Job Satisfaction of Registered Dietitians Across Workplace Settings and Sectors in Lebanon: A Cross- Sectional Study

Lebanese registered dietitians are employed in various practice settings; however, little is known about their job satisfaction. This cross-sectional study aimed to determine job satisfaction among Lebanese female dietitians working in different professional fields, between the private and the public sector. Job satisfaction was measured with Spector's Job Satisfaction Survey (JSS) as a validated tool. Descriptive statistics were performed on socio-demographic data. The comparison of the nine facets in job satisfaction among eight workplace fields was conducted using the Kruskal-Wallis test. The same test was used for the comparison between the private and the public workplace sectors. In our study, dietitians were found to be satisfied with their job with a median score of 146 and a significant difference among different workplaces (X² = 572.341, p < 0.001), with those working in hospitals being the most satisfied. Participants reported moderate satisfaction in the areas of promotion (facet satisfaction score [FSS] = 14; p = 0.013), supervision (FSS = 14; p = 0.027), operating conditions (FSS = 14, p = 0.004) and co-workers (FSS = 15; p = 0.012). They expressed satisfaction with the nature of their work (FSS = 19; p = 0.003) but dissatisfaction with communication (FSS = 11; p = 0.018). No statistically significant differences were found in the facets of payment (FSS = 14; p = 0.117), fringe benefit (FSS = 14; p = 0.210) and contingent rewards (FSS = 14; p = 0.178). Additionally, satisfaction levels varied significantly between employment sectors (X² = 581.762, p < 0.001), with those in the public sector reporting higher satisfaction 127.50 ± 22.96) compared to those in the private sector (126.50 ± 17.91). Despite the generally positive attitudes towards practicing their profession, this study has provided a deeper understanding of the factors influencing their job satisfaction. It is recommended that all organizations employing dietitians in Lebanon be encouraged to conduct regular job satisfaction assessments. These efforts would contribute to enhancing the well-being of dietitians and better equipping policy-and strategy-makers with the necessary insights to effectively improve workplace conditions.