The State of Nutrigenomic Education in Poland

Abstract

Background: In Poland, 45 higher education institutions offer degrees in dietetics. However, only 20 of these offer nutrigenomics or nutrigenetics courses. Objectives: The purpose of this study was to assess the current state of nutri­genomic education in Poland and to evaluate the level of nutrigenomic knowledge held by dieticians. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was performed to examine the self-reported attitudes of 193 dietetics students and dietetics professionals who graduated from 33 Polish higher-level institutions. Results: The great majority of respondents were familiar with nutrigenomics and had a positive attitude to it, and this attitude was independent of whether they participated in nutrigenomics courses. Sixty-six percent of the respondents had received training in nutrigenomics, but nutrigenomic education did not meet the expectations of 57% of dieticians. Dieticians possess low levels of self-reported knowledge of nutrigenomics, and only about 15% of respondents know how to effectively communicate information on genetic risk to patients and understand the effect of nutrients on molecular mechanisms. Despite this lack of knowledge, 59% of respondents had a positive attitude to nutri­genomics, and 63% of them had a great interest in broadening their knowledge. Subjects who had participated in nutrigenomics courses exhibited a better understanding of several areas of nutrigenomics. They were especially interested in practical aspects of nutrigenomics, such as the essence of personalized diets and the practical application of nutrigenomics. Conclusions: In conclusion, Polish dieticians have a positive attitude to nutrigenomics but do not perceive themselves as well educated in this field, which is partly due to systemic problems. The study shows the need for improvements in nutrigenomic education in Poland.

Healthcare Professional Clinical Actions following Nutrigenomics Testing in Practice

“…A need for NGT training materials is evident, and while NGT companies can be a valuable source, additional efforts are needed from other sources. It is important to note that a subset of HCPs in our investigation accessed training from a professional organization’s nutrigenomics online course, which is a format that can be further developed [33] along with increasing availability of nutrigenomics courses in HCP education [34, 35]. Moreover, our findings indicate that patients are more likely to approach an HCP when they have an existing interest in NGT as opposed to an HCP initially recommending a test.…”

Authors’ Response

“…Our review of several articles directly relevant to the dietetics community from around the world revealed that these articles continue to use the term nutrigenomics to describe the use of genetic variations to personalize dietary recommendations. [2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12] The use of the term nutrigenomics is similarly used by various regulatory bodies and dietetic organizations globally. [13][14][15][16][17] Importantly, to avoid potential confusion, we indicated in the introduction of the article that "the term nutrigenomics is used to describe the application of genetic information to personalize nutrition recommendations."…”