Community perspectives on physicians’ roles in nutritional care: a survey from Northeast and Central Pennsylvania

Abstract

Objective

Despite longitudinal patient relationships, many physicians report limited preparedness to deliver nutrition counseling, and patient expectations remain underexplored. This study aimed to assess community members' expectations regarding nutrition education and to clarify perceived roles, experiences, and gaps in physician-provided nutritional care.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional survey of adults in Northeast and Central Pennsylvania between June and July 2024. An anonymous 44-item questionnaire distributed through community partners assessed nutrition knowledge, nutrition information sources, experiences receiving nutrition counseling, and expectations of physician's roles in nutrition care. Descriptive analyses summarized participant characteristics and responses, with sensitivity analyses excluding participants nutrition-related qualifications.

Results

Of 169 respondents, 144 completed the survey. Most (91%) believed physicians should have strong nutrition knowledge, and 67% wanted doctors more involved in their nutrition education. Only 5% said their nutrition concerns were always addressed, while 26% said never. Limited visit time, lack of formal nutrition training, and difficulty navigating conflicting nutrition information were identified as key barriers.

Conclusion

Respondents strongly supported a more active role for physicians in nutritional care. Suggested improvements included providing educational resources, discussing nutrition during appointments, and staying current with nutrition research. These findings will inform future curriculum development to enhance physicians' nutritional competency.

Highlights

• •Physicians are ill-equipped to provide nutritional care to patients.
• •Patients want their doctors to educate them and provide nutrition referrals.
• •Key barriers to nutrition care are physician training and short appointment times.

1. Introduction

In the context of an evolving and often overwhelming nutritional information landscape, physicians are uniquely positioned to provide nutrition guidance to patients due to a doctor-patient relationship that relies on trust and communication to make informed decisions (Konda et al., 2023; Ball et al., 2015). This dynamic also allows for the consideration of socioeconomic, cultural, and personal factors in addressing each patient's nutritional needs. However, despite this potential, current research indicates that physicians are inadequately trained to provide effective nutrition care due to a lack of nutrition knowledge and skills (Crowley et al., 2019). Studies evaluating nutrition education across the United States, Europe, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East reveal deficiencies in nutrition curricula, irrespective of country, setting, or year (Crowley et al., 2019). Medical graduates and residents frequently report their own deficiencies in this area, which are further reflected in assessments of their nutritional competence (Hargrove et al., 2017; Vetter et al., 2008). These pervasive gaps in medical nutrition training have created a “catch 22” scenario: the current lack of physicians with adequate nutrition training today hinders the education of future generations of physicians in this domain (Blunt and Kafatos, 2019).

Diet-related, chronic conditions such as obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and cardiovascular disease remain leading contributors to morbidity and mortality worldwide, underscoring the need for effective nutrition counseling in routine medical care. In the United States, only a third of people with obesity are diagnosed and counseled by their physicians (Bleich et al., 2011). Similarly, only 30% of patients living with high-risk chronic conditions such as hyperlipidemia and diabetes mellitus will receive nutritional advice (Zanek and Jiroutek, 2025; Grabovac et al., 2019). With 11 million deaths per year globally and 255 million disability adjusted life years being attributed to a poor diet (Afshin et al., 2019), the importance of nutritional care cannot be overstated. Momentum is building to standardize nutrition training through consensus competencies for medical students and physician trainees that outline core knowledge, skills, and attitudes for nutrition care (Eisenberg et al., 2024). While these initiatives mark progress, implementation remains variable across schools and training programs, and patients continue to report unmet needs, reinforcing the relevance of community input to inform curricular priorities.

