Registered Dietitians' Service to Group Homes for Adults with Developmental Disabilities

An online survey of registered dietitians was conducted to characterize their professional activities for providers of residential services for adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD) in the United States. The goal of the survey was to characterize the nutrition services delivered in community based group homes and the registered dietitians performing them. Forty nine RDs responded fully to the survey, indicating significant hours spent providing consultation on food service, clinical dietetics, staff training, dietary monitoring and administrative nutrition services. The most common services are conducting nutritional assessments of residents and providing direct service in the form of menus for the homes and/or clinical evaluation and compliance monitoring of therapeutic diets. Through this survey we discovered that there is a wide variety of arrangements, services, and hours spent in nutrition services delivery in group homes. This survey also indicates a strong need for additional training for the nation’s dietitians to serve this nutritionally vulnerable population.