SEARCHCROSS-SECTIONALpublic health, nutrition

cross-sectional·public health, nutrition, dietetics, clinical nutrition, epidemiology·PMC10134652

Undervalued professionals: placement of nutritionist in the Ecuadorian health system

BMC Health Services Research · 4 authors, 2 centres

AI SUMMARY

FIDELITY 100%

This summary was generated by AI from a single paper. It has not been reviewed by a clinician and is not clinical advice. Verify against the source before acting on it.

AGENT 01 · STRUCTURED SUMMARY

TRACE TO SOURCE

“

TL;DR

The study also revealed minimal representation in community and public health nutrition roles.

Full summary

943 CHARS

This cross-sectional study surveyed 442 licensed nutritionists who graduated from 13 Ecuadorian universities (5 private, 8 public) between 2008 and 2019, using an online questionnaire on employment status, work areas, and educational satisfaction. The response rate was approximately 56%. A total of 76% reported having been unemployed at some point in their careers. The most common professional field was private business ownership (40.69%), while community nutrition was the least represented (3.64%). The predominant monthly salary was 800 USD, with private university graduates earning significantly more. A total of 84.2% of participants were female. Key limitations include the cross-sectional design, a 56% response rate, and restriction to graduates from 13 universities over an 11-year period. The findings suggest a substantial mismatch between nutrition workforce supply and available positions within the Ecuadorian health system.

STUDY TYPE

cross-sectional

SPECIALTY

public health

SUMMARISED BY

AI pipeline

FIDELITY CHECK

100% · A

ORIGINAL PAPER

PMC10134652

Undervalued professionals: placement of nutritionist in the Ecuadorian health system

BMC Health Services Research

READ THE FULL PAPER

ABSTRACT

Background Currently, many public health issues are directly related to malnutrition, and are made worse by social inequities. Nutrition professionals must be a key player in improving epidemiological aspects of nutrition-related diseases and must be part of clinical teams to control nutritional concerns. Objective To identify and analyze the nutritionists´ employment situation in Ecuador and areas of work covered and determine if type of university has an impact over work situation. Methodology A cross-sectional study was conducted, approved by the ethics committee of Universidad San Francisco de Quito. It included 442 nutritionists in Ecuador who graduated in 13 universities (5 private (PR) and 8 public (PU)) between 2008 and 2019. It implied an online survey that questioned their satisfaction with their education and current work situation. All the statistical analyses were performed using R version 4.0.3, two-sided weighted chi-square test was performed to estimate the difference between public and private university graduates, IC 95%, p between 0.01 and 0.05. Results 38,6% of participants are unemployed, 68,28% private university graduates (PR) are currently employed and 58.87% work as nutritionists, compared to 56,86% from a public university (PU) currently working and 44.69% working in the field. 76% have reported being unemployed at some point in their careers, being difficulty finding jobs the main reason. Regarding the professional field, most professionals have their own business, and the less common area of work was public and community nutrition. One third of the participants had another paid activity. The main salary is 800USD per month and graduated from PR perceived better salaries than from PU. Conclusion There is a lack of job opportunities for Ecuadorian nutritionists despite the high demand in every level of the health system. Most have been unemployed at some point in their careers due to difficulties finding jobs. There is a minimum nutrition staff working in community and public health nutrition.

CITATION EXPORT

A. C. Román, M. A. Villar, P. Belmont-Guerron et al.. Undervalued professionals: placement of nutritionist in the Ecuadorian health system. BMC Health Services Research. (2023). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09340-8

AUTHORS

4 · 2 CENTRES

A. C. Román, M. A. Villar, P. Belmont-Guerron, M. B. Ocampo

1grid.412251.10000 0000 9008 4711Colegio de Ciencias de la Salud, Nutrición y Dietética, Universidad San Francisco de Quito USFQ, Campus Cumbaya, edificio Hanna Arent, oficina HA102, Casilla Postal, 17-1200-841, 170901 Quito, Ecuador
2grid.440857.a0000 0004 0485 2489Escuela Politécnica Nacional, Facultad de Ingenieria en Sistemas, Quito, Ecuador