Abstract
Objective: To understand 14-17-year-old youth’s perceptions of the field of dietetics and what would influence them to pursue or not pursue dietetics as a career. Design: Researchers developed an electronic survey asking about youth’s perceptions of the dietetics profession. Setting/Participants: The survey was distributed to a diverse population of youth aged 14-17 in the USA. Main Outcome Measures: Researchers aimed to understand what qualities 14-17-year-olds associate with dietetics professionals and if youth are interested in and/or view themselves as capable of becoming a dietitian. Analysis: SPSS software calculated descriptive statistics. Open-ended responses were analyzed using conventional content analysis. Results: Half of the sample (n=506) were female (49.6%), and a majority of the sample were White (61.46%), 14-15 years old (71.17%), and had previously heard of dietetics (51.89%). Respondents view dietitians as nutrition experts who have a credential, interact with people, and work in a variety of settings. Personal interest in pursuing dietetics varied due to educational requirements, qualifications, self-efficacy, and the need for fulfillment. Conclusions and Implications: Youth expect dietitians to be and look a certain way, which may contribute to the lack of diversity within the profession. An opportunity exists for more education to increase awareness about the dietetics profession.
DOI
10.26890/dlxd9638
Recommended Citation
Barney, Andrea; Mueller, Kelsey; and Patten, Emily
(2025)
"A Qualitative Analysis of 14- to 17-Year-Olds’ Perceptions of and Interest in Dietetics,"
Journal of Dietetic Education: Vol. 3:
Iss.
1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.26890/dlxd9638
Available at:
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/jde/vol3/iss1/2