without health problems (56.3%). The mean score of the physicians’ knowledge was 5.3 ± 1.97 out of 15. Physicians who reported that they received some sort of nutritional training or course (M = 5.57, SD = 2.08) scored significantly more than physicians who did not (M = 5.10, SD = 1.86); t(330) = −2.174, p = 0.30. Conclusions: Nutrition should be reinforced as an important component of continuing medical education. There is a need for hiring more dietitians in health care settings in Saudi Arabia as an integral part of a multidisciplinary team delivering medical care services.