A Brief Intervention for Food Insecurity in Dietetic Practice Version1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A Feasibility Study of a Brief Intervention for Food Insecurity in Dietetic Practice
IRAS ID
241787
Contact name
Deborah Lycett
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Coventry University
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 27 days
Research summary
The purpose of the feasibility study is to explore the practicalities and acceptability of implementing a brief intervention for food insecurity in dietetic practice.
1 in 10 people in the UK cannot afford enough food to eat to help them and their family stay healthy. Food insecurity is associated with poorer health outcomes yet is not routinely addressed in clinical settings. Food insecurity requires intervention like other major health risks. The links between food insecurity, poor nutrition, and poor health outcomes are well established. People see dietitians for dietary advice to treat all kinds of diseases but routine food insecurity screening is not currently undertaken. Dietetic practice may be a good way to identify and address food insecurity therefore, feasibility needs to be tested.
The study will find out what it would be like for dietitians and their clients to be asked routinely in a dietetic appointment about having enough food to eat. We want to do this by getting dietitians to ask everyone 2 questions about whether they have enough to eat and then suggest some ways to get help if these are needed. We will record some of these discussions to see how they go and ask some participants in a couple of weeks’ time what they did with the information they were given. The dietitians who participate in the research will complete a focus group where they will discuss the feasibility of the brief intervention for food insecurity with other participating dietitians.
The dietitians will be recruited at a local dietetics department. The participants will be recruited in the waiting area prior to their appointment. This research is important to participants who are food insecure. They are given support to help address their food insecurity status. The research is not funded and will last 6 months.
REC name
West Midlands - Black Country Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
19/WM/0102
Date of REC Opinion
24 May 2019
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion