Journal of Community Nutrition

대한지역사회영양학회 (The Korean Society of Community Nutrition)
권호 표지

Comparison of Websites Offering Nutrition Services Controlled by Registered Dietitians and Those Controlled by Non-dietitian Nutrition Consultants

  • Hires Brigette (Ohio Department of Education) ;
  • Ham Sunny (Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kentucky) ;
  • Forsythe Hazel W. (Department of Nutrition and Food Science, University of Kentucky)
  • 발행 : 2006.03.01
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초록

Health care is one of the most popular reasons for accessing the Internet. Of concern is the amount of information from disreputable sources available on the Internet. A review of websites offering nutrition consulting services suggests sites are controlled by both registered dietitians and non-dietitian professionals marketing themselves as nutrition consultants. The purpose of this study was to investigate structure and content of websites controlled by registered dietitians and nondietitians professionals marketing themselves as nutritionists or nutrition consultants. Internet search queries of 'dietitian', 'dietitian consultant', and 'nutrition consultant' were completed for website selection. Thirty websites controlled by registered dietitians and 10 websites controlled by nutrition consultants were reviewed using an 18-item website evaluation instrument developed for this study. Five evaluators were recruited from the dietetics program at the University of Kentucky. Overall, websites controlled by registered dietitians ranked higher than websites controlled by nutrition consultants in a majority of categories. Sites controlled by registered dietitians ranked statistically higher for the following categories: 'accuracy of information'(p<.0001), 'inclusion of professional resume of owner or primary manager' (p<.05), and 'explanation of the affiliation to externallinks'(p<.05). A majority of sites controlled by both dietitians and nutrition consultants achieved a poor ranking in regards to provision of a legal disclaimer and inclusion of a privacy policy. Prior studies suggest personal privacy is the most important concern for consumers accessing health information on the Internet. Findings from this project will benefit dietitians to assist in development of reputable nutrition related websites.

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