Analysis of Supply and Demand Ttrends in the Field of Diabetes Nutrition Counseling: A Basic Step Toward Identifying the Entrepreneurial Opportunities for Nutrition Consultants

Background and Aim: Identification of entrepreneurial opportunities in the field of nutrition counseling is a central issue in employing nutrition consultants and meeting the needs of patients with chronic diseases better. To this end, the present survey has been conducted in order to analyze the supply and demand trends of diabetes nutrition counseling as a basic step toward identifying the entrepreneurial opportunities for nutrition consultants in Tehran. Materials and Methods: To implement this descriptive-survey study, a questionnaire based on Likert scale was sent by email to 80 active professionals in the field of nutrition counseling services in Tehran, of whom 48 responded to its questions. Then, using SPSS11.5, the mean values of participants responses were calculated and compared with one another. Results: The findings obtained based on participants responses revealed that the need for "nutritional counseling in the form of a treatment team" was mostly not met in different age, education and income groups of diabetic patients Conclusion: "Nutrition counseling in the form of a treatment team" can be considered as a suitable field for entrepreneurial activities.