We recently reviewed the medical curriculum at Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine (GCSOM) and found that it does not meet national nutrition standards (National Research Council, 1985; Weinsier et al., 1989; Taye et al., 2023). To understand barriers and identify improvement opportunities, we assessed key stakeholders' perceptions of nutrition in medical education and practice at Geisinger. While 92% agreed that nutrition education should be mandatory for all physicians, over half were dissatisfied with their own training, citing time constraints and insufficient faculty expertise (Kunitsky et al., 2024). Currently, there is little evidence to suggest that the public is aware of this educational gap in medical training and while previous studies, including our own, have assessed physician perspectives on nutritional competency, few have examined community perspectives. A survey by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics found that 61% of patients consider physicians to be “very credible” sources of nutrition information (American Dietetic Association, 2008). More recently, a study in Australia examined patients' views on the nutrition advice and care they receive from physicians, as well as their expectations for this care. Patients acknowledged that physicians (i.e., General Practitioners [GPs]) have the potential to offer personalized nutrition guidance and wanted their doctors to take on this role. However, they lacked confidence in the nutrition advice they had received, feeling that their GP's limited competence and confidence in nutrition impeded their ability to provide effective nutrition care (Lepre et al., 2024). This lack of confidence highlights the need for a deeper understanding of community views on nutrition education and the physician's role. This study aimed to assess community members' expectations regarding nutrition education and to clarify perceived roles, experiences, and gaps in physician-provided nutritional care.

2. Methods

2.1. Study design and population

We conducted a cross-sectional, descriptive survey study of adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania to examine community perspectives on nutrition education and the physician's role in nutrition care. The survey was administered over eight weeks (June–July 2024). Participants were recruited by email containing a link to the anonymous, on-line survey (with one follow-up attempt) and flyers with QR codes distributed by community partners and public service organizations, including but not limited to public libraries, free health clinics, neighborhood centers, a culinary institute, and shelters for unhoused individuals. Partners were selected based on accessibility and local recognition, with distribution relying on contact success and author familiarity with local resources. Eligibility criteria included residence in the target region and internet access; research team members and individuals outside the region (based on ZIP code) were excluded. Participants provided informed consent electronically and could withdraw at any time. The study was approved by the Geisinger Institutional Review Board and met exemption criteria (IRB# 2024–0410).

2.2. Measures

Survey items were developed based on prior literature addressing physician nutrition education and patient counseling needs and were refined through internal cognitive testing for clarity and flow. The final instrument (Supplementary file 1) included 30 open- and closed-ended questions intended to capture respondents' demographic information, their views and knowledge of nutrition education, and their perceptions of physicians' roles in providing nutrition care. The questionnaire was programmed and administered using Qualtrics software.

2.3. Statistical analysis

Descriptive statistics were used to characterize community members' nutrition knowledge, experiences with nutrition counseling, and expectations regarding physicians' roles in nutrition care, consistent with the study aims. Categorical variables were summarized as frequencies and percentages. As a sensitivity analysis, selected outcomes were reanalyzed excluding respondents who reported health- or nutrition-related qualifications to assess the robustness of findings. Data were collected and analyzed using Qualtrics reporting tools.

3. Results

3.1. Demographics

Over the eight-week survey period, 169 participants responded. After excluding two participants who didn't consent and 23 incomplete survey responses, 144 were included in the analysis. Most participants were white (99%) and female (91%) (Table 1). Educationally, 42% held graduate degrees, 30% undergraduate, 13% associate/technical, and 16% had no degree. Over half (57%) were employed; 42% were not working and were primarily retired. Twenty-six percent had health or nutrition-related qualifications, including registered dietitians (34%), bachelor's/master's degrees in nutrition (32%), certified health coaches (13%), physicians with nutrition specialization (6%), certified clinical nutritionists (3%), and other relevant credentials (61%). Regarding household income, 37% exceeded Pennsylvania's 2024 median of $75,335 (Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development, 2025), 34% were below it, and 29% declined to answer. Most (76%) lived in households with at least two people. Zip code data confirmed that participants were from Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania.

Table 1.

Participant demographics of adults from Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania who responded to the survey from June – July 2024 (n = 144).^a

