Educating and Training a Workforce for Nutrition in a Post-2015 World

Abstract

Nearly all countries in the world today are burdened with malnutrition, manifesting as undernutrition, micronutrient deficiencies, and/or overweight and obesity. Despite some progress, efforts to alleviate malnutrition are hampered by a shortage in number, skills, and geographic coverage, of a workforce for nutrition. Here, we report the findings of the Castel Gandolfo workshop, a convening of experts from diverse fields in March 2014 to consider how to develop the capacity of a global cadre of nutrition professionals for the post-2015 development era. Workshop participants identified several requirements for developing a workforce for nutrition, including an ability to work as part of a multisectoral team; communication, advocacy, and leadership skills to engage decision makers; and a set of technical skills to address future challenges for nutrition. Other opportunities were highlighted that could immediately contribute to capacity development, including the creation of a consortium to link global North and South universities, online training modules for middle managers, and practical, hands-on experiences for frontline nutrition workers. Institutional and organizational support is needed to enable workshop recommendations on education and training to be effectively implemented and sustained. The findings from the Castel Gandolfo workshop can contribute to the delivery of successful nutrition-relevant actions in the face of mounting external pressures and informing and attaining the forthcoming Sustainable Development Goals.

Political economy challenges in nutrition

“…This reflects Alan Berg’s earlier diagnosis of the nutrition community’s negligence in “preparing people to work operationally in nutrition” [30]. More recently, there have been attempts to assess capacities and gaps in nutrition more systematically and to identify the skills required to respond to existing and emerging needs in nutrition [31, 32]. However, this debate has not fully addressed how such capacity in practical politics can be developed, institutionalised, scaled up or funded in the nutrition field.…”

Capacity-building for a strong public health nutrition workforce in low-resource countries

“…Nevertheless, even when these issues are addressed through money and food transfers, adding a nutrition education component targeting the poorest population can increase the positive impact of an intervention on child chronic malnutrition 18 . Such efforts, however, are hampered by a shortage in numbers, skills and geographical coverage of nutrition workers in low- and middle-income countries 6 . The recommended density of nutritionists per 5 million population, based on the Manila report, 19 is 100–500 at bachelor degree or licence level qualifications, 10–50 at masters level and 5–25 at doctorate level.…”

Strengthening Undergraduate Human Nutrition and Dietetics Training in Uganda: The Need to Adopt Competency-Based Education

“…The need to transform higher education in Uganda mirrors recommendations by the experts attending the March Journal of Education and Practice www.iiste.org ISSN 2222-1735 (Paper) ISSN 2222-288X (Online) DOI: 10.7176/JEP Vol. 10, No.21, 2019 68 2014 Castel Gandolfo workshop that charged national academic institutes with the role of creating competencies matching the local needs and settings for the human resources needed for delivering nutrition in the SDGs era (Fanzo et al, 2015). Policy frameworks, strategies and plans exist at global, continental, regional, and national level in support of the need to adopt CBE in the training of HN/HND in different countries.…”