Message from the ADSA President

Dear ADSA members Warm wishes for a prosperous 2012! May this be a year of health, happiness and wealth for us all! We as ADSA exec are looking forward to continuing in our service to our profession to the best of our ability in this coming year. Having already had our first meeting of the year, our planning is in place and we have already got the ball rolling on all areas of our activities. You will be updated on this in the newsletters every month.  So watch this space…

It's easy to make a buck. It's a lot tougher to make a difference. Tom Brokaw

So let us commit to making a difference this year in the lives of those who cross our path.

Also, remember to start saving up for your HPCSA fees - R1238.00 is the amount for this year as seen on their website.

Ethical moment…

HEALTH PROFESSIONS ACT 56 OF 1974

ETHICAL RULES OF CONDUCT FOR PRACTITIONERS REGISTERED UNDER THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS ACT, 1974

Published under Government Notice R717 in Government Gazette 29079 of 4 August 2006

10. Supersession

A practitioner shall not supersede or take over a patient from another practitioner if he or she is aware that such patient is in active treatment of another practitioner, unless he or she –

(a) takes reasonable steps to inform the other practitioner that he or she has taken over the patient at such patient’s request; and

(b) establishes from the other practitioner what treatment such patient previously received, especially what medication, if any, was prescribed to such patient and in such case the other practitioner shall be obliged to provide such required information.

Berna Harmse RD (SA)
MSc Dietetics (NWU)
President of the Dietetic Association of South Africa (2011-2013)

Portfolio: Communications

Dear Colleague, Best wishes for 2012.  In addition to the current information you receive in the monthly newsletter we will now be launching a new section on “What’s hot abroad”.  This feature aims to enlighten you on what our dietetic colleagues are up to abroad, and at times it may even provide you with some inspiration to embark on something new and exciting in the comfort of your own country.  We are also looking into introducing a “LOG IN” page for members only on the ADSA website, so if you have any ideas on what you would like to see in this section and how the site can be of more service to you, please feel to contact me on the details below.  As a start to the new year, I have decided to introduce you to myself on this month’s:

DIETITIANS ON THE GO...... 

Name:  Nireshnee Reddy

Field of speciality in dietetics:   Food industry / Nutrition Education
Position:  Nutrition Liaison Officer - Education
Where do you work?  South African Sugar Association
How long have you worked in this field?  5 years
What does a general day (or month) look like?
My work is usually project based and a day / month would vary based on the particular project.  As nutrition education is usually a component of all projects I am involved in, a month would at some point or the other include:-

Research and study.
Development of nutrition education materials / tools.
Planning logistics around nutrition education activities. 
Facilitation of nutrition education workshops.
Evaluation and reporting on projects.

What is the most gratifying part of your job / field of work?
Receiving feedback from people I have trained / educated on nutrition.  Learning how they translated the information into practical application and the positive impacts that they have seen. 

What do you least enjoy about your job / field?
I now have limited clinical experience and one on one patient interaction.

What’s Hot Abroad 

International Awards and Fellowships available from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation:

Colgate Palmolive Fellowship in Nutrition, Oral Health / Dental Education

This grant is given to support research in nutrition and oral health or dental education by a student in a masters, doctoral or post-doctoral program in dietetics/nutrition or public health nutrition and has an expressed interest in nutrition and oral health/dental education. Grant amount: $15,000. Non-US residents may apply.

The award is given on a competitive application basis to support research in nutrition, oral health or dental education by doctoral students seeking a doctorate in nutrition, oral health or dental education. The recipient of this award, a registered dietitian or international equivalent, must have as short- and long-term goals, a career in nutrition, dental or health professions education. Applications are available online or by e-mailing blabrador@eatright.org. Deadline to apply April 1, 2012.

Wimpfheimer-Guggenheim Fund for International Exchange in Nutrition, Dietetics and Management

This award is given to provide for the international exchange of needed nutrition, dietetic and/or management information for the benefit of the nutritional health of the world community. Up to two awards may be given.

•  Award amount: $1,000

•  Read Past Essays

•  Download Application

•  Application deadline has been extended until March 1, 2012

Nireshnee Reddy
Communications Portfolio
Tel:  031 508 7140           
nireshnee.reddy@sasa.org.za

