SISFFIT026
Support healthy eating through the Eat for Health Program


Application

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to use the Eat for Health Program to support clients who do not have special dietary needs. It covers assisting clients to adapt the Australian Dietary Guidelines to suit their lifestyles and food choice influences using the Eat for Health Program as a guide.

This unit requires the ability to provide healthy eating information and assist clients within industry endorsed scope of practice following completion of industry endorsed pre-exercise screening.

The scope of practice of a personal trainer does not include:

the provision of specific or individualised dietary analysis or advice, or information regarding:

specific diets

fad diets

nutritional supplementation

sports foods

ergogenic aids

nutrition for exercise or sports performance

the provision of information or advice to people with medical conditions requiring specialised dietary advice, or to frail elderly people who are at risk of malnutrition

the provision of dietary information or advice for infants and toddlers.

The personal trainer must refer clients to an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Accredited Sports Dietitian, or General Practitioner as appropriate.

This unit applies to personal trainers who typically work autonomously in controlled and uncontrolled fitness environments. Work is performed according to relevant legislation and organisational policies and procedures.

No occupational licensing, certification or specific legislative requirements apply to this unit at the time of publication.


Elements and Performance Criteria

ELEMENTS

PERFORMANCE CRITERIA

Elements describe the essential outcomes

Performance criteria describe the performance needed to demonstrate achievement of the element.

1. Identify client needs within the Eat for Health Program.

1.1 Consider and confirm client goals, expectations and preferences using suitable questioning techniques.

1.2 Identify current sedentary and incidental physical activity patterns of client.

1.3 Explain benefits of combining regular moderate intensity physical activity and healthy eating.

1.4 Explain limitations as a personal trainer in providing the Eat for Health Program to a client.

1.5 Refer client to an Accredited Practising Dietitian or Accredited Sports Dietitian, as required.

2. Develop client profiles of food choices and eating patterns.

2.1 Determine daily eating patterns of client in format of the Australian Dietary Guidelines.

2.2 Identify influences of food choices using the Eat for Health Educator Guide.

3. Provide eating pattern and health status information.

3.1 Compare client eating patterns with recommendations in the Eat for Health Educator Guide.

3.2 Provide feedback on eating patterns and alignment with Australian Dietary Guidelines to client.

3.3 Discuss advantages and disadvantages of eating patterns using the Eat for Health Educator Guide.

4. Influence healthier eating patterns.

4.1 Assist client to make changes to eating patterns to more closely align with their goals using the template for adapting the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

4.2 Educate client regarding food labels to support healthy choices using the Eat for Health Educator Guide.

4.3 Maintain records of all assistance provided to client.

Evidence of Performance

Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role. This must include period(s) totalling at least five hours comprising at least five different client contact sessions, and:

identify the daily eating patterns of at least five clients in the format of the Australian Dietary Guidelines

compare each client’s eating patterns with the recommendations in the Eat for Health Educator Guide relative to their goals, body composition, lifestyle group, and current level of physical activity, using Foundation and Total Diets

provide suggestions for achieving healthy dietary patterns to each client in accordance with the Eat for Health Educator Guide

apply organisational policies and procedures and legal and ethical limitations to client contact sessions:

maintain client confidentiality

maintain clear and accurate records of client consultations

identify the need for and prepare referrals for at least five clients to an Accredited Practising Dietitian, Accredited Sports Dietitian and/or medical practitioner as required:

clients who have specific dietary requirements or dietary concerns

clients who are not achieving their goals when following the Australian Dietary Guidelines

clients who need support regarding attitudes to eating.


Evidence of Knowledge

Demonstrated knowledge required to complete the tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit:

purpose and use of the Australian Dietary Guidelines:

food groups

guidelines

Australian guide to healthy eating and the template for adaptation for clients

purpose and use of the Eat for Health Program and Eat for Health Educator Guide to:

support implementation of the Australian Dietary Guidelines

use concepts such as the Foundation Diet and Total Diet that assist clients to plan healthy eating

how to read and understand food labels to support healthy food choices according to the Eat for Health Educator Guide

how to use the template for adapting the Australian guide to healthy eating to assist clients to make informed food choices

role of Accredited Practising Dietitian, Accredited Sports Dietitian and General Practitioner for referring clients

referral requirements for:

clients with very high volume or high intensity training loads, or participation in organised sport,

clients with specific or special dietary needs

clients seeking information or advice about:

dietary trends

fad or popular diets

nutritional supplementation

sports foods

ergogenic aids

scope of practice of a personal trainer in regards to providing nutritional information

the modelling of Foundation diets on a weekly basis in the Eat for Health Educator Guide allowing for flexibility in their daily implementation

the benefits of combining healthy eating and moderate physical activity

use of the Eat for Health Program, within Scope of Practice, according to the lifestyle group and different levels of physical activity:

sedentary activities

light activities

moderate activities

vigorous activities.


Assessment Conditions

Skills must be demonstrated in:

a fitness industry workplace or simulated environment with clients with real or simulated healthy eating and fitness goals.

Assessment must ensure access to:

documented organisational policies and procedures related to providing nutrition information.

Assessment must ensure use of:

industry endorsed scope of practice for a personal trainer

current healthy information resources:

National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) – Australian Dietary Guidelines

Eat for Health Educator Guide

workplace documents and systems for the documenting of client consultation and referral letters

learning and assessment tools validated by:

an Accredited Practising Dietitian or an Accredited Sports Dietitian with at least two consecutive years experience in clinical practice

clients and medical or allied health professionals for referral processes; these can be:

clients, and medical or allied health professionals in the workplace, or

individuals who participate in project activities, role plays or simulated activities, set up for the purpose of assessment, within a training organisation.

Assessment activities that allow the individual to:

provide clients with current healthy eating information from identified resources

identify situations whereby the client’s nutritional requirements are beyond the scope of a personal trainer, and refer client to an Accredited Practising Dietitian or Accredited Sports Dietitian as appropriate.

Assessors must satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisation’s requirements for assessors, and:

have achieved a Diploma of Fitness or above; and

have at least 1 year consecutive post qualification fitness industry experience in the application of the skills and knowledge of the Diploma of Fitness.


Foundation Skills

Foundation skills essential to performance in this unit, but not explicit in the performance criteria are listed here, along with a brief context statement.

SKILLS

DESCRIPTION

Reading skills to:

interpret the Scope of Practice of a personal trainer to ensure that work related to health eating is performed within scope

interpret the Educator Guide from the Eat for Health program to select appropriate information to provide client regard their food choice influences.

Writing skills to:

complete the template for adapting the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.

Oral communication skills to:

use open and closed probe questioning techniques to acquire accurate information regarding physical activity patterns, and eating patterns.

Numeracy skills to:

interpret Eat for Health Educator Guide to determine energy requirements of client based on their physical activity levels, including the use of the concepts of Total Diet and Foundation Diet.

Learning skills to:

maintain currency of knowledge regarding food options in Australia.

Technology skills to:

source information including the Australian Dietary Guidelines, the Eat for Health Program and the Eat for Health Educator Guide.


Sectors

Fitness


Competency Field

Fitness