Assessing the Impact of Nutrition Training Among Medical Students

Introduction: Nutrition education remains inadequate in American medical schools, and physicians often cite lack of nutrition knowledge as a barrier to counseling patients. The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of additional nutrition curriculum on first-year medical students. Methods: We created a 1-hour nutrition lecture, delivered to first-year medical students. Using pre-, post-, and 3-month follow-up surveys, we assessed the following: (1) change in student knowledge; (2) confidence in counseling patients; (3) motivation to change their personal dietary behaviors; and (4) satisfaction with the curriculum. We assessed objectives using multiple choice questions and 10-point Likert scale questions. Results: Of the 142 students who attended the live lecture, 105 (73.9%) completed both pre- and postsurveys, and 65 (45.8%) completed the 3-month follow-up survey. Students’ knowledge of the material increased from 37% to 82%, but retention dropped to 65% at the 3-month mark (P.001). Comfort in assessing and counseling patients improved across the three survey iterations, from 3.53 to 5.90 to 8.00 (P.001). Motivation to change personal behaviors was high overall at 8.04, 8.36 and 8.25 P.05). Moreover, students were satisfied with the lecture, with a rating of 8.58/10. Conclusions: This study supports the value of additional medical student nutrition education. This curriculum significantly increases student knowledge, comfort with the material, and confidence in counseling their future patients. A longitudinal curriculum that reinforces concepts over time will help improve long-term retention.