Attitudes and perceived knowledge of health professionals on the food labelling reform in Israel

Abstract

Objectives: To assess the attitudes and perceived knowledge of health professionals regarding the food product judgmental-labelling reform that began in January 2020 in Israel. Design: Cross-sectional survey Settings: An online survey among health professionals working in the Israeli health system Participants: 456 participants (118 physicians, 207 nurses, 131 nutritionists) Results: Most respondents (89.9%) were women, 36% had over 20 years of professional experience. All nutritionists, 96.6% of physicians and 94.7% of nurses reported hearing about the reform and most (88.9% of nurses, 76.3% of physicians and 75.6% of nutritionists) claimed supporting the reform to a great - or very great extent. Most respondents believe they should discuss issues related to healthy eating with their patients (91.8% of nurses, 94.9% of physicians and all nutritionists), but only about half (47.5% of physicians and 57.0% of nurses) reported that they have sufficient knowledge in this field, particularly about food labelling. About 60.3% of nutritionists reported instructing patients to change their food intake according to labeling, versus 40.1% and 34.7% of nurses and physicians, respectively. Only some respondents felt that they could influence their patients’ nutrition habits. Most participants believe that additional regulatory measures should also be used to promote healthy nutrition. Conclusions: There is a gap between physicians’ and nurses’ desire to provide nutritional guidance to the public and their actual knowledge about the labels’ meaning and their competencies in providing nutrition counseling. When formulating a reform, policymakers should provide clear guidelines about the expectations of implementing it in therapeutic practice.

Comparison of Health Behaviors of Healthcare Workers and the General Public in Israel: A Cross-Sectional Survey

“…It is possible that some of the HCWs in our study were not aware of their suboptimal health behavior and perceived themselves as maintaining a healthy lifestyle and therefore felt that they can also advise their patients. Despite its importance to general health and well-being, nutrition is not part of the curriculum of medicine and nursing programs in Israel [ 57 ]. Furthermore, as the HCW sample in this study work at a hospital, they may not have time to provide lifestyle advice due to the short encounter with patients that is characteristic of acute medical situations in hospital settings.…”