FROM THE ACADEMY Question of the Month Dietitian, Dietician, or Nutritionist?

HE TERMS DIETITIAN VS around 1920, and some dietitians organizational units (Commission on nutritionist and the correct were called nutrition workers.Mary Dietetic Registration, Accreditation spelling of dietitian have been Swartz Rose noted that this term was Council for Education in Nutrition and ever-evolving issues for our awkward, and it gradually became Dietetics, Council on Future Practice, T 1 profession. To trace back the origins nutritionist. The correct or preferable Education Committee, and Nutrition of these issues we would need to start spelling of dietitian has been a long- and Dietetics Educators and Preceptors before the founding of the American standing matter for the profession of DPG) supported moving forward with Dietetic Association (ADA) in 1917. dietetics. In 1930, the ADA executive the use of the RDN credential. The word dietetics was included in committee at the 13th Annual Meeting Incorporating nutritionist into the RD the 1839 Dunglison Medical Lexicon considered a variety of issues, one be- credential highlights that “all regis- and defined as “a branch of medicine ing the official spelling of dietitian with tered dietitians are nutritionists, but comprising the rules to be followed a “t”—and this was the spelling that not all nutritionists are registered for preventing, relieving, or curing was adopted.1 dietitians.”4 disease by diet.”1 In the 1870s, cook- In 1940, an ADA committee was As we enter the month of March, ing schools started to be developed, formed to update the definition of the Academy celebrates the eighth laying the ground work for the die- dietitian, which became a person “who Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Day5 tetics profession in the United States. had college training in the science of and acknowledges the contributions Graduates of these cooking schools nutrition and management and is pro- and expertise of registered dietitian were often called “dietists.”1 Moving ficient in the art of feeding individuals nutritionists as the food and nutrition forward to 1899, the word dietitian and groups.” A nutritionist in a public experts. was coined at the Lake Placid Confer- agency was a “qualified, professionally ence on Home Economics.2 These trained person who directs or carries References women also created the first defini- on a program of activities dealing with 1. Cassell JA. Carry the Flame: The History of tion of a dietitian: “persons who the application of scientific knowledge the American Dietetic Association. Chicago, IL: American Dietetic Association; 1990. specialize in the knowledge of food of nutrition to the prevention of dis- 2. South ML. Reflections of a diamond: 75 and can meet the demands of the ease and the promotion of positive years for ADA. J Am Diet Assoc. August 2 1 medical profession for diet therapy.” health.” 1993;93(8):892-896. Records of these early meetings noted The spelling of dietitian continued 3. Sharp M. The “c” in dietitians—A long his- that in a discussion by Mary Swartz to be controversial. In 1954, the ADA tory and fading future (maybe). Dietetics Rose and Lenna F. Cooper, the terms Courier mentioned that Time Magazine Around the World. Newsletter from the 1 International Confederation of Dietetics dietist and dietician were both used. reported “the word dietitian is among Associations. 2010; vol 17, issue 2. http:// In 1917, when the American Home the 20 most misspelled words.”1 Mov- www.internationaldietetics.org/Newsletter/ Economist Association meeting was ing forward into the early 1960s, Vol17Issue2/Feature-Article/The-c-in-die titians-a-long-history-and-fading-futu.aspx. cancelledbecauseofWorldWarI, dietetic associations, under the aus- Accessed December 16, 2014. Lenna Cooper and Lulu Graves de- pices of the International Committee of 4. Commission of Dietetic Registration (CDR). cided there should be an opportunity Dietetic Associations (ICDA), worked RDN Credential—Frequently Asked Ques- for the dietitians in the country to together to standardize information tions. http://www.cdrnet.org/news/rdncre dentialfaq. Accessed December 18, 2014. meet and discuss the issues facing about dietitians under the Interna- — fi 5. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetic’sRegis- the hospital dietitian and the Amer- tional Standard Classi cation of Occu- tered Dietitian Nutritionist Day. http://www. ican Dietetic Association was founded. pations. When the International Labour eatright.org/NNM/content.aspx?id¼5189#. The dietitian’s role continued to ex- Office confirmed the dietetic pro- VJMrkV4DA. Accessed December 18, 2015. pand into a wide variety of job oppor- fession’s classification in 1967, it also tunities in social service organizations adopted the spelling dietitian at the Related Resources and institutions, child care programs, request of the international dietetic The Academy’s History Journal Collection and as cafeteria managers in clubs, community.3 Still to this day some Accessed December 18, 2014 http://www.and hotels, and schools. A new title arose dictionaries list dietician as an accepted jrnl.org/content/amh “ alternate, but, as noted, the official National Nutrition Month 2015 is Bite into a Healthy Lifestyle” Accessed December 18, 2014 spelling dating back to 1930 still Wendy www.eatright.org/nnm This article was written by stands. Marcason, RDN, of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics’ Knowledge Confusion continued regarding the Center Team, Chicago, IL. Academy role of the dietitian and nutritionist. members can contact the Knowledge In 2010, the Academy of Nutrition Center by sending an e-mail to and Dietetics began exploring the op- [email protected]. tion of offering the registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) credential. The http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jand.2014.12.024 2013 joint meeting of the major

484 JOURNAL OF THE ACADEMY OF NUTRITION AND DIETETICS ª 2015 by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.