Educating health professionals (AL16007)
What was it all about?
From 2018 to 2021, this collaborative investment increased health professionals’ awareness of the role almonds play in a healthy diet and positioned Australian almonds as an important nutritional option for their patients, clients and the wider public.
New and emerging research was used to create a range of educational resources and opportunities for health audiences, so that the scientific evidence surrounding almonds and the role they play in health could be communicated effectively to an audience of Australian health professionals, and to industry as well.
Activities were centred on three major programs:
- Lifestyle nutrition program, which provided nutrition research focused on issues including heart health, diabetes and weight and foundation for the General Level Health Claim related to ‘heart healthy almonds’.
- Sports nutrition program, which educated fitness trainers and sport nutritionists about the value of almonds in a fitness-focused diet.
- Industry nutrition program, which developed educational materials for key industry topics such as the nutritional value of almond milk, the importance of plant protein, the energy absorbed when eating almonds compared to historical product packaging information, the importance of sustainability, and managing industry’s General Level Health Claim documentation.
The materials and activities generated by the program included presentations, factsheets, videos, webinars, orchard tours and social media engagement. Content covered the health benefits of consuming almonds for good health, heart health, diabetes, weight management, gut health and mood and cognition.
Close relationships were developed with the International Nut Council and the Almond Board of California (ABC) to fund nutrition studies, with the ABC collaborating directly with the project.
Health professionals surveyed at the end of the project reported an increased likelihood to recommend almonds to patients and clients as part of a healthy diet. Most also said their knowledge of the health benefits of almonds increased after accessing project resources and activities.
ACT NOW
All the resources produced by this project can be found in the health professionals section of the Australian Almonds website here.
ISBN:
978-0-7341-4696-0
Funding statement:
This project was funded through the Hort Innovation Almond Fund using the almond R&D levy and contributions from the Australian Government.
Copyright:
Copyright © Horticulture Innovation Australia Limited 2021. The Final Research Report (in part or as a whole) cannot be reproduced, published, communicated or adapted without the prior written consent of Hort Innovation, except as may be permitted under the Copyright Act 1968 (Cth).