The history and development of registered dietitian accreditation systems in China and other comparable countries

Xiuhua Shen; Wenjing Tang; Zhiping Yu; Wei Cai

doi:10.1016/j.nutres.2018.07.002

The history and development of registered dietitian accreditation systems in China and other comparable countries

Nutr Res. 2019 Oct:70:11-17. doi: 10.1016/j.nutres.2018.07.002. Epub 2018 Jul 10.

Authors

Xiuhua Shen¹, Wenjing Tang², Zhiping Yu³, Wei Cai⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; The Chinese Nutrition Society Commission for Dietitian Registration (CDR), Beijing, China; Shanghai Key Lab for GI and Nutrition, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China.
³ Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Brooks College of Health, University of North Florida, Jacksonville, FL, USA.
⁴ Department of Nutrition, School of Public Health, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China; The Chinese Nutrition Society Commission for Dietitian Registration (CDR), Beijing, China; Shanghai Key Lab for GI and Nutrition, Shanghai, China. Electronic address: Caiw1978@163.com.

PMID: 30077351
DOI: 10.1016/j.nutres.2018.07.002

Abstract

A dietitian has qualifications in nutrition and dietetics and applies the science of food and nutrition to improve the health of individuals, groups, and communities. The Registered Dietitian (RD) credential has gained recognition over the years for its expertise. The accreditation systems were developed and have been used to ensure quality of this profession. Accreditation systems set standards for academic and professional training in nutrition and dietetics and reflect current research-based information. The purpose of this paper is to review a few countries that have a RD accreditation system including China and several other countries, e.g. the United States, Japan, and the United Kingdom. The aims are to introduce the newly established RD system in China and to compare the differences among the countries' systems.

Keywords: Accreditation; Dietitian; Education; Registration; Training.

Publication types

Historical Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

MeSH terms

Accreditation* / history
China
Dietetics* / history
History, 20th Century
Humans
Japan
Nutritionists*
United Kingdom