Cultural specificity and linguistic diversity in medical nutrition therapy education resources for type 2 diabetes

Culturally tailored nutrition care improves diabetes-related health outcomes, yet little is known about the cultural specificity and multilingual accessibility of education resources used in medical nutrition therapy for type 2 diabetes. This mini review examined the cultural specificity and linguistic diversity of Canadian diabetes nutrition therapy resources and compared resources' characteristics based on the presence of these features.

A mini review adopting systematic search methods for gray literature was conducted. Data sources include bibliographic and gray literature databases, customized search engines, targeted sites, and consultations with dietitian diabetes educators. Eligible resources were freely available online, in English, and published by Canadian organizations. Resources' cultural specificity, language availability, year, publisher, format, and contents were extracted. Quality was assessed using Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance checklist.

We identified 341 (46 professional- and 295 patient-facing) resources. A third of resources (37% of professional and 28% of patient) contained culturally specific guidance, most frequently for Indigenous and South and Southeast Asian groups. Guidance for African, Caribbean, Middle Eastern, East Asian, and Latin American groups was sparse. Just 9% of patient resources were available in languages other than English or French, and 4% had both cultural specificity and third-language translations. Culturally specific professional resources had less comprehensive content coverage than general resources. Culturally or linguistically diverse patient resources were comprehensive but often outdated.

Professional and patient education resources with expanded cultural diversity and multilingual options are needed to support medical nutrition therapy for ethnoculturally diverse Canadians with type 2 diabetes.