Demographic	Number (n)	Percentage (%)
Gender
Female	131	91.0
Male	13	9.0
Race
White or Caucasian	142	98.6
Black or African American	1	0.7
American Indian/Native American or Alaska Native	0	0
Asian	1	0.7
Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0	0
Other	2	1.4
Spanish, Hispanic or Latino Origin	4	2.78
Highest Education
Graduate or Professional Degree	60	41.7
Bachelor's Degree	43	29.9
Associates or Technical Degree	18	12.5
Some College, but no degree	17	11.8
High School Diploma or GED	6	4.2
Some High School or less	0	0
Current Employment Status
Working (paid employee)	79	54.9
Working (self-employed)	3	2.1
Not working (temporary layoff from a job)	0	0
Not working (looking for work)	1	0.7
Not working (retired)	53	36.8
Not working (disabled)	4	2.8
Not working (other)	3	2.1
Prefer not to answer	1	0.7
Health/Nutrition Qualifications
Yes	38	26.4
No	106	73.6
Reported Health/Nutrition Qualifications
Nutrition or dietetic technician	0	0
Registered dietitian (RD) or Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (RDN)	13	9.0
Certified Nutrition Specialist (CNS)	0	0
Certified Clinical Nutritionist (CCN)	1	0.7
Certified Health Coach	5	3.5
Bachelor's degree in nutrition, dietetics, or related field	4	2.8
Master's degree in nutrition, dietetics, or related field	8	5.6
Doctorate in nutrition science or related field	0	0
Medical Doctor (MD) with specialization in nutrition or dietetics	1	0.7
Naturopathic Doctor (ND) with a focus on nutrition	1	0.7
Other relevant certification or degree	23	16.0
Total Household Income
Less than $25,000	9	6.3
$25,000 - $49,999	20	13.9
$50,000 - $74,999	20	13.9
$75,000 - $99,999	17	11.8
$100,000 - $149,999	23	16.0
$150,000 or more	13	9.0
Prefer not to say	42	29.2
Number of People Living in Household
1 person	31	21.5
2 people	68	47.2
3 people	30	20.8
4 people	9	6.3
5 people	2	1.4
6 or more people	1	0.7
Prefer not to say	3	2.1

CCN certified clinical nutritionist; CNS certified nutrition specialist; MD doctor of medicine; ND naturopathic doctor; RD registered dietitian; RDN registered dietitian nutritionist.

^aThe total number of survey respondents included in the analysis was 144.

3.2. Views and knowledge of nutritional education

Most participants rated their diet as good (44%), very good (31%), or excellent (8%), while 18% rated it fair (15%) or poor (3%) (Table 2). Taste and flavor (91%) were the top factors influencing food choices, followed by health benefits (77%) and convenience (63%). Nearly all respondents (96%) viewed diet as extremely or very important to overall health. The main challenges to maintaining a healthy diet included time constraints (59%), motivation (47%), emotional eating (40%), and cost (39%). These patterns suggest that brief, tailored nutrition counseling may be more actionable when framed around palatability, time-saving strategies, and cost-conscious substitutions, with referral for behavioral support when emotional eating is prominent. Participants generally felt knowledgeable about nutrition, with 35% rating their knowledge as good, 44% very good, and 15% excellent. Main sources of nutrition information included nutrition labels (72%), online resources (69%), books/magazines (46%), and workshops/seminars (40%) (Fig. 1A). Only 19% cited physicians as their primary source, while 33% relied on other healthcare professionals.

Table 2.

Perspective and knowledge of nutrition education among adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania from June – July 2024 (n = 144).^a

Question	Number (n)	Percentage (%)
How healthy do you think your diet is?
Excellent – My diet is optimally balanced and consistently includes a wide range of essential nutrients.	11	7.6
Very Good – My diet is well-balanced, diverse, and rich in nutrients.	44	30.6
Good – My diet is generally balanced and includes a variety of nutrients.	63	43.8
Fair – My diet has some nutritional foods but is not always balanced.	21	14.6
Poor – My diet lacks nutritional balance and diversity.	5	3.5
Which of the following factors play an important role in your food choices (select all that apply)?
Taste and flavor	131	91.0
Convenience	90	62.5
Positive influence on health	111	77.1
Dietary restrictions or allergies	35	24.3
Cost	80	55.6
Availability	70	48.6
Environmental impact	26	18.1
Cultural and family traditions	34	23.6
Social influences	15	10.4
Emotional state	42	29.2
Other	7	4.9
How important do you think your diet is to your overall health?
Extremely important	83	57.6
Very important	55	38.2
Moderately important	3	2.1
Slightly important	2	1.4
Not at all important	1	0.7
What are the main challenges you face in maintaining a healthy diet (select all that apply)?
Lack of knowledge about healthy eating	12	8.3
Dietary restrictions	18	12.5
Time constraints	85	59.0
Motivation	68	47.2
Lack of access to healthy foods	16	11.1
Cost	56	38.9
Social influences	18	12.5
Cultural influences	2	1.4
Emotional eating	58	40.3
Other	21	14.6
How would you rate your current level of knowledge about nutrition?
Excellent	21	14.6
Very good	63	43.8
Good	51	35.4
Fair	9	6.3
Poor	0	0

^aThe total number of survey respondents included in the analysis was 144.

