Diversity in Dietetics Matters

The dietetics profession is comprised of practitioners who understand the relationship between food and health.  Registered Dietitians (RDs) can work in a variety of fields ranging from acute care hospitals, food service institutions, community settings, and research or marketing arenas.  A wide variety of populations are served by RDs, including minority populations.  Several minority populations such as African Americans and Hispanics tend to be at higher nutritional risk, and often have higher rates of obesity and chronic diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, and cardiovascular disease.  Despite the fact that these disparities tend to be related to nutrition, the RDs who serve these populations tend to be primarily white and female (96%).   This problem has been addressed within the profession for decades and little progress has been made. The success of white RDs treating non-white patients has been questioned and could lead to lower quality of care.  The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions and experiences of minority dietitians throughout their education.  Barriers that prohibit minorities from entering the field were also be explored. To explore this phenomenon, minority female dietitians were interviewed to investigate their perceptions of the field and their higher education experience.  This work answers the question: What are the experiences of minority female professional dietitians regarding training, education, and practice? Using Critical Race Theory (CRT) as the lens, results showed that minorities have had disgraceful treatment in their higher education and internship experiences and have had to work harder than their white peers.