Telenutrition Adoption Among Saudi Registered Dietitians: Experiences, Barriers, and Readiness for Digital...

Telenutrition offers scalable solutions for delivering nutrition care, yet postpandemic data on its adoption among registered dietitians' (RDs) in Saudi Arabia remain limited. This study assessed telenutrition practices, perceived barriers and benefits, and readiness for adopting national telenutrition platforms among Saudi RDs to inform digital health platforms.

A cross-sectional survey using a validated 14-item Arabic questionnaire was distributed to RDs working in Saudi Arabia (N = 309). Respondents with prior telenutrition experience (n = 221) were included in the final analysis. Descriptive and chi-square tests were used to examine associations between demographic factors and telenutrition adoption preferences.

Findings showed that 95% of RDs reported confidence in delivering telenutrition, with 74% using it weekly. Commonly delivered services included dietary consultation (71.9%) and nutritional assessments (52%), primarily conducted via phone calls (86.4%). Measurement-related barriers, such as inaccurate self-assessments (74.2%) and patients' difficulty in following instructions (68.6%), were significantly more prevalent than technology-related challenges (42.5%, p < 0.001). Despite these limitations, 88% expressed interest in subscribing to a Saudi telenutrition platform, with 82% preferring part-time integration alongside existing roles. No statistically significant associations were found between demographic variables and adoption preferences; however, trends suggested greater interest among early to midcareer female RDs with postgraduate qualifications.

Saudi RDs show strong confidence, active use, and readiness to engage with flexible, part-time telenutrition models. These findings provide foundational evidence to support the development of user-centered, nationally digital platforms tailored to the needs of RDs in Saudi Arabia.