Fig. 1.

Sources of nutrition information (A) and Reported barriers to accessing nutrition information (B) among adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania from June – July 2024. Participants (n = 144) were asked, (A) “What are your main sources for nutritional information?” (B) “What are your main barriers in accessing nutritional information?” Participants could choose more than one applicable response.

Top barriers to accessing nutrition information were conflicting information (64%) and information overload (49%), followed by lack of time (25%), limited access to experts (20%), and lack of credible resources (18%) (Fig. 1B). When controlled for potential bias of health/nutrition qualifications, these trends remained consistent among participants without these backgrounds, with conflicting information (57%), information overload (43%), and lack of time (22%) as the leading barriers.

3.3. Role of physicians in providing nutritional care

Nearly all participants agreed that physicians should have a strong understanding of nutrition, and 94% believed nutrition education should be mandatory in medical training (Table 3). Among those without health or nutrition qualifications, 92% shared this view. While 59% felt their physician was qualified to give nutrition advice, only 5% said their concerns were always addressed during appointments (Fig. 2B). Another 26% felt their concerns were not adequately addressed, and 50% said they were addressed only sometimes. Participants identified limited consultation time (49%), lack of formal nutrition education (42%), no follow-up (27%), and insufficient practical advice (26%) as the most lacking physician qualifications (Fig. 2A). Those without health/nutrition backgrounds reported similar gaps, with limited time (37%), lack of training (29%), and no follow-up (22%) as the top responses. When asked how often participants changed their diet based on physician recommendations, 48% said sometimes, 6% about half the time, 19% most of the time, 6% always, and 28% never. Most felt their physician was moderately (47%), very (18%), or extremely (6%) receptive to discussing dietary changes, though 29% felt their physician was only slightly or not at all receptive. Despite this, 67% wanted their physician to take a more active role in nutrition education. Preferred approaches included providing resources (52%), regular discussions (49%), updates on new research (44%), and detailed dietary guidelines (35%) (Fig. 3). These preferences were consistent among those without health/nutrition qualifications.

Table 3.

Perspective on the role of physicians in providing nutritional care among adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania from June – July 2024 (n = 144).^a

Question	Number (n)	Percentage (%)
Is it important for doctors to have a good nutritional understanding?
Yes	131	91.0
Moderately	11	7.6
No	2	1.4
Should nutrition training be a mandatory component of medical training for physicians)?
Yes	135	93.8
No	9	6.3
Do you feel that your physician is qualified to provide you with nutrition advice?
Extremely qualified	7	4.9
Very qualified	29	20.1
Moderately qualified	49	34.0
Slightly qualified	35	24.3
Not at all	24	16.7
Would you like your physician to play a more active role in your nutrition education?
Yes	97	67.4
Maybe	35	24.3
No	12	8.3

^aThe total number of survey respondents included in the analysis was 144.

Fig. 2.

Perceived gaps in physicians' nutrition-related qualifications (A) and Frequency with which nutritional questions are addressed in appointments (B) among adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania from June – July 2024 (B). Participants (n = 144) were asked, (A) “What skills or qualifications do you think your physician is lacking?” Participants could choose more than one applicable response. (B) “How often are your nutritional questions answered in visits?”

Fig. 3.

Preferred ways for physicians to engage in nutrition education among adults residing in Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania from June – July 2024. Participants (n = 144) were asked, “In what ways would you like your physician to play a more active role in your nutrition education?” Participants could choose more than one applicable response.

In an open-ended question to participants soliciting their comments or suggestions regarding nutrition education and the role of physicians in promoting nutritional health, the following themes were noted: 1) Importance of nutrition education and training for physicians, highlighting the necessity for physicians to have basic nutrition knowledge and to be educated on the effects of food on health; 2) Concept of food as medicine, recognizing the role of nutrition in holistic care and prevention of chronic disease development and/or progression; 3) Necessity for regular discussion about nutrition and diet as a routine part of medical consultations; 4) Practical nutrition guidance, suggesting the inclusion of healthy recipes, nutrition workshops, and culinary medicine sessions as part of patient care; and 5) Collaboration with dietitians and other specialists, working closely to provide accurate and detailed nutrition guidance for optimal care (Supplementary Table 1).

