The only treatment for celiac disease is lifelong adherence to a gluten-free diet (GFD), and the best way to achieve adherence is through education from a registered dietitian who has expertise in celiac disease. Education practices on the GFD vary across the world and are not well studied. For over 10 years, our institution has conducted in-person small group education sessions for 1-3 patients and their families. These classes are dietitian led, didactic, and discussion based. Pre- and postsurveys done for the past 5 years showed that families' knowledge of celiac disease increased significantly and 96% of patients age 8 and above benefited from attendance. These data show that in-person, small group classes are effective for families and patients over 7 years of age. Additional study is needed to compare various models of delivering education on the GFD (especially telemedicine options), their efficacy, and barriers to delivery.
Keywords: nutrition education; patient education; registered dietitian education.
Copyright © 2022 The Author(s). Published by Wolters Kluwer Health, Inc. on behalf of the European Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition and the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition.