Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Diversity Strategy Application among Accredited Nutrition Program

The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND) pinpointed increasing gender and cultural diversity of its members 5% by year 2020 as a top strategic goal. The AND Diversity Strategic Plan assigned five tasks as part responsibility of the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND), an autonomous agency. ACEND accredits education programs for careers as registered nutritionist dietitians and registered nutrition and dietetic technicians, the membership base of AND. This study sought to identify the application and effectiveness of ACEND programs at incorporating AND's strategic diversity goal.;An online questionnaire was sent to 566 nationwide program directors asking information on program demographics, program mission and goal statements, and efficacy of gender and cultural recruitment methods. Unidentifiable data collected over eight weeks produced 122 valid responses which were analyzed using comparative and descriptive statistics.;Results of the questionnaire reveal Dietetic Technician (DT) programs were remarkably more gender and culturally diverse out of the four nutrition program types but were incredibly fewer in number with a looming threat of elimination. The successful diversity of DT programs positively correlates to higher mandatory diversity training occurrences, a greater number of support from diversity offices/positions, and increased attendance at recruitment events targeting underrepresented groups. However, overall results imply ACEND programs wholly are not in alignment with AND's diversity strategic goal.