Page 51 - Nutrition Counseling and Education Skills: A Guide for Professionals

and nutrition interview and the preemployment interview. Although a full explanation of the content of these
types of interviews is beyond the scope of this book, more detailed information may be found in other
sources.3–8

Nutrition Interviews

A food and nutrition interview, or diet history, is an account of a person’s food habits, preferences, eating
behaviors, and other factors influencing food choices. Some clients may have tracked their own dietary intake
on the computer. Effective interviews depend on the client’s memory and cooperation as well as the skill of
the interviewer. An initial Nutrition Assessment interview serves one or more purposes.2

• Makes the professional and client aware of current dietary practices and their origins, influential lifestyle factors, and related information.
• Identifies any nutrition-related problems and screens for malnutrition so that an appropriate Nutrition Diagnosis and Intervention is planned.
• Contributes to defining the nutritional status of the client in conjunction with other data.
• Defines problems and issues so that realistic goals for change may be set.
• Helps the professional identify possible alternatives so that changes may be considered.
• Provides baseline data against which to monitor changes and progress.
• Enables the counselor to continue to develop rapport and a good relationship with the client.

The medical record is a source of information on height, weight, past and current health history, and
psychosocial factors, such as age, occupation, family size, educational level, and the like. In completing the
food and nutrition history, the professional may collect specific information to identify food and nutrition-
related problems.6–8

1. The consumption of food (i.e., intake of foods, timing/location and patterns of meals and snacks, food portions, cues to eating, nutrition and
herbal supplements, previous/current diets or restrictions, and intolerances).

2. Knowledge of nutrition and health (i.e., knowledge and beliefs about nutrition, self-monitoring and self-care practices, previous nutrition
counseling and education, and readiness to learn).

3. Physical activity and exercise (i.e., activity patterns, sedentary time, and exercise frequency, intensity, and duration).
4. Food availability (i.e., family food planning, purchasing, and preparation abilities, food safety, food and nutrition assistance program

utilization, and food insecurity).

CASE ANALYSIS 1

What specific questions would you ask Mrs. Maynard in obtaining her food and nutrition history? Why are
they important?

Dietary Assessment

Methods of assessment include dietary records, spoken or printed dietary recalls, food frequency
questionnaires, and computer applications to improve accuracy.9 Because much is based on self-reporting,
there is no gold standard method for obtaining information about a person’s dietary intake, but approaches
used frequently are the 24-hour recall, the food record of usual daily food intake, and the food-frequency
questionnaire (FFQ).

In a 24-hour recall, the interviewer asks the client to recount the types and amounts of all foods and
beverages consumed, including preparation methods, portion sizes, and dietary supplements in the previous

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