Article: The impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition: dietitians' perspective Journal: International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management (IJHTM) 2023 Vol.20 No.4 pp.348 - 364 Abstract: There are currently 3.8 billion social network users around the world. Social networks have an enormous potential for entrepreneurs to reach their customers and, consequently, increase their profit, reduce costs and increase productivity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition from a dietitian point of view regarding the effectiveness of nutritional interventions and economic profitability of social networks. The results show that 56.2% of dietitians use social networks for professional purposes. About 84.4% increased the total number of consultations due to social networks, with the majority being able to retain more than 75% of customers (46.7%). With regards to effectiveness, 51.1% consider dietary approaches through social networks equally effective comparing to face-to-face approaches. We can conclude that the increased demand and interest in online services may constitute a business opportunity or a job opportunity for dietitians. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: The impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition: dietitians' perspective

Authors: Cátia Andrade Moreira; Tânia Saraiva; Elisabete Carolino

Addresses: Department of Accounting, Lisbon Accounting and Business School, Av. Miguel Bombarda 20, 1069-035, Lisbon, Portugal ' Department of Accounting, Lisbon Accounting and Business School, Av. Miguel Bombarda 20, 1069-035, Lisbon, Portugal ' Natural and Exact Sciences, Lisbon School of Health Technology, Av. Dom João II Lote 4.69 01, 1990-096, Lisbon, Portugal

Abstract: There are currently 3.8 billion social network users around the world. Social networks have an enormous potential for entrepreneurs to reach their customers and, consequently, increase their profit, reduce costs and increase productivity. The aim of this study is to assess the impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition from a dietitian point of view regarding the effectiveness of nutritional interventions and economic profitability of social networks. The results show that 56.2% of dietitians use social networks for professional purposes. About 84.4% increased the total number of consultations due to social networks, with the majority being able to retain more than 75% of customers (46.7%). With regards to effectiveness, 51.1% consider dietary approaches through social networks equally effective comparing to face-to-face approaches. We can conclude that the increased demand and interest in online services may constitute a business opportunity or a job opportunity for dietitians.

Keywords: social networks; social media; clinical nutrition; e-health; IoT; Internet of Things; healthcare; digital entrepreneurship; Facebook; Instagram; entrepreneurship; obesity; weight management.

DOI: 10.1504/IJHTM.2023.134453

International Journal of Healthcare Technology and Management, 2023 Vol.20 No.4, pp.348 - 364

Received: 30 Jun 2021
Accepted: 02 Mar 2022
Published online: 23 Oct 2023 *

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Title: The impact of social networks in the area of clinical nutrition: dietitians' perspective

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