Translation of Nutrition & Cognitive Health Science: Understanding Stakeholder Strategies, Challenges and Needs

Translation of Nutrition & Cognitive Health Science: Understanding Stakeholder Strategies, Challenges and Needs
Virtual, Event
February 15, 2024
10:00 am – 2:00 pm

Qualitative research data indicate that consumers are seeking a variety of “brain benefits” from foods and supplements. IAFNS research (in progress) indicates that some of these benefits were articulated as “sharpness” and improvements in “brain fog.” These imprecise terms may mean something different depending upon the individual. However, why consumers have these interests, where they find their information and the information quality, and how information is then applied to alter behavior remain unexplored.

It was clear through qualitative investigation that there is an opportunity to bridge the spheres of consumers and science, and help consumers better understand what can be achieved based on existing knowledge, and formulate communications research to meet consumers where they are to improve translatability.

The project parallels the process undertaken by the UK Food Standards Agency (FSA) for the report: “Guiding Principles for translating evidence on diet shift for people in the real world.” For this project, the FSA aimed to understand the available information on sustainable diets, and translation of that information by healthcare practitioners to support implementation by consumers. Guiding principles for communications researchers and research funding bodies were developed and published.

As a first step, an invitation-only Stakeholder Roundtable was held on February 15, 2024 with the objectives to:

• Understand the strategies and challenges of stakeholder organizations in communicating the science of nutrition and cognitive health.

• Identify information needs and potentially identify a project to fill those gaps.

• Summarize the inputs in a peer-reviewed journal.

This project is supported by IAFNS Cognitive Health Committee.

To learn more, please see handout.

And, please contact Marie Latulippe  (mlatulippe@iafns.org) to discuss how you can join.