Affective behaviors are crucial for dietitians, encompassing attitudes, beliefs, and values.
Expert consensus is vital for defining professional competencies.
Purpose of the Study:
To identify and categorize affective behaviors essential for dietitians.
To evaluate the importance and essentiality of these behaviors.
Main Methods:
Delphi panel of dietetic experts to identify behaviors.
Four rounds of statement convergence and categorization.
Two groups of registered dietitians rated behavior importance and essentiality.
Principal components analysis for further behavioral grouping.
Main Results:
Behaviors categorized into five components: human, technical, conceptual, personal, and professional.
All identified behaviors were rated as essential or important by dietitians.
Principal components analysis yielded six internally consistent scales: initiative/flexibility, professional commitment, interpersonal, personal responsibility, leadership, and personal commitment.
Conclusions:
Established a comprehensive set of affective behaviors for dietitians.
Results suggest these behaviors are fundamental to the profession.
Further research is recommended to validate these behaviors for performance evaluation.