Level of nutrition competencies among healthcare professionals and medical students in Kazakhstan.

Abstract

Background: Nutrition is a critical component of healthcare, with healthcare professionals playing a pivotal role in encouraging proper nutrition care among patients. Consequently, it is imperative for all healthcare professionals to have proficiency in nutrition relevant to the prevention and treatment of diseases. This study, to the best of the author's knowledge, is the first study to examine the current level of nutrition competencies among health professionals and medical students in Kazakhstan, as well as the factors influencing these competencies. The findings may potentially help to inform future clinical nutrition educational strategies and improve health outcomes in the region.

Methods: This cross-sectional study surveyed 200 healthcare professionals in Kazakhstan via a 17-item questionnaire adapted from the NUTrition COMPetence tool, which assesses the self-perceived competence of primary health professionals in providing nutrition care, particularly for patients with chronic diseases. It measures several dimensions of competence, including confidence in nutrition knowledge, skills and counselling, and has established reliability and validity. Recruitment was conducted using convenience and snowball sampling methods. Fisher's exact test was used for statistical analysis to identify significant associations.

Results: Most healthcare professionals self-reported their nutrition knowledge as 'average' (52.7%) or 'good' (29.5%). Although 40.2% felt 'somewhat confident' and 27.6% felt 'very confident' in applying this knowledge clinically, half indicated they 'rarely' provide nutrition care. Additionally, the current study found that nutrition education received before entering practice was strongly linked to participants' current level of nutrition knowledge (p=0.011).

Conclusions: The gap between self-reported knowledge and practical application suggests barriers to integrating clinical nutrition education into practice. The quality of nutrition education received during medical training is crucial for shaping current competencies, highlighting the necessity for improved nutrition education in healthcare training programmes.