The nutritionist educator: conceptions of students from the Nutrition program of the National University of Córdoba, Argentina

Introduction: The ways in which educational initiatives have been implemented appear as dark areas regarding how they contribute to the improvement of the nutritional situation of the Argentinean population. Objective: To analyze the conceptions about the nutritionist educator of students from the Nutrition program. Materials and methods: An exploratory research with qualitative questions was conducted. 173 semi-structured interviews were made where gender, age, year of study and the basics of the nutritionist as an educator were analyzed. Intentional sampling of maximum variation and analysis of thematic content and enunciation were used. Results: 99% of students consider the nutritionist as an educator. Three major categories were built: the educational function according to the curriculum; the role of educator, in which health appears as an object of professional activity mediated by food or as a socially legitimized reference to prescribe food recommendations; and educational actions, showing differences and tensions in pedagogical conceptions. Conclusions: The reasons why the nutritionist is an educator include transmisionist visions and some others close to problematizing education based on the appropriation of curriculum and professional work. Thus, it is possible to visualize certain traits that go through the practice of graduates according to the educational concepts they build since they are students.