Self-assessment differences in nutritional counseling of Nutrition students (UNC) before and after the pandemic

Abstract

Communication and education skills are one of the necessary skills for the development of nutritional food counseling in territory. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the possibilities of educational practices in real environments were limited. In response to this lack, the chair developed a simulated practice according to the SimZone model (Zone 2). In this context, students self-assessed their skills through an instrument developed by the National Food and Nutrition Center of Peru. As the real practice activities were restarted, the simulated practice and the students' self-assessments were maintained. Aim: To evaluate the nutritional food counseling (NFC) skills of nutrition students acquired through simulated practice during the pandemic (March 2020-2021) and after the restart of activities in the territory (October 2021-2022).

Quasi-experimental study. NFC was assessed in three aspects: transversal communication skills (TCS); Explanation of the situation found and Analysis of causal factors to 334 nutrition students divided into two groups: A-Group simulated practice (N=193) and B-Group practice in territory plus simulated practice (N=141). An exploratory analysis was carried out, subsequently assumptions of normality were verified. T test and Kruskal-Wallis were used. CI 95%. The expected maximum score was 23 points.

There is a significant difference (p=0.024) between both groups; the average of group B was higher given that they combined both experiences. The items with the highest score in both groups were: listening attitude, facilitating user comfort, building trust, and food analysis. While those with the lowest score were: giving clear messages, offering examples and investigating social factors and access to basic services. No differences were found in the TCS or in the analysis of causal factors. There was a lower score in Group A in the explanation of the situation found and in the total score.

The training through simulated experiences in response to Covid-19 turned out to be an adequate teaching instrument, which continued once the activities were resumed in the territory, strengthening the teaching-learning processes, which was reflected in higher scores when combining the two strategies.