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The role of nutrition professionals working in mental health settings – insights from a multi-professional and international world café
This research highlights the critical role of lifestyle interventions, particularly diet, in mental health care, recognizing poor diet quality as a modifiable risk factor for mental health conditions. Despite growing evidence of the significance of nutrition for mental health, the involvement of nutrition professionals varies widely across countries, with no standardized occupational profile established. The study aimed to: (i) identify the perceived roles of nutrition professionals in mental health settings, (ii) determine nutrition-related responsibilities handled by non-nutrition professionals, and (iii) develop recommendations for integrating nutrition professionals into mental health care.
An international inter-professional group utilized the World Café method to address these objectives. By applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), participants identified various barriers and facilitators to implementing nutrition professional-led interventions at multiple levels. These insights subsequently informed the development of best-practice recommendations for integration.
In total, twenty-seven participants identified fourteen key nutrition-related tasks, which encompassed dietary assessment, intervention, nutrition support, and meal planning. Non-nutrition-related responsibilities included monitoring psychological distress, inter-professional collaboration, organizational duties, education, research, and advocacy. It was observed that non-nutrition professionals frequently undertook nutrition-related tasks, including dietary screening, assessment, intervention implementation, education, skill-building, monitoring, and food service responsibilities.
The study culminated in the development of 12 best-practice recommendations for the effective integration of nutrition professionals into mental health care. The findings underscore the necessity for tailored integration strategies that recognize the diverse non-nutrition tasks performed by nutrition professionals and stress the importance of inter-professional collaboration, particularly with psychotherapists, nurses, psychiatrists, and physicians. Additionally, it is imperative that mental health professionals receive training to identify malnutrition and poor dietary habits in their patients. [NPID: Nutritionists, mental health, interdisciplinary, mental healthcare]
Year: 2026
