Increasing the access and effectiveness of medical nutrition therapy for North Carolina’s migrant and seasonal agricultural workers

Registered Dietitians (RDs) are health care professionals who partner with the medical care team to provide nutrition information tailored to patients’ health conditions and lifestyle. This customized medical nutrition therapy (MNT) has strong evidence supporting its ability to improve health outcomes and cost effectiveness of care for individuals with lipid metabolism disorders, weight management needs, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and a variety of other conditions (Handu et al., 2015). The effects of MNT can be seen within months and measurements such as weight loss and lowered hemoglobin A1c demonstrate that the benefits of MNT can be maintained with continued therapy past 12 months (Handu et al., 2015). In addition to improving disease outcomes, nutrition counseling is also an important part of preventative care at all ages.MNT is not a “one-size-fits-all” treatment. Compared with the MNT approach used for patients with a typical American diet, patient populations with significantly different cultures shaping their relationship with food may be best served by significantly different approaches when preparing and delivering MNT (Buffington & Drago, n.d.). This policy brief asserts that migrant and seasonal agricultural workers (MSAW) are one such population that can be most effectively served through MNT services tailored to their specific needs and strengths.Master of Public Healt