Purpose: Athletes have a higher prevalence of eating disorders (EDs) and disordered eating (DE) than the general population. Intuitive eating (IE) is a nutrition intervention that is negatively associated with DE, yet research is limited on how dietitians incorporate IE into recommendations for athletes. This study examined Sports Dietitians’ beliefs about incorporating IE into nutrition counselling. Results: Most participants incorporate IE into practice. They felt challenge the food police is the most effective principle of IE for athletes, along with reject the diet mentality and respect your body. Half of the dietitians identified honour your hunger as the most challenging principle of IE for athletes to adopt. Most dietitians who work with athletes with ED/DE use IE in practice. However, some indicated that athletes with a newly diagnosed ED need a more structured intervention before IE can be effective. Conclusion: Participants suggested that most principles of IE can be used when counselling athletes, although some barriers exist. Future research should explore athletes’ experience with integrating IE into nutrition care.
Purpose: This study aims to assess weight bias among registered dietitians in British Columbia (BC) and its association with demographic and professional characteristics. Methods: A cross-sectional electronic survey was conducted using two validated questionnaires: the Fat Phobia Scale-Short Form (FPS) and the Thin-Fat People Implicit Association Test (IAT). The survey was distributed to 252 RDs across three health authorities in BC, with 43 responses included in the final analysis. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Kruskal–Wallis tests, and Spearman’s correlation. Results: Most participants (90.5%, n = 42) had mild to moderate fat phobia with a mean FPS score of 3.06 ± 0.34. The IAT results showed that 78.3% of participants implicitly favoured thin people. A significant positive correlation was found between years of dietetic practice and FPS scores (r = 0.34, P = 0.03). Participants with no preference to strong fat preference had a significant shorter median duration of dietetic practice (2.5 years) than participants with a moderate thin preference (13.0 years, P = 0.01). Conclusions: Weight bias is prevalent among BC dietitians, with significant associations between weight bias and years of practice. These results underscore the need for targeted interventions to address weight bias in dietetic practice, enhancing the quality of care for individuals with larger bodies.
Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and its conditioning regimens negatively affect the gastrointestinal tract, causing complications that may limit oral intake. As a result, HSCT patients are at risk of malnutrition, with parenteral nutrition (PN) often being the default treatment. The American Society for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition guidelines prioritize enteral nutrition (EN) over PN in HSCT to maintain gut integrity. However, EN is often deferred due to clinical concerns (e.g., thrombocytopenia and mucositis), patient refusal, staff preference for PN, and lack of protocols. It is unknown whether EN is used prophylactically to circumvent these complications. This quality assurance initiative aimed to benchmark current Canadian EN practice in HSCT centres. A benchmarking questionnaire was administered to dietitians working in centres listed on the Cell Therapy Transplant Canada web site (February-March 2025). Dietitians at 10 of 17 adult centres participated. While all centres used PN, only seven used EN, and just one used it prophylactically. Main barriers to prophylactic EN initiation included patient refusal (71%), clinical concerns (71%), staff preference for PN (71%), and lack of protocols (14%). Prophylactic EN remains underutilized in Canadian HSCT centres. Standardized EN protocols, improved patient education, and enhanced multidisciplinary collaboration may improve nutrition care for HSCT patients.
The increasing risk of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in South Asian (SA) adolescents in Canada emphasizes the need for targeted prevention efforts. Effective interventions and culturally responsive nutrition programming are crucial for promoting healthy behaviours and reducing the risk of T2D before diagnosis in this population. The objective of this study is to describe the unique design, content, and delivery of nutrition interventions in the South Asian Adolescent Diabetes Awareness Program (SAADAP), a community-based, culturally tailored T2D prevention initiative integrating health equity principles with lifestyle interventions for SA adolescents. In October 2018, SAADAP was launched in the Region of Peel located in Ontario, Canada, and 68 SA adolescents (aged 13-17 years) with a family history of T2D were invited to participate in the study. The eight-week program comprised of multiple nutrition sessions that were co-created by registered dietitians, the research team, a SA Youth Advisory Group, and members of a multi-stakeholder steering committee. Post-intervention questionnaires were completed by 43 participants, of whom 87% were in strong agreement about the beneficial impacts for SA adolescents. SAADAP is a promising and effective outreach platform to empower and educate youth on the positive impacts of nutrition on T2D prevention and health outcomes.
