CDN Cultural Competency in Nutrition 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A Korean-American client reports frequently eating kimchi, fermented vegetables, and doenjang (fermented soybean paste). From a nutritional standpoint, the dietitian should recognize that these foods:
- Are high in sodium and should be completely eliminated
- Provide probiotics and may support gut health, but sodium content warrants monitoring (Correct answer)
- Contain no nutritional value beyond caloric content
- Should be replaced with American probiotic supplements
Correct answer: Provide probiotics and may support gut health, but sodium content warrants monitoring
Traditional Korean fermented foods offer probiotic benefits but are high in sodium, so a balanced approach monitors intake rather than eliminating them.
Question 2: Which of the following BEST reflects a structurally competent approach to nutrition practice?
- Focusing exclusively on individual dietary behavior change
- Acknowledging how social determinants and systemic inequities shape food access and health outcomes (Correct answer)
- Assuming all patients have equal access to healthy foods
- Prioritizing nutrient supplementation over addressing food access barriers
Correct answer: Acknowledging how social determinants and systemic inequities shape food access and health outcomes
Structural competency recognizes that social, economic, and political systems shape patients' health behaviors and food environments.
Question 3: A Middle Eastern client adhering to a halal diet asks about protein sources appropriate for meal planning. Which protein is NOT halal-compliant?
- Grilled chicken slaughtered according to Islamic rites
- Canned tuna fish
- Pork tenderloin (Correct answer)
- Grass-fed beef certified halal
Correct answer: Pork tenderloin
Pork and pork products are prohibited under Islamic halal dietary laws.
Question 4: What is the primary purpose of conducting a cultural food frequency questionnaire (CFFQ) compared to a standard FFQ?
- To assess caloric intake more accurately than a standard FFQ
- To capture culturally specific foods that may be underrepresented in standard dietary assessment tools (Correct answer)
- To eliminate the need for a 24-hour dietary recall
- To assess physical activity levels alongside dietary habits
Correct answer: To capture culturally specific foods that may be underrepresented in standard dietary assessment tools
A CFFQ includes culturally relevant foods not typically listed in standard FFQs, improving the accuracy of dietary assessment in diverse populations.
Question 5: A dietitian observes that a recently immigrated patient's diet has shifted from traditional whole foods to fast food within one year of arrival. This pattern is consistent with:
- The nutrition transition associated with urbanization and migration (Correct answer)
- Improved dietary quality due to increased food variety
- Evidence that traditional diets are inferior to Western diets
- A natural and health-promoting adaptation to a new country
Correct answer: The nutrition transition associated with urbanization and migration
The nutrition transition describes the shift from traditional diets to energy-dense, processed diets often seen with urbanization and migration.
Question 6: A Hindu patient following a strict vegetarian diet is hospitalized and the standard menu does not offer vegetarian options. The most appropriate action is to:
- Encourage the patient to make an exception for medical recovery
- Request a vegetarian or customized meal plan through hospital food services (Correct answer)
- Provide only oral nutrition supplements to avoid menu conflicts
- Document the patient's refusal of food and take no further action
Correct answer: Request a vegetarian or customized meal plan through hospital food services
Hospitals are required to accommodate religious and cultural dietary needs; requesting a customized vegetarian meal plan upholds patient rights and cultural respect.
Question 7: Which of the following behaviors by a dietitian MOST undermines cultural competency in practice?
- Asking a patient about their traditional food practices during assessment
- Assuming all members of an ethnic group share identical dietary habits (Correct answer)
- Adapting dietary recommendations to fit a patient's cultural food preferences
- Using professional interpreters when working with limited-English-proficient patients
Correct answer: Assuming all members of an ethnic group share identical dietary habits
Stereotyping all members of an ethnic group as having the same dietary practices ignores individual variation and undermines culturally competent care.
CDN Cultural Competency in Nutrition 5
A Korean-American client reports frequently eating kimchi, fermented vegetables, and doenjang (fermented soybean paste).
From a nutritional standpoint, the dietitian should recognize that these foods: