A HEALTH PROVIDER NUTRITION EDUCATION INITIATIVE FOR OBESE ADULTS

Abstract

Current statistics and trends for obesity shed light on the overall impact obesity has. Obesity is a global epidemic. This project highlighted the importance of providing nutrition education on the Mediterranean diet to obese adults and how to accomplish it efficiently. The project was implemented in a primary care clinic that lacked a formal and efficient method to provide obese adults with the necessary nutrition education. Over twelve weeks, the plan-study-do act cycle was utilized in this quality improvement project to increase the value and frequency of nutrition education being provided to obese adults that presented to this clinic for their annual exam. By the end of this time frame, the healthcare providers increased the provision of nutrition education to obese adults from 27% of the time to 82.6%. This project facilitated a practice change by translating evidence-based research into clinical practice.