Supporting Australian dietitians to deliver effective behaviour change interventions: a pre-post training study

Area of Science:

• Dietetic Practice
• Behaviour Change Interventions
• Health Professional Education

Background:

• Dietitians need strong behaviour change skills for effective dietary modifications.
• Current behaviour change education for dietitians is inconsistent across institutions.
• Improving these skills is crucial for enhancing client outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate an online intervention targeting Australian dietitians.
• To enhance dietitians' capability, opportunity, motivation, and behaviour (COM-B) factors.
• To improve the implementation of behaviour change techniques in dietetic practice.

Main Methods:

• Recruited Australian Accredited Practising Dietitians via multiple channels.
• Administered online behaviour change workshops.
• Utilized mixed methods surveys at baseline, post-intervention, and 3-month follow-up.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in self-reported capability, opportunity, motivation, and behaviour.
• Sustained improvements noted at 3-month follow-up.
• 68% of dietitians reported practice changes, integrating specific techniques.

Conclusions:

• The online intervention successfully enhanced dietitians' COM-B factors and self-reported behaviour.
• Long-term skill development may necessitate additional support structures to address opportunity barriers.
• Future research should focus on professional development models offering sustained learning and organizational support.