abstract: 'Objectives: To describe the US public health nutrition workforce and its

  future social, biological and fiscal challenges.

  Design: Literature review primarily for the four workforce Surveys

  conducted since 1985 by the Association of State and Territorial Public

  Health Nutrition Directors.

  Setting: The United States.

  Subjects: Nutrition personnel working in governmental health agencies.

  The 1985 and 1987 subjects were personnel in full-time budgeted

  positions employed in governmental health agencies providing

  predominantly population-based services. In 1994 and 1999 subjects were

  both full-time and part-time, employed in or funded by governmental

  health agencies, and provided both direct-care and population-based

  services.

  Results: The workforce primarily focuses on direct-care services for

  pregnant and breast-feeding women, infants and children. The US

  Department of Agriculture funds 81-7 \% of full-time equivalent

  positions, primarily through the WIC Program (Special Supplemental

  Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children). Of those personnel

  working in WIC, 45\% have at least 10 years of experience compared to

  over 65\% of the non-WIC workforce. Continuing education needs of the

  WIC and non-WIC workforces differ. The workforce is increasingly more

  racially/ethnically diverse and with 18-2\% speaking Spanish as a second

  language.

  Conclusions: The future workforce will need to focus on increasing its

  diversity and cultural competence, and likely will need to address

  retirement within leadership positions. Little is known about the

  workforce''s capacity to address the needs of the elderly, emergency

  preparedness and behavioural interventions. Fiscal challenges will

  require evidence-based practice demonstrating both costs and impact.

  Little is known about the broader public health nutrition workforce

  beyond governmental health agencies.'
affiliation: 'Haughton, B (Corresponding Author), Univ Tennessee, Dept Nutr, 1215
  W Cumberland Ave 229,Jessie Harris Bldg, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA.

  Haughton, Betsy; George, Alexa, Univ Tennessee, Dept Nutr, Knoxville, TN 37996 USA.'
author: Haughton, Betsy and George, Alexa
author-email: haughton@utk.edu
author_list:
- family: Haughton
  given: Betsy
- family: George
  given: Alexa
da: '2023-09-28'
doi: 10.1017/S1368980008001821
eissn: 1475-2727
files: []
issn: 1368-9800
journal: PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITION
keywords: Public Health Nutrition; workforce; United States
keywords-plus: 'WEIGHT-GAIN; STATE HEALTH; LOW-INCOME; OVERWEIGHT; FOOD; PREVALENCE;

  CHILDREN; OBESITY; ADOLESCENTS; DISPARITIES'
language: English
month: AUG
number: '8'
number-of-cited-references: '68'
pages: 782-791
papis_id: 3172d56dc79af8eec9d02d43de4e8a85
ref: Haughton2008publichealth
times-cited: '21'
title: 'The Public Health Nutrition workforce and its future challenges: the US experience'
type: Article
unique-id: WOS:000257951900005
usage-count-last-180-days: '0'
usage-count-since-2013: '12'
volume: '11'
web-of-science-categories: Public, Environmental \& Occupational Health; Nutrition
  \& Dietetics
year: '2008'