Table 2.

Comparisons Over Time of Selected Survey Data From U.S. Medical Schools With Respect to Nutrition Education^*

Item	2000–2001 survey	2004 survey	2008–2009 survey
Average required nutrition contact hours, no.*†	20.4	22.3	19.6
Schools with required nutrition course, % (no./total)	35 (39/112)	30 (32/106)	25 (26/105)
Schools requiring ≥25 hours of nutrition education, % (no./total)	32 (36/112)	38 (40/104)‡	27 (28/105)
Instructors who think more nutrition education is needed, %	—	88	79

^*All U.S. medical schools were surveyed at three distinct times: 2000–2001, 2004, and 2008–2009 (the current survey). The surveys used identically worded core questions (the only exception is that the question reflected in the bottom row was not asked on the 2000–2001 survey). The response rates from the three surveys were 89%, 84%, and 86% from 2000–2001, 2004, and 2008–2009, respectively.

^†The averages represent data from all schools providing quantifiable responses. Schools reporting only optional nutrition instruction were coded as having zero hours of required nutrition instruction.

^‡Two schools did not provide a response to this survey question.