The Dutch are increasingly aware of their diet and the effect of food on their health. This is evident from the growing demand for dietitians. The 4,500 specialists in the Netherlands in this field can hardly keep up with demand.
This is confirmed by the Dutch Association of Dieticians (NVD) after reporting by Broadcasting Gelderland.
“In almost all sectors, and certainly in healthcare, there is a structural shortage of good personnel,” says Karen Plantinga of the NVD. “But we’re hearing from colleagues across the country in our field that it’s getting busier.”
The crowds are more noticeable in areas outside the Randstad, she immediately adds. “More specialists in this field are available in the west than, for example, in Zeeland or the south of the Netherlands,” Plantinga explains. “If you need a dietician in Vlissingen, you first have to drive an hour to find someone who has a place.”
The growing demand for dietitians can partly be explained by a greater awareness among the Dutch of the importance of a healthy lifestyle. “This topic is also becoming more and more from the government, and the Ministry of Health in particular put on the map“, says the spokesperson for the dieticians. “It is also a dire necessity, because a conscious prevention policy can contribute to reducing healthcare costs. Prevention is better than cure.”
Corona crisis raised awareness
The corona crisis also resulted in a lot of media attention for diseases that lurk in an unhealthy lifestyle. “It was often said that overweight people had a higher risk of contracting corona on the IC end up,” explains Plantinga. “Moreover, many people are arrived during the countless lockdowns and they have become more aware of the side effects of being overweight.”
From market research Multiscope it recently appeared that over 2.5 million adult Dutch people have tried to lose weight in the past year. Of this group, 7 percent obtained professional nutritional advice, for example from a dietician. More than a third of the 4,500 dietitians in the Netherlands are self-employed. The other colleagues work in a nursing home or are affiliated with a GP practice.
The advice of a dietitian is included in the basic insurance, although the treatments are deducted from the deductible. “You therefore notice that at the end of the year, when the deductible has been paid, the demand for dietitians increases even further,” says the spokeswoman for the NVD.
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28 dec 2022 om 21:27
Zo hou je goede voornemens langer vol in het nieuwe jaar
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28 dec 2022 om 21:27
Zo val je op een gezonde manier af
