Exploring the importance of ‘sustainability principles’ for dietetic practice and how to streamline these into the dietetic curriculum- a scoping review of the possibilities

This small-scale scoping project aimed to explore how ‘sustainability’ is understood within the dietetic profession and curriculum, and how ‘sustainability principles’ can be better embedded. Background/context to project: Understanding the many complexities of the human, social and ecological implications of climate change and their impact on the food system and food security is a real challenge for the dietetic profession. The evidence base for this emerging area needs, therefore, to be strengthened to ensure the profession is fully equipped with the competencies and skills required to embrace these wider ecological issues. This small scale exploratory project provides a starting point for developing more robust research into the future. Methods used: 1. Scoping review (summer 2016) which included: a. Straw poll of Dietitians in UK via LinkedIn b. Literature review carried out by initially appointed RA c. International Congress of Dietetics interactive workshop (which included a survey of n=48 international dietitians on their views on sustainability) – this was a complementary arm of funded study so will not be outlined here (but is included in draft publication) 2. A participatory student workshop with Level 6 dietetic students at Plymouth University was run in October 2016 to ‘explore dietetic student views and ideas on the importance of sustainability principles broadly and where they should fit within the curriculum’. This workshop consisted of four complementary strands: (i) delivery of key learning materials; (ii) interactive survey; (iii) group work activity; and (iv) plenary discussion. Analysis is ongoing and involves generation of basic categories and themes