Knowledge and Interest in Nutritional Genomics Among Clinical Dietitians in Kuwait: A Cross-Sectional Study

The evolution of nutritional genomics informs promising opportunities to improve the efficacy of personalized dietary protocols through the interplay between genetics and nutrition. As the primary healthcare providers of nutrition services, dietetic practitioners can play a critical role in translating genomic knowledge into clinical practice for optimized health and quality of life. The objective of this study was to assess the knowledge and interest in nutritional genomics among clinical dietitians in Kuwait.

A total of 319 dietitians practicing in public and private hospitals completed an online survey of a validated, structured questionnaire. Data were processed by using chi-square tests, ANOVA, and regression modeling.

The majority of study participants were females and had diploma or BSc degree in nutrition. Overall, 87% of dietitians showed low-to-moderate knowledge in nutritional genomics, with an entire cohort mean knowledge score of 5.2 ± 1.9 out of a possible 10. Notably, dietitians with higher baseline knowledge levels in nutritional genomics also expressed a significantly greater interest in the field (p < 0.05). Furthermore, while 82.1% of dietitians perceived personalized nutrition as highly important and 55.2% agreed that nutritional genomics could improve clinical outcomes of the dietetic profession, 79.6% either remained neutral or indicated a lack of adequate knowledge to successfully integrate the science into everyday practice. Concurrently, 39.8% showed high interest in advanced training programs.

These findings invite action toward establishing institutional policies and specialized educational programs to enhance nutritional genomics literacy and integration into the dietetic practice in Kuwait.