Determinants of the application of personalised nutrition and associated technologies in dietetic practice - A mixed methods study of key stakeholders in personalised nutrition

Background: Tech-enabled personalised nutrition is an emerging area that has promise to improve health outcomes, widen access to nutrition expertise and reduce healthcare expenditure, yet uptake by registered dietitians remains low. This research programme aimed to identify levers and barriers that contribute to adoption of personalised nutrition in order to guide practice and policy for registered dietitians, educators and consumers. Methods: A mixed methods study with a sequential exploratory design was adopted to determine what the barriers to adoption of technologies are, and secondly, what needs to be in place to make tech-enabled personalised nutrition a reality. The research programme was conducted online using qualitative (focus groups and interviews) and quantitative measures (survey and secondary analysis). Thematic analysis, statistical and secondary analyses of data were performed respectively. Results: Using diffusion of innovation and entrepreneurial theories, findings indicate that barriers to integration of personalised nutrition technologies include intrinsic and extrinsic factors which relate to a low self-efficacy, high perception of risk, low perceived importance and usefulness of technologies to dietetic practice as well as a lack of an entrepreneurial mindset and regulatory environment. Conclusion: Uptake of tech-enabled personalised nutrition by registered dietitians will require a multi-stakeholder approach. Educational, professional, regulatory and health policies will need to be in place and strategies that open discussion between Registered Dietitians (RD’s) at all levels are needed