IUNS publication

The Teaching of Nutrition in the Schools of Nurse Auxiliaries: An International Review of Programmes has recently been published by the International Union of Nutritional Sciences (IUNS). It presents the results of a survey undertaken in 1979 by the IUNS Committee V/11

(Education of Nurses and Auxiliary Health Workers) to ascertain the content of nutrition training in the curricula of nurse auxiliaries.

A total of 47 countries and 255 schools, located in all World Health Organization regions, participated in the questionnaire survey. The training of nurses in five main categories of programmes, which varied in length from six months to two years, was reviewed. Information was elicited regarding the type and duration of the programmes and the educational background and age-range of the students admitted. The total number of hours of instruction in the programme and the percentage of time devoted to the theory of nutrition and its practical application (applied nutrition) and/or the "integration" of this subject into the general programme of instruction were considered.

Great variation was found between and within the programmes, both in training content and in orientation (e.g., whether hospital- or community-based). However, there were a number of lacunae common to many of the programmes, specifically in the area of applied nutrition and task analysis. Also, assistance from dieticians was minimal in many schools. The primay instructors in all programmes were nurses with insufficient training in nutrition and inadequate institutional and logistical support -e.g., lacking suitable texts and instructional materials, having few or no opportunities for teaching in the community such as home visiting.

A reference list and a bibliography of texts used in schools participating in the survey form part of the document. Suggestions are made regarding the role of the nurse in nutrition programmes, training needs, and curriculum development as well as criteria for selection of suitable textbooks for trainers and students.

This publication is available from E.F. Patrice Jelliffe, School of Public Health, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA 90024, USA. The cost, including handling and postage, is US$7.25 (payment in US currency, with checks made out to IUNS).