Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40843623›Full record

ArticleNutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia2025

Experiences of financial stress on health, wellbeing and food insecurity among student dietitians on unpaid mandatory student placements.

Jarrah Manning, Rebecca Heins, Kelly Lambert, Natalie Nicholls, Gabrielle O'Flynn, Karen Walton, Anne-Therese McMahon

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Placement poverty: Why it matters to all dietitians.Nutrition & dietetics : the journal of the Dietitians Association of Australia · 2026
    Article
  3. Article
  4. Private Practice Dietetics Workforce Development: What 45 Thought Leaders Agree On.Journal of human nutrition and dietetics : the official journal of the British Dietetic Association · 2026
    Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors.

Jarrah ManningSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Rebecca HeinsSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Kelly LambertSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0001-5935-7328
Natalie NichollsSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Gabrielle O'FlynnSchool of Education, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.
Karen WaltonSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.ORCID 0000-0003-2382-7855
Anne-Therese McMahonSchool of Medical, Indigenous and Health Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales, Australia.

Funding

University of Wollongong
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

aimsUnpaid mandatory student placements are common among allied health disciplines. This qualitative study aimed to specifically explore the student dietitian experiences of and perspective on financial stress and food insecurity during unpaid mandatory student placements as well as describe any related impacts on their health and wellbeing.

methodsSemi-structured interviews were undertaken with student dietitians living in Australia and New Zealand. Participants had self-nominated for interviews from a larger interprofessional mixed method study on student placement poverty. Inductive thematic analysis involving coding, categorisation, theme development and refinement was used to generate themes.

resultsA total of 11 interviews were undertaken. Most students were female, studying full-time and living in Queensland, New South Wales and New Zealand. All students had undertaken at least one unpaid placement. Thematic analysis of the student experience of placement generated five key themes and 18 subthemes. The key themes were (1) Overall Wellbeing on Placement, (2) Financial Security, (3) Social Support, (4) Income Sources and (5) Course Structure. Overall, unpaid placements had a significant impact on the ability of students to maintain their overall wellbeing whilst on placement. This included impacts on financial security. There was noted to be substantial cognitive dissonance between high levels of nutrition knowledge and the inability to maintain their own food security.

conclusionThese findings highlight that unpaid mandatory student placements (especially those requiring full-time attendance) represent a major challenge for student dietitians, with implications for student physical and mental wellbeing and future diversity within the profession of dietetics.

Indexed as

Financial StressFood InsecurityInternship and ResidencyNutritionistsStudents, Health OccupationsAdultFemaleHumansInterviews as TopicMaleNew South WalesNew ZealandPsychological Well-BeingQualitative ResearchQueenslandRetrospective Studiesdietitianfood securityplacement povertyqualitativestudentuniversity

Identifiers

PMID40843623
PMCPMC12583893

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.