An opportunity for millions of French people.
Food plays a central role in our health. Poor food is often the cause of chronic diseases such as obesity, type 2 diabetes or even cardiovascular disease. However, many French people do not have access to the advice of a nutrition professional due to the cost of consultations, often not reimbursed. Social security could soon take charge of consultations with a dietitian, offering millions of people the opportunity to benefit from personalized support.
Initiatives such as the National Health Nutrition Program (PNNS) have pushed better care for nutrition consultations. In recent years, proposals have emerged to extend the coverage of dietetic consultations, especially for audiences at risk such as overweight, diabetic patients or those suffering from eating disorders. The National Collective of Obesse Associations (CNAO) and the French Federation of Diabetics also support the idea of a dietary consultation Social security support.
But everything is not so simple. “”It would first be necessary to recognize the role of dietetic care in the prevention of chronic diseases but also in the reduction of long -term costs of care by reducing hospitalizations and complications linked to nutritional diseases, Recalls Charles Brumauld, dietitian-nutritionist (@Charlesbrumauld) and author of the book “Le Sava de l’Affaire”, at Editions FIRST. For this, the acts of dieticians should appear in the general nomenclature of professional acts (NGAP), used for reimbursement by health insurance“.
The initial investment for health insurance would be substantial. “”For example, if 10% of people suffering from obesity in France (around 8 million) consulted a reimbursed dietitian, this would represent a significant direct cost in the short term, continues the dietitian-nutritionist. On the other hand, the perception of food