Identifying and Mapping Canadian Registered Dietitians’ Perceptions and Knowledge of, and Experiences with, Weight-Related Evidence in Nutrition Care: A Scoping Review Protocol

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify and map the currently available peer-reviewed and grey literature exploring Canadian registered dietitians’ (RDs’) perceptions and knowledge of, and experiences with, weight-related evidence in nutrition care. Introduction: Weight, skin fold calipers, body mass index (BMI), and other means of measuring and describing body size, have been associated with risk, progression, and nutrition intervention success with several disease states. Interpretation and application of weight-related evidence can be impacted by several non-medical factors, including practitioner perspective, evidence interpretation and application, lived experience, and bias. Each of these outcomes may differ between RDs and are not easily described or understood. Inclusion Criteria: Original peer-reviewed studies and grey literature published in English that explore Canadian RDs’ perceptions of, knowledge of, and experiences with weight-related evidence in nutrition care will be included. Methods: Following the JBI scoping review design and associated methodology, including the three-step search strategy process, four databases will be searched: CINAHL (EBSCO), MEDLINE (Ovid), Embase (Elsevier), and Scopus (Elsevier). Grey literature will be searched using Google Scholar, Google, and Microsoft Bing, and a search strategy specific to grey literature has been developed in partnership with the research team’s librarian (MR). Screening and extraction will be led by two independent reviewers (RW, AM), and conflicts will be resolved either by discussion or through a third reviewer (SG). Data will be presented using diagrams and/or tables, including a narrative summary. The Delphi method will be used for community consultation, that will occur throughout this study.