EconPapers    
Economics at your fingertips  
 

Identification and evaluation of competencies of public health nutritionists

L.S. Sims

American Journal of Public Health, 1979, vol. 69, issue 11, 1099-1105

Abstract: The Delphi Technique was used to elicit a number of essential competencies expected of the 'entry-level' public health nutritionist from members of Graduate Faculties of Programs in Public Health Nutrition. Questionnaires composed of 'compentency statements' were constructed from these responses and sent to practitioners in public health nutrition. The questionnaire requested evaluation of the 'necessity' of each competency. Responses served as the basis for 'factor analysis' procedures, employed to obtain clusters of competency functions expected of the nutritionist. From the 109 competency items originally identified, 17 competency scales were derived from the factor analysis. A ranking from both faculties and practitioners revealed that both groups highly rated competencies to communicate, to counsel and deal with clients/patients, and to interpret scientific data in 'lay language'. Less important in the ranking were competencies which dealt with administrative abilities, program planning, legislative activism, and consumer advocacy. These findings have implications for the practitioner in public health nutrition as well as for academic groups who must plan and evaluate curricula in public health nutrition and in other fields of public health.

Date: 1979
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
http://hdl.handle.net/10.2105/AJPH.69.11.1099

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.69.11.1099_9

DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.69.11.1099

Access Statistics for this article

American Journal of Public Health is currently edited by Alfredo Morabia

More articles in American Journal of Public Health from American Public Health Association
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Christopher F Baum ().

 
Page updated 2025-03-19
Handle: RePEc:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.69.11.1099_9