Supporting those experiencing food insecurity: A scoping review of the role of a dietitian

Background

Increasing levels of food insecurity in the United Kingdom (UK) suggest an imperative to consider the role of dietitians in supporting people who may have insufficient access to safe and nutritious food.

Objective

To explore the available evidence on the (i) role of a dietitian, (ii) impact of support and (iii) training needs of dietitians to support those with inadequate access to food.

Methods and Design

Scoping review methodology was used to identify qualitative, quantitative and grey literature on the role of dietitians in supporting those with/or at risk of food insecurity. The Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) was used to report the evidence reviewed for this study. Methods included multiple literature searches, charting of data extracted, and content analysis. The data of interest included the country of study, study methodology, the population of interest, the role of a dietitian, the measures, tools or guidance used and a summary of key findings.

Results

In total, 466 studies were identified, following the removal of duplicate records, 243 records were screened for inclusion; the full text of 95 articles was reviewed for eligibility, and 19 were included in the review. Articles were summarised descriptively using tables and synthesised to identify emerging themes. Overarching themes of dietitians' role included, (i) identification and screening of food insecurity, (ii) facilitating community interventions and (iii) policy development.

Conclusions

Dietitians hold a range of roles to support people at risk of or experiencing food insecurity. However, there are considerable gaps in current training programmes, and a paucity of evidence describing the impact dietitians have on improving nutrition outcomes for those individuals at risk of or experiencing food insecurity.