Portfolio: Communications Dear Colleague, Best wishes for 2012.  In addition to the current information you receive in the monthly newsletter we will now be launching a new section on “What’s hot abroad”.  This feature aims to enlighten you on what our dietetic colleagues are up to abroad, and at times it may even provide you with some inspiration to embark on something new and exciting in the comfort of your own country.  We are also looking into introducing a “LOG IN” page for members only on the ADSA website, so if you have any ideas on what you would like to see in this section and how the site can be of more service to you, please feel to contact me on the details below.  As a start to the new year, I have decided to introduce you to myself on this month’s:  DIETITIANS ON THE GO......  Name:  Nireshnee Reddy Field of speciality in dietetics:   Food industry / Nutrition Education Position:  Nutrition Liaison Officer - Education Where do you work?  South African Sugar Association How long have you worked in this field?  5 years What does a general day (or month) look like? My work is usually project based and a day / month would vary based on the particular project.  As nutrition education is usually a component of all projects I am involved in, a month would at some point or the other include:- Research and study. Development of nutrition education materials / tools. Planning logistics around nutrition education activities.  Facilitation of nutrition education workshops. Evaluation and reporting on projects. Name:  Nireshnee Reddy Field of speciality in dietetics:   Food industry / Nutrition Education Position:  Nutrition Liaison Officer - Education Where do you work?  South African Sugar Association How long have you worked in this field?  5 years What does a general day (or month) look like? My work is usually project based and a day / month would vary based on the particular project.  As nutrition education is usually a component of all projects I am involved in, a month would at some point or the other include:- Research and study. Development of nutrition education materials / tools. Planning logistics around nutrition education activities.  Facilitation of nutrition education workshops. Evaluation and reporting on projects. What is the most gratifying part of your job / field of work? Receiving feedback from people I have trained / educated on nutrition.  Learning how they translated the information into practical application and the positive impacts that they have seen.  What do you least enjoy about your job / field? I now have limited clinical experience and one on one patient interaction. What’s Hot Abroad  International Awards and Fellowships available from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation: Colgate Palmolive Fellowship in Nutrition, Oral Health / Dental Education This grant is given to support research in nutrition and oral health or dental education by a student in a masters, doctoral or post-doctoral program in dietetics/nutrition or public health nutrition and has an expressed interest in nutrition and oral health/dental education. Grant amount: $15,000. Non-US residents may apply. The award is given on a competitive application basis to support research in nutrition, oral health or dental education by doctoral students seeking a doctorate in nutrition, oral health or dental education. The recipient of this award, a registered dietitian or international equivalent, must have as short- and long-term goals, a career in nutrition, dental or health professions education. Applications are available online or by e-mailing blabrador@eatright.org. Deadline to apply April 1, 2012. Wimpfheimer-Guggenheim Fund for International Exchange in Nutrition, Dietetics and Management This award is given to provide for the international exchange of needed nutrition, dietetic and/or management information for the benefit of the nutritional health of the world community. Up to two awards may be given. •             Award amount: $1,000 •             Read Past Essays •             Download Application •             Application deadline has been extended until March 1, 2012 Nireshnee Reddy - Communications Portfolio Tel:  031 508 7140             nireshnee.reddy@sasa.org.za

Portfolio: Public Sector Dietitians

Community service orientation packs The ADSA public sector portfolio has kicked off 2012 with the distribution of a ‘community service orientation pack’ to all new community service dietitians.  This orientation pack, consisting of a booklet and cd, has been developed in order to provide community service dietitians with resources and information to assist them during this year.  Apart from information on the Integrated Nutrition Programme priorities, the information packs also contain information and forms that will ease administrative responsibilities such as HPCSA and SARS registration and regulations.  The information packs will be updated annually and any feedback or inputs in this regard is welcomed.

Health awareness days

The 2012 health awareness days calendar is available here.  Dietitians are encouraged to take part in health awareness initiatives throughout the year, especially World Breastfeeding Week (1 to 7 September 2012) and National Nutrition Week (9 to 15 October 2012).  ADSA members will be informed on activities planned around these events.

Maria van der Merwe
Portfolio:  Public Sector Dietitians
Cell:  082 307 5345Fax:  086 529 7987
e-mail:  smvandermerwe@gmail.com

Portfolio: Membership

Dear ADSA member Thank you to everyone who has renewed their ADSA membership for 2012. To all the new ADSA members, a very special and warm welcome to you all! I believe that being an ADSA member is the best way to stay on top of all the interesting news in our field.

A very IMPORTANT NOTICE to all the members who have not renewed their membership yet:

If you have not renewed your ADSA membership for 2012 by the 31st of January, you will be REMOVED from the ADSA database.

Please contact Roberta at Van Der Walt & Co. (roberta@vdw.co.za) if:

• you are unsure about your membership status or to confirm if you are paid up

• you have not yet renewed, you can still renew up to the 31st of January WITHOUT having to pay a penalty fee

• you had paid your membership but still received a notice early in January 2012 that you are not paid up

• you have any other queries regarding your membership or change of personal details

 Alternatively you can send an email to info@adsa.org.za.

Kind regards
Philna Eksteen
philnaeksteen@gmail.com
ADSA Exec: Membership portfolio

Portfolio: Public Relations

The Public Relations plans for 2012 are now in place, and details have been communicated to branch chairpersons. A new activity that is planned is to do a big push for media coverage during Pregnancy Week. Protactic have been retained to run the media contact programme, and branches will be assisting to put us in touch with multilingual members who are available for radio interviews. The snippet sent to the media as a teaser is detailed below. Information for the public will be on the website www.nutritionweek.co.za. All members are encouraged to arrange events targeted at pregnant women during this time, please take photos and write a summary of what you did, to share with others. These activities will contribute to your branch PR work for the year.

The contract with the PR company who started work for ADSA in 2011 (Meropa) has been terminated, and we will be appointing a new agency to undertake this work in the future. A benefit of finding a company that is the right fit is that it makes the programme more sustainable in the long run. The overall aim is to develop good relationships with a number of publications, to encourage them to use evidence based information in their nutrition features.

"During Pregnancy Week (12-18 February 2012) ADSA will highlight the importance of healthy eating before and during pregnancy.

Many women of childbearing age don't have good eating plans which can have detrimental short and long term effects on their health and the baby's.

Dietary quality from the first weeks of pregnancy exerts a strong influence on the development of the baby and the placenta; this in turn has an impact on the growth of the baby and on maternal wellbeing.

In the short term, poor quality eating, before and during pregnancy, puts mother and baby at risk for complications during delivery, excessive bleeding, weaker immune systems and poor post-natal recovery. Long term, inadequate nutrient balance during pregnancy as a result of poor eating can affect the health and development of the child for the rest of its life.

ADSA advises that women who plan to fall pregnant or who are already pregnant consult a registered dietitian to assess their nutrient needs and identify eating plans that meet these needs."

On a closing note, the slogan that ADSA previously used (If it is about nutrition, consult a dietitian) is no longer used in our promotional activities.

Carol Browne RD (SA)
ADSA Executive Committee (2009-2012)