The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases
Background: International studies have highlighted the benefit of using a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPBD) in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is imperative to gather the opinions of dietitians on this diet, in order to assess whether it is a suitable treatmen...
| Main Authors: | , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Taylor & Francis Group
2021-07-01
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| Series: | The South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2019.1679996 |
| _version_ | 1797678733242400768 |
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| author | LM Janse Van Rensburg NL Wiles |
| author_facet | LM Janse Van Rensburg NL Wiles |
| author_sort | LM Janse Van Rensburg |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: International studies have highlighted the benefit of using a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPBD) in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is imperative to gather the opinions of dietitians on this diet, in order to assess whether it is a suitable treatment option for the prevention of NCDs in South Africa. Objective: The aim was to determine whether dietitians would use a WFPBD to address NCDs, by assessing their opinions on the benefits and barriers of this diet. Methods: A cross-sectional study, using an online survey of dietitians who are practising in KwaZulu-Natal (n = 101). Results: Dietitians who work for the government were significantly more likely to have patients with NCDs referred than dietitians in private practice. The subjects reported that the training surrounding WFPBD was inadequate at university level; however, a significant sample was confident about prescribing this diet and they were interested in improving their knowledge on this topic. The strongest perceived benefits of a WFPBD were its association with improved fibre intake and the reduced consumption of saturated fats. The strongest barriers against prescribing a WFPBD were the lack of public awareness concerning the diet and personal preference for the consumption of meat and animal-sourced foods. Conclusion: Although the general opinion of a WFPBD was positive, the perceived barriers indicated suggest that this diet may be difficult to implement for the management of NCDs, particularly in the poverty-stricken areas of South Africa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:04:11Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-1703095ecaf04d8397b445481ec7c724 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1607-0658 2221-1268 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T23:04:11Z |
| publishDate | 2021-07-01 |
| publisher | Taylor & Francis Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition |
| spelling | doaj.art-1703095ecaf04d8397b445481ec7c7242023-09-21T13:38:26ZengTaylor & Francis GroupThe South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition1607-06582221-12682021-07-01342606410.1080/16070658.2019.16799961679996The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseasesLM Janse Van Rensburg0NL Wiles1Division of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-NatalDivision of Dietetics and Human Nutrition, School of Agricultural, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of KwaZulu-NatalBackground: International studies have highlighted the benefit of using a whole-food, plant-based diet (WFPBD) in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). It is imperative to gather the opinions of dietitians on this diet, in order to assess whether it is a suitable treatment option for the prevention of NCDs in South Africa. Objective: The aim was to determine whether dietitians would use a WFPBD to address NCDs, by assessing their opinions on the benefits and barriers of this diet. Methods: A cross-sectional study, using an online survey of dietitians who are practising in KwaZulu-Natal (n = 101). Results: Dietitians who work for the government were significantly more likely to have patients with NCDs referred than dietitians in private practice. The subjects reported that the training surrounding WFPBD was inadequate at university level; however, a significant sample was confident about prescribing this diet and they were interested in improving their knowledge on this topic. The strongest perceived benefits of a WFPBD were its association with improved fibre intake and the reduced consumption of saturated fats. The strongest barriers against prescribing a WFPBD were the lack of public awareness concerning the diet and personal preference for the consumption of meat and animal-sourced foods. Conclusion: Although the general opinion of a WFPBD was positive, the perceived barriers indicated suggest that this diet may be difficult to implement for the management of NCDs, particularly in the poverty-stricken areas of South Africa.http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2019.1679996dietitiansplant-based dietkwazulu-natalnon-communicable diseasesvegan diet |
| spellingShingle | LM Janse Van Rensburg NL Wiles The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases The South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition dietitians plant-based diet kwazulu-natal non-communicable diseases vegan diet |
| title | The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases |
| title_full | The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases |
| title_fullStr | The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases |
| title_full_unstemmed | The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases |
| title_short | The opinion of KwaZulu-Natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole-foods plant-based diet in the management of non-communicable diseases |
| title_sort | opinion of kwazulu natal dietitians regarding the use of a whole foods plant based diet in the management of non communicable diseases |
| topic | dietitians plant-based diet kwazulu-natal non-communicable diseases vegan diet |
| url | http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/16070658.2019.1679996 |
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