Professional perspectives on PN among registered dietitians in Saudi Arabia: a mixed-methods assessment

The clinical implementation of personalized nutrition (PN) remains limited, despite growing interest. Healthcare professionals' readiness for adoption must be better understood.

The aim of this study is to explore registered dietitians' perceptions, attitudes, and readiness regarding PN and multi-omics approaches in Saudi Arabia.

A mixed-methods survey of 88 registered dietitians in Saudi Arabia provided quantitative and qualitative data on personalized nutrition technology (PNT) adoption patterns and barriers, analysed using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify implementation barriers and facilitators.

PNT adoption was low (16%). Work experience, but not education level, had a relatively greater correlation with perceived usefulness of PNT (r = 0.280, p = 0.007). Genomics, metabolomics, and microbiome testing demonstrated strong correlations with PNT usefulness (r = 0.321-0.571, p ≤ 0.004). Qualitative findings identified knowledge gaps as the primary challenge and emphasized education as the key facilitator.

While Saudi dietitians have positive attitudes toward PN, they face significant implementation barriers at both an organizational and educational levels. For PN integration to be achieved within the Kingdom's healthcare system, policy, academic, and institutional interventions are required to enhance organizational support, professional training gaps, and interprofessional collaboration frameworks.