| Sumario: | Objective: To review the experiences and views of dietitians who had participated in interventions in the takeaway food sector to determine competencies relevant to the development of the public health nutrition workforce in this setting.Design: Semi-structured interviews were conducted by telephone among a purposive sample of dietitians currently or previously involved in interventions in the takeaway food sector. Interviews were guided by five questions relating to work performed, competency requirements, competency deficits, training requirements and personal competency gains as a result of involvement in this public health nutrition work. Responses were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed.Subjects and setting: Ten dietitians working on interventions conducted in Australia during 1990-99.Main outcome measures: Subjective views about needs for workforce development based on past work experience.Results: The main tasks undertaken related to general public health practices such as communication, training, research and project management. The most commonly required competencies (and reported deficits) related to project management including skills and knowledge of needs assessment, planning, strategy development, implementation and evaluation. This was followed closely by communication skills specific to the work context of the takeaway food sector. A common observation by practitioners was the need for a greater knowledge of the corporate operation of the food service industry and the need for more training in marketing, project management, research and business administration.Conclusions: The competency and training themes identified in this qualitative study reflect many of those previously reported in the literature concerning the development of the public health workforce and can inform scholarship in the development of public health nutrition.
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