A recent study led by corresponding author, Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN, assistant professor of population health and disease prevention, from the UC Irvine Program in Public Health, showed that while obstetricians-gynecologists (OB/GYNs) have an overall solid understanding of the components and health benefits associated with plant-based diets (PBDPs), misconceptions persist.
The findings are published in the journal Frontiers in Nutrition.
The study also revealed that there is a lack of comprehensive training in nutrition, which may prevent OB/GYNs from confidently recommending PBDPs to their patients. The findings underscore a crucial gap in OB/GYN graduate medical education and training.
96 OB/GYNs responded to a cross-sectional online survey examining the knowledge, attitudes, and perceptions towards plant-based dietary patterns. Questions focused on demographics, medical education and practice characteristics, personal dietary patterns, knowledge of components of a plant-based dietary pattern, attitudes and perceptions about the safety, nutrition adequacy, and appropriateness of plant-based dietary pattern during pregnancy and lactation, and self-efficacy to provide nutrition education and counseling focused on a plant-based dietary pattern.
Our research highlights a potential opportunity to expand the perinatal care team to include the expertise of specialized professionals like registered dietitian nutritionists.”
– Matthew Landry, PhD, RDN
Given the critical role that OB/GYNs play in perinatal care, enhancing their ability to provide informed dietary advice is essential for improving maternal and fetal health outcomes. By integrating more extensive education on plant-based diets into medical training programs, clinicians can be better equipped to counsel pregnant patients on the benefits and practicalities of PBDPs during the perinatal period.
The findings of this research point to the need for educational interventions that address misconceptions about nutrient adequacy in plant-based diets and provide OB/GYNs with the tools and confidence to recommend these diets to their patients. This approach could lead to more informed dietary choices and better health outcomes for pregnant patients.
“Our research highlights a potential opportunity to expand the perinatal care team to include the expertise of specialized professionals like registered dietitian nutritionists,” shares Landry. “RDNs often have more time to provide in-depth knowledge and assess lifestyle recommendations that are individualized and appropriate for each patient so that together RDNs and OB/GYNs can provide an interprofessional collaborative practice.”
Additional authors include Catherine P. Ward, Linda M. Koh, and Christopher D. Gardner from Stanford University. The study was funded by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine Trainee Research Grant and a pilot grant from the Stanford Plant Based Diet Initiative.
