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24 Student-led teaching and learning initiatives in nutrition education for future medical and healthcare professionals: a scoping review

bmjnph · 2025-10-30 · canonical JSON source

1 visible annotations · policy: published · automated confidence ≥ 75.00%

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Background Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death, yet nutrition education for medical and healthcare professionals remains inadequate internationally. Student-led teaching and learning initiatives have shown success in filling in curricular gaps in other areas of health. Beyond ‘top-down’ curriculum and accreditation initiatives, this scoping review aimed to synthesise evidence on student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and healthcare professionals.Methods Following JBI methodology for scoping reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC and Web of Science were searched for studies related to student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and health care students globally. A grey literature search ensured a comprehensive overview of available literature. Data were synthesised narratively.Results 20 articles published between 2013-2024 were included, and most were from the United States (n = 15). Student-led nutrition education initiatives included culinary education (n = 9, 45%), lecture series (n = 6, 30%), placement and outreach opportunities (n = 8, 40%) and student interest groups (n = 6, 30%). Eleven studies (55%) included more than one type of initiative. Initiatives mostly targeted medical students (n = 14, 70%), and included students from undergraduate or preclinical years through to practice. One initiative was interdisciplinary (5%). Initiatives were delivered by students, physicians, dietitians, and other health care professionals, mostly in-person (n = 9, 45%) within university (n = 14, 70%) or community (n = 5, 25%) settings. Twelve studies evaluated the initiative using questionnaires and surveys (n = 9, 45%), informal feedback (n = 2, 10%) or focus groups (n = 1, 5%). Eight studies (40%) reported improved confidence and competence in nutrition amongst the students involved. Enablers included resourcing and well-developed partnerships with faculty, clinics, and community organisations.Conclusions Student-led nutrition education initiatives are likely well-received, may improve nutrition competence, and are a promising approach to address the gap in nutrition education for medical and healthcare students.