Background: Nutrition and dietetics (ND) training encourages behaviors that can be considered risk factors for eating disorders or disordered eating. This paper aims to explore the prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and predictors of eating disorders (/P-EDs) in ND students. Methods: A systematic scoping review of the literature was performed on PubMed, ERIC, PsychINFO, OVID Medline, and Scopus in October 2022. Results: A total of 2097 papers were retrieved from the search, of which 19 studies met the inclusion criteria. The resultant literature reported that 4–32% of ND students were at high risk of EDs (n = 6 studies), and 23–89% could be classified as having orthorexia nervosa (n = 7 studies). Further, 37–86% reported body image/fat dissatisfaction (n = 10 studies), and 100% of students reported weight dissatisfaction (n = 1 study). Conclusions: This paper highlights the prevalence of EDs and P-EDs across ND students. Further research is warranted to explore the cause, context, and impact on ND students’ wellbeing and professional identity and supporting diversity within the profession. Future studies should also consider curriculum approaches to address this occupational hazard.
There is growing evidence of the value of co-design and partnering with students in the design, development, and delivery of health professions education (HPE). However, the way in which students participate in co-designing HPE remains largely unexplored and there is little guidance on how to embed and strengthen partnerships with students. Using scoping review methodology, we identified and aggregated research reporting studies in which students were active partners in co-designing formal curricula in HPE. After searching five databases and screening 12,656 articles against inclusion criteria, 21 studies were identified. We found that most of the research was based in medical programs (n = 15) across Western contexts. Studies were mostly descriptive case reports (n = 10), with only three studies utilising participatory/action research designs. The co-designed outputs were mostly classroom-based learning on challenging HPE topics, for example, ethics, health inequities, racial and sexual bias, global health, and Indigenous health. Detailed descriptions of student-faculty partnerships and underpinning approaches were lacking overall. To optimise co-design methods, HPE and research require deeper engagement with critical research and pedagogical approaches and more robust evaluations of the processes, outputs and outcomes of co-design. In pedagogical practices, this necessitates challenging institutional structures, teaching and learning cultures and relational elements, such as through creating formal roles and opportunities for students as active co-design partners and fostering more equitable student-faculty positioning in HPE.
Career development is an essential component of graduate employability, particularly for students undertaking degree programs that are not aligned to a specific vocational outcome. For undergraduate career development to be effective, it should be embedded into the curriculum and involve the academic teaching staff. This approach enhances the relationships between academics and students, and improves student course engagement. Thus, it is imperative that we understand academics’ perceptions and current teaching practices associated with their students’ career development as we strategize how to better prepare graduates for work. This research explored the views of academics on supporting their students’ career development in three non-vocational undergraduate health science degree programs (Biomedical Science, Nutritional Science and Psychology) at an Australian university. A constructionist qualitative inquiry framework was utilised, with semi-structured focus groups. Framework thematic analysis was utilised for the focus group transcripts. Three major themes (attitudes and beliefs, teaching and learning approaches, and challenges), and ten sub-themes were identified. Similar views identified across academics included that students’ careers education should be the responsibility of all university staff as well as the students, that academics have limited knowledge of the employment outcomes of their graduates, and that employability skills development should be embedded into the curriculum. There were divergent views on the expertise of academics to provide careers advice, with academics in two degree programs lacking confidence with careers advising as they had limited employment experience beyond research and teaching. This research provides insight into academics’ views and attitudes about supporting their students’ career development and has broader implications for curricular development and academic roles.