Student-led teaching and learning initiatives in nutrition education for medical and health students: a scoping review

Unhealthy diets are a leading cause of death, yet nutrition education for medical and healthcare professionals remains inadequate internationally. Beyond 'top-down' curriculum and accreditation initiatives, student-led teaching and learning initiatives typically commence to fill curricular gaps. This scoping review aimed to synthesise evidence on student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and health students.

Following JBI methodology for scoping reviews, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, ERIC and Web of Science were searched for studies from any country and year that related to student-led nutrition education initiatives for medical and health students. A grey literature search ensured a comprehensive overview of available literature. Data were synthesised narratively.

Twenty articles published between 2012 and 2024 were included, and most were from the USA (n=15). Student-led nutrition education initiatives included culinary education (n=11, 55%), placement opportunities (n=10, 50%), lecture series (n=7, 35%) and student interest groups (n=6, 30%). Twelve studies (60%) included more than one type of initiative. Initiatives mostly targeted medical students (n=13, 65%), and four were interdisciplinary (20%). Studies included students from undergraduate or preclinical years through to practising health professionals. Initiatives were delivered by students, physicians, dietitians, and other health professionals, mostly in-person (n=12, 60%) within university (n=12, 60%) or community (n=7, 35%) settings. Thirteen studies evaluated the initiative(s) using questionnaires (n=10, 50%), informal feedback (n=2, 10%) or focus groups (n=1, 5%). Of these, seven studies (54%) reported improved confidence and competence in nutrition among the students involved.

Student-led nutrition education initiatives are likely to be well received and may improve nutrition competence. These initiatives are a promising approach to address the persistent gap in nutrition education for medical and health students.