THE MENU I PROJECT. FROM CLINIC TO KITCHEN: ANALYZING SOCIAL MODELS' INFLUENCE ON FOODSERVICE CAREER INTENTIONS IN FUTURE REGISTERED DIETITIAN NUTRITIONISTS"

Registered dietitian nutritionists [RDNs, the English equivalent of the professional title "nutritionist dietitians" are the food and nutrition experts translating nutrition science into practical solutions for healthy living (1). RDNs typically work on direct patient care, and the general public recognizes their role in the clinical context (2,3). However, the scope of their professional practice is constantly expanding, and their expertise is in high demand across various scenarios. Post-COVID-19 pandemic, consumers have become increasingly interested in a healthy lifestyle; as a result, food-related sectors are moving towards a health-oriented approach, creating opportunities for RDNs, particularly in foodservices(4). The foodservice industry is essential to the population’s food consumption, significantly influencing people’s health and daily lives. In the United States (U.S.), 34% of daily caloric intake per individual comes from food-away-from-home (5,6). Nearly 24% of adult workers consume foods and beverages at their workplace during the workweek(7). In Colombia, there is a scarcity of scientific publications on nutritional intake from food-away-from-home sources. However, dining out and foodservice programs are on the rise(8–10). A recent study by the principal investigator at Pontificia Universidad Javeriana examined Colombian food environments related to dining out (11). The findings revealed that commercial food services have a strong interest in health-focused menus, suggesting that Colombia holds significant potential for offering health-oriented foodservices (11). Nevertheless, there is a low involvement of dietitians in this industry (4). Despite foodservice operations’ potential impact on diet, RDNs and preservice RDNs (Current undergraduates in the final semester of dietetic studies) lack interest in the foodservice management practice as a preferred employment sector (12). Only one in ten RDNs works in the foodservice industry (6,13,14). Although standards of practice for RDNs include foodservice management in several settings (15–17), dietetics students lack awareness of this particular career path (14). For RDNs, the most common career expectation is hospital-based or private practice direct-patient care, which corresponds with the distribution of dietitians in the health workforce (14,18). Different from foodservice, clinical work is often considered a privileged area(19). Research to date has not determined how these distinctions in career intention may be attributed to higher education experiences. Although research in higher education has expanded, there is still a lack of research on nutrition and dietetic education at the higher level (NDEH)(20). In Colombia, scant scientific research on NDEH has been published, even though there is a need to improve the country's dietetic workforce (21). An Australian study revealed that most of the limited NDEH research concentrates on clinical nutrition (22). In the case of NDEH research within foodservice management practice, it is limited worldwide (23). A recent study that explored sociocultural factors in dietetic education claimed that further research is warranted in professional identity development, especially in low-medium income countries (19). The overall purpose of this study is to contribute to the knowledge of NDEH, in Colombia, by examining social models as drivers of RDNs´foodservice career intention.