Educating dental students about diet-related behavior change: does experiential learning work?

Area of Science:

• Dental Education
• Behavioral Science
• Public Health Nutrition

Background:

• Diet-related behaviors significantly impact overall health.
• Dental professionals can play a role in patient health education.
• Understanding behavior change theories is crucial for effective patient counseling.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate an experiential exercise's impact on dental students' self-motivation for dietary changes.
• To assess the exercise's effect on students' comprehension of behavior change theories.
• To determine the exercise's influence on students' attitudes toward educating patients on diet-related behaviors.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of 218 senior dental students participated in an experiential nutrition exercise.
• Data collected via surveys at baseline, one week, three weeks, and end-of-term.
• The exercise focused on personal diet-related behavior change and health education theories.

Main Results:

• Students reported changes in feelings, thoughts, and actions regarding their own diet-related behaviors.
• The exercise improved understanding of health education theories and the complexity of behavior change.
• Interest in educating patients about diet-related behavior change increased significantly.

Conclusions:

• Experiential learning in nutrition positively influences dental students' personal behavior.
• The exercise enhances comprehension of behavior change theories and health education principles.
• This educational approach fosters greater confidence and interest in patient-centered dietary counseling.