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. 2022 Dec 7;22(1):846.
doi: 10.1186/s12909-022-03802-z.

An exploration of registered dietitian accreditation system development in China

Zhang Yajie #  1   2   3 , Wang Xiaoli #  4   3 , Liu Ya  5   3 , Shen Xiuhua  1   6   3 , Xiao Rong  7   3 , Zhu Huilian  8   3 , Zeng Guo  9   10   3 , Cai Wei  11   12   13   14 , Ma Aiguo  15   16   17 , Yang Yuexin  18   19
Affiliations

An exploration of registered dietitian accreditation system development in China

Zhang Yajie et al. BMC Med Educ. .

Abstract

The registered dietitian system started late in China, and since 2014 a working committee of registered dietitians has been formed by the Chinese Nutrition Society to establish a national accreditation system in accordance with the international standard academic and internship requirements. The data from the certification examinations and registrations were collected and analyzed. 8,328 registered dietitians were included in the study, with 5,673 registered dietitians (RD) and 2,655 registered dietetic technicians (DTR). Among them, 45.27% of RDs have master degree or above, and 66.44% of DTRs have bachelor or above. 53.25% RDs work in medical institutions, 14.77% in colleges and universities, and 14.56% in enterprises; 48.21% DTRs work in the medical institutions, 30.28% in enterprises, and 7.34% in the community. Although six years of work has initially established a foundation of standardized registered dietitian accreditation system, the problems of limited resources for academic education and the lack of legislative protection for the profession remain prominent.

Keywords: Dietetic accreditation; Dietetic education; Dietetic professional; Registered dietitian.

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Conflict of interest statement

Authors declare that they have no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
The age structure of RDs and DTRs. Abbreviations: RD, registered dietitian; DTR, dietetic technicians, registered
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
The education background of RDs and DTRs. Abbreviations: RD, registered dietitian; DTR, dietetic technicians, registered
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Practice Area of RDs and DTRs. Abbreviations: CDC, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; RD, registered dietitian; DTR, dietetic technicians, registered
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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