Evaluating the Effectiveness of Nutritional Therapy in the McClelland Teaching Clinic at the University of Worcester

Introduction: NT is an evidence-based complementary therapy, which applies nutrition and lifestyle science to underlying pathophysiology, resulting in personalized health improvement advice. Efficacy depends on establishing a quality relationship between therapist and client. The aim of the pilot study was to measure the effectiveness of NT at the UoW teaching clinic using the Working Alliance Inventory-Short Revised (WAI-SR) and a symptom-specific outcome measure, Measure Yourself Medical Outcome Profile 2 (MYMOP2).

Methods: The interventional, before-and-after, within group pilot study used MYMOP2 to evaluate client symptoms, activity and wellbeing, and WAI-SR to evaluate therapist and client working relationship. Fifty-five clients and 22 students participated. Measures were taken at initial and follow-up consultation. Twenty completed measures were statistically analyzed using non-parametric tests.

Results: Clients presented with a range of symptoms, particularly digestive issues (27.3%) and low energy (20%). A statistically significant improvement was seen in Symptom 1 (z=-3.69, p<.001, r=.82), Symptom 2 (z=-3.32, p<.001, r=.74), Activity (z=-2.07, p<.001, r=.7), WAI-SRT (z=3.18, p<.05, r=.7) and WAI-SRC (z=2.19, p<.001, r=.5) with large effect sizes, and no significant improvement in Wellbeing. Strong, positive relationships were found between combined Symptom 1 and Activity, and Wellbeing at initial (r=.5, n=20, p<.05) and follow-up (r=.6, n=20, p<.05). A strong therapist and client working alliance was evident at initial and follow-up consultation.

Conclusion: Preliminary results suggest NT practice is effective in reducing client symptoms and improving health and activity. This may be facilitated by a strong therapist and client working alliance. Further larger-scaled research would support findings with more robust analysis.