The impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition: dietitians' perspective

There are currently 3.8 billion social network users around the world. Social networks have an enormous potential for entrepreneurs to reach their customers and, consequently, increase their profit, reduce costs and increase productivity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition from a dietitian point of view regarding the effectiveness of nutritional interventions and economic profitability of social networks. The results show that 56.2% of dietitians use social networks for professional purposes. About 84.4% increased the total number of consultations due to social networks, with the majority being able to retain more than 75% of customers (46.7%). With regards to effectiveness, 51.1% consider dietary approaches through social networks equally effective comparing to face-to-face approaches. We can conclude that the increased demand and interest in online services may constitute a business opportunity or a job opportunity for dietitians.