Student-led teaching and learning initiatives in nutrition education for medical and health students: a scoping review.

Abstract

Background: Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death, yet nutrition education for medical and healthcare professionals remains inadequate internationally. Beyond 'top-down' curriculum and accreditation initiatives, student-led teaching and learning initiatives typically commence to fill curricular gaps. This scoping review aimed to synthesise evidence on student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and health students.

Methods: Following JBI methodology for scoping reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC and Web of Science were searched for studies from any country and year that related to student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and health students. A grey literature search ensured a comprehensive overview of available literature. Data were synthesised narratively.

Results: Twenty articles published between 2012 and 2024 were included, and most were from the USA (n=15). Student-led nutrition education initiatives included culinary education (n=11, 55%), placement opportunities (n=10, 50%), lecture series (n=7, 35%) and student interest groups (n=6, 30%). Twelve studies (60%) included more than one type of initiative. Initiatives mostly targeted medical students (n=13, 65%), and four were interdisciplinary (20%). Studies included students from undergraduate or preclinical years through to practising health professionals. Initiatives were delivered by students, physicians, dietitians, and other health professionals, mostly in-person (n=12, 60%) within university (n=12, 60%) or community (n=7, 35%) settings. Thirteen studies evaluated the initiative(s) using questionnaires (n=10, 50%), informal feedback (n=2, 10%) or focus groups (n=1, 5%). Of these, seven studies (54%) reported improved confidence and competence in nutrition among the students involved.

Conclusions: Student-led nutrition education initiatives are likely to be well received and may improve nutrition competence. These initiatives are a promising approach to address the persistent gap in nutrition education for medical and health students.