Dietetics really started from the middle of the nineteenth century when Florence Nightingale observed the importance of diet and nutrition to convalescence from the wars at that time. Following the appearance of the first dietitians in the United States at the start of the twentieth century we know that the first UK dietitians came from nursing sisters, then working in hospitals. The Edinburgh Royal Infirmary was the first hospital known to develop a dietetic department in 1924. The Infirmary launched the first dietetic diploma course around ten years after the creation of its dietetic department. The BDA’s history also emerged around the same time. The very first meeting of the Association was held on 24 January 1936 at St Thomas’ Hospital in London. Since then the BDA has grown into an internationally respected and valued organisation.
Mission and scope
Its aims are to:
Advance the science and practice of dietetics and associated subjects;
Promote training and education in the science and practice of dietetics and associated subjects;
Regulate the relations between dietitians and their employer through the BDA Trade Union.
Organisation and membership
The BDA is a UK-wide membership organisation representing over 9,000 dietitians and dietetic support workers. Members of the association may use the post-nominal MBDA. The association also awards fellowship status to member dietitians who have significantly contributed to the development of the field. Fellows use the post-nominal FBDA. The BDA head office is in Birmingham. It has members from all four UK nations and some from overseas. The majority of the BDA's membership work in the National Health Service. Approximately one third of the membership work in other sectors, such as education, private industry, private practice and the media. In the UK, 'Dietitian' is a legally protected title. Unlike nutritionists and other food/nutrition titles, all dietitians are required to be educated to a certain level and dietitians are the only food/nutrition professionals in the UK who must be regulated. The BDA comprises six departments:
The BDA is a certified holder of the Information Standard. The Information Standard is a Department of Health certification scheme for health and social care information. Successful organisations can use the quality mark on materials to confirm that the information is from a reliable source.
Campaigns
The British Dietetic Association also administers the specialist register for dietitians and sports nutritionists working with elite sportspeople. In 2011, the BDA Chairman at the time, Helen Davidson, announced the creation of a brand new BDA national campaign. The aim of the campaign was to highlight levels of malnutrition in older people living in their own homes in the UK. Mind the Hunger Gap was deemed a great success with much coverage and publicity across the UK, including advising the UL soap Emmerdale on a community malnutrition storyline in early 2013. The BDA launched its most recent campaign Work Ready in 2016, which aims to highlight work-based health.
Publications
The British Dietetic Association produces a monthly magazine called . Simret Bassra-Brar is the magazine's Editor. Its official journal is the Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics, which is published bimonthly by John Wiley & Sons.