4. Discussion

This study explored community perspectives, experiences, and expectations surrounding medical nutrition education and the role that physicians should play in providing nutritional care. A prominent theme from survey responses was the strong desire for physicians to take a more active role in guiding nutritional decisions, with 67% of participants seeking greater physician involvement in nutrition education (Table 3). Respondents identified regular discussions about nutritional health during appointments and updates on research and resources as ways that physicians could fulfill this role. However, the participants' experiences revealed a different reality. Only 14% of respondents felt that their nutritional questions were addressed in appointments more than half of the time, with deficiencies in formal education and time constraints being the primary shortcomings of these visits (Fig. 2).

“Nutrition has never come up in any yearly consultations in my region.”

“If physicians don't have the time or knowledge to help patients implement nutrition recommendations, they should at least offer the referral to a dietitian, to ensure the patient has the option for detailed nutrition-focused care.”

Study participants also highlighted significant barriers to accessing nutritional information, with conflicting and overwhelming amounts of information being the most prominent (Fig. 1B). This reflects the impact of the internet in disseminating nutrition resources over the past decades. The rapid rise in internet usage, particularly among adolescents and young adults, has led patients to increasingly rely on internet searches for personal health inquiries (MSC et al., 2022). Unfortunately, the poor quality of nutritional information found on social media and various websites raises concerns about the dietary changes patients make based on these sources (Guardiola-Wanden-Burghe et al., 2011). Young adults, who often make poor dietary choices during their transition to adulthood, may be particularly vulnerable to the dangers of forming lifelong nutritional habits based on unreliable online information (Niemeir et al., 2006). The respondents' desire for physicians to help decipher this information suggests that doctors are currently underutilized in nutritional patient education.

Time constraints during doctor appointments were another significant barrier reported by survey respondents to addressing their nutritional needs (Fig. 2A). The limited duration of annual visits has been shown to correlate to patient satisfaction and some aspects of preventative counseling (Geraghty et al., 2007; Yarnall et al., 2003). Some respondents expressed a desire for more education and resources, which could not be adequately provided within these brief visits. Our findings indicate that most participants do not have their nutrition questions addressed during appointments, raising the question of whether this is due to inadequate physician education, the pressure to prioritize more urgent issues during the limited appointment time, or a combination of these factors. To mitigate limited visit time, practices may leverage shared medical appointments or group education visits for obesity and diet-sensitive chronic conditions, complemented by structured referral pathways to registered dietitians and health educators. Such models can expand counseling time and enable iterative follow-up based on patients' preferences.

“[I] would love to attend workshop/seminar, but I feel it should be the role of the medical facility, not the doctor to set this up. (At least my) doctor is overwhelmed with the number  of patients he/she cares for in a day and hospitals often limit the amount of time a doctor may spend with a patient.”

Physicians may also be underutilized in their capacity to provide personalized care to their patients. Consistent with similar studies assessing community perspectives on doctors and nutritional care (Lepre et al., 2024), some respondents expressed a desire for nutritional guidance that aligns with their personal values and health conditions. A physician with comprehensive knowledge of patients' medical history, medication regimen, and personal goals can tailor nutritional care plans to each individual patient. This approach, known as person-centered care (PCC), has been shown to improve patient outcomes in conditions such as obesity, diabetes, cancer, and other chronic diseases where personalized dietary care decreases morbidity and mortality, and enhances quality of life (Cardel et al., 2022; Trout et al., 2019; Wedemire et al., 2021). Despite the promising benefits of PCC in nutritional care, the effective utilization of physicians in this role is hindered by existing barriers and inadequate training.

“[My doctor is] unfamiliar with my specific needs (due to prior, uncommon GI surgery)”.

The gap between patient expectations and their actual experiences during appointments highlights the need for reform in physician nutritional training. Respondents in this study overwhelmingly believe that nutritional education is essential to medical training and a crucial skill for their doctors to possess. However, physicians often feel unprepared to meet these expectations, with self-assessments revealing a widespread inability to counsel patients on nutrition (Crowley et al., 2019). Establishing clear benchmarks or nutrition competencies for medical students and physician trainees in future curricula and licensure/certification exams is essential to address this educational gap (Eisenberg et al., 2024). Although guidelines for medical curricula have increasingly recognized the importance of nutrition in recent years, the implementation of these guidelines is left to individual schools (Kushner et al., 2014). Medical curricula face significant challenges, including disputes over time allocation and difficulties in hiring qualified faculty to teach nutritional health (Kushner et al., 2014). Consequently, nutrition remains an underrepresented area in medical training.

