ABSTRACT
Objective
To make a critical and comparative analysis of curricula of Brazilian and Portuguese higher education institutions in terms of clock hours and semester distribution of food and nutrition education in undergraduate nutrition programs, also assessing the main differences among courses classified into thematic axes and professional practice areas.
Methods
The curricula of fifteen Brazilian and eleven Portuguese nutrition programs were collected and classified into thematic axes and professional practice areas with the method of Document Analysis. Next, we performed statistical analysis regarding the total and proportional clock hours of instruction and their semester distribution to assess the differences between the two countries. The variables of interest were the hours of Food and Nutrition Education and their semester distribution.
Results
The Food and Nutrition Education axis was the second smallest one, with statistically significant differences among the axes (2.2% of curricula; p<0.001). Brazilian higher education institutions showed greater total clock hours of Food and Nutrition Education (p=0.018), Human and Social Sciences (p=0.003), Public Health (p<0.001), as well as a wider dispersion and lower relative weighted mean for the semester offering of courses (p=0.004) of Food and Nutrition Education courses. Portuguese higher education institutions showed greater total and proportional clock hours of instruction for Exact Sciences (p<0.005; p=0.001, respectively) and more proportional hours of Biologic and Health Sciences (p<0.001).
Conclusion
Our study found a reduced presence of the area of Food and Nutrition Education in the undergraduate training of nutritionists in both countries.
Keywords:
Curriculum; Food and nutrition education; Higher education institutions; Nutritionist
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Note: Friedman test p<0.001, difference between axes; Other: Portuguese, English, theological anthropology, training practices, information technologies, integrated practices; Total including Clock Hours of Internship: 3199 hours, mean of all Higher Education Institution.
Note: Friedman test p<0.001, difference between axes; Others: Introduction to Nutrition, Oriented Practice, Professional Ethics; Total: Professional Sciences + Professional within social and human sciences: 1098.5 hours, mean of all Higher Education Institution.
Note: n=26; p: 0.004; for the comparison between Brazil and Portugal of the relative weighted mean of FNE for semester of offer of courses. †HEI without specific FNE courses.