The knowledge, attitudes, and practices of dietitians licensed in Oregon regarding functional foods, nutrient supplements, and herbs as complementarymedicine

Objective To examine the perceived knowledge and attitudes of dietitians li censed in Oregon (LDs) regarding the effectiveness and safety of functional foods, nutrient supplements, and herbs as complementary medicine as well a s their personal use, recommendations for the use of others, and training n eeds. Design A mailed survey was used to gather data. The questionnaire was devel oped and face-validated after a focus group discussion. Subjects/setting A geographically stratified, random sample of 202 Oregon L Ds was surveyed; usable data were collected from 162 LDs (80%). Statistical analyses Descriptive statistics and chi (2) tests were used to analyze data. The data were weighted to take account of the sampling method and yield population estimates. Results LDs considered themselves to be knowledgeable of functional foods a nd nutrient supplements. More than 80% were confident of the effectiveness of functional foods and nutrient supplements for prevention of illness and treatment of chronic illness, and at least 89% were confident of their safe ty for these uses. Fewer than 75% considered herbs to be safe and only abou t 50% were confident of the effectiveness of herbs. Only 10% or fewer LDs c onsidered themselves to be knowledgeable about herbs for prevention and tre atment of illness. Interest in training about each of these less-traditiona l nutrition therapies was high. Applications/conclusions Oregon LDs consider themselves to be actively prac ticing in the area of complementary medicine and have a strong desire for f urther training. The dietetics profession can capitalize on this interest b y taking the lead in training dietitians about the role of functional foods , nutrient supplements, and herbs in health.