We all know there is, and always has been, a huge diversity in the backgrounds of people working in the nutrition space including celebrities, social media influencers, natural therapists and those ‘mavericks’ with medical qualifications. Each offers advice that contradicts the dominant interpretation of the evidence-base. Widespread neo-liberal attitudes and social media platforms such as Twitter are used to question the integrity of dietitians and professional organizations with allegations ranging from undisclosed conflicts of interest, cherry-picked evidence, and outright corruption.
In this provocative session, Dr Swift discusses why humans so readily reject expert advice and how dietitians must be prepared to examine and engage with today’s ‘post-truth, post-trust’ threats without ‘fear or favour’ to preserve our version of nutrition and dietetics. She challenges listeners to draw on strong evidence-based knowledge; be prepared to reconsider their own positions when needed; resist unconsidered, reductionist and didactic instruction; and be prepared to work with other interpretations of health.
Date of presentation: June 2019, DC National Conference
Speaker: Judith Swift, PhD is a Chartered Health Psychologist (CPsychol.), Registered Nutritionist (RNutr.) and Associate of the Higher Education Academy. She has been at the University of Nottingham for 17 years and published over 45 peer-reviewed manuscripts. She has also completed 5 years as editorial board member of the Journal of Human Nutrition & Dietetics.
Materials:
- Video presentation (56 minutes) with the presentation slides (pdf)
- Audio file (mp3 file)
Cost: $19.95 for members; $24.95 for non-members; $14.95 for students
