Perfil del usuario que acude a la consulta privada de un dietista-nutricionista en Alicante (2006-2010)

People are increasingly turning to dietician-nutritionists for dietary advice to improve their health by adopting healthy eating habits. This study seeks to determine the typical profile of users who are referred by another health professional or who voluntarily attends private dietician-nutritionist clinics. Using demographic and anthropometric data for users of private consultations with a dietician-nutritionist between October 6, 2006 and June 26, 2010, a descriptive analysis was undertaken of the following variables: weight, BMI, age and sex at the time of the consultation. The inclusion/exclusion criterion restricted the dataset to individuals over 18. The profile shows that consultation users are typically women aged between 30 and 50, with a BMI indicating that they were overweight or obese when they requested dietary advice. The study shows the characteristics of patients attending their first consultation with a dietician-nutritionist. The data are very useful in identifying the profile of the group affected by problems of overweight and obesity, based on the demand for consultations and perceived morbidity parameters. This, in turn, can assist us in devising better dietary strategies to address these problems.