Strategies to address the discrepancies between medical training and community members' expectations of doctors might include integrating nutritional health in the study of disease prevalence and prognosis, emphasizing patient-centered care, and increasing clinical experience in nutritional care alongside experts like dietitians. Current measures of nutritional exposure reveal a significant underrepresentation of nutrition in medical training, with our own curriculum at GCSOM falling short of national recommendations, with roughly 14 h of objective-based instruction focused on nutrition during the 2021–2023 academic years (Taye et al., 2023). Although time allocation for nutrition training is limited in current curricula, evidence suggests that even brief, targeted education can enhance provider confidence in patient counseling and improve nutritional knowledge (Schlair et al., 2012; Barlow et al., 2018). While physicians should not replace the role of dietitians, nutritionists, and other experts in nutritional care, improving physicians' fundamental knowledge in this area and increasing collaborative work with these experts during training might result in better utilization of nutrition consultation and improve patient outcomes.

4.1. Limitations and strengths

This study's findings are limited by the demographic homogeneity and geographic scope of the sample. While effort was made to capture a broad selection of the population through community partners, such as neighborhood centers and public libraries, the responses did not reflect the demographics of Northeast Pennsylvania (US Census Bureau, 2025); for example, 42% of respondents had a graduate level education, 91% identified as female, 99% identified as white, and 26% had health or nutrition related qualifications. The absence of broader demographic variation (e.g., race, gender distribution, socioeconomic status, language background, and detailed age distribution) limits generalizability to more diverse populations; moreover, the overrepresentation of individuals with health or nutrition-related qualifications may have introduced bias, although analyses excluding these respondents yielded similar findings. Additionally, the survey did not distinguish between physician types or capture specific clinical conditions or comorbidities, potentially conflating patient experiences across various healthcare providers and limiting alignment of patient expectations for nutrition counseling. Therefore, further research should adequately sample all groups and link responses to clinical indications for nutrition counseling. Comparing expectations across specialties and care settings and evaluating the impact of nutrition education in medical curricula are warranted.

5. Conclusion

This study highlights a significant gap between community expectations and the nutritional care patients report receiving from physicians. While the public values physician involvement in providing nutrition guidance, many patients feel their concerns are insufficiently addressed due to limited physician training and time constraints during visits. Participants also highlighted challenges in accessing trustworthy nutrition information and emphasized the need for stronger referral pathways to dieticians. Strengthening nutrition education in medical curricula, increasing clinical exposure to dieticians, and reinforcing patient-centered approaches may help align physician practices with community expectations. Addressing these educational and systemic barriers is essential for improving the quality and consistency of nutritional care in clinical settings and meeting the community's expectations for comprehensive health guidance. With their longitudinal patient relationships, primary care physicians may be better positioned to provide nutritional care than specialists. Future studies should clarify specialty roles and assess how improved nutrition education affects patient outcomes and community perspectives, potentially informing reforms in medical education.

CRediT authorship contribution statement

Hugh Johnson: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Olivia Kunitsky: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Conceptualization. Sireesha Mamillapalli: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Gabi Waite: Writing – review & editing, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization. Sonia Lobo: Writing – review & editing, Writing – original draft, Project administration, Methodology, Formal analysis, Data curation, Conceptualization.

Funding

This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Appendix A. Supplementary data

Supplementary material 1

Supplementary Table 1. Adult participants from Northeastern and Central Pennsylvania who responded to the open-ended survey question, "Do you have any other comments or suggestions regarding nutrition education and the role of physicians in promoting nutritional health?" from June - July 2024 (n=170). Responses were reviewed to identify recurrent concepts, which were grouped into six themes: need for physician education and training, food as medicine, holistic care and prevention, routine part of care, practical nutrition guidance, and specialist referral and collaboration. Representative quotes illustrating each theme are provided.

Supplementary material 2

Community Nutrition Survey Questionnaire.

Data availability

Data will be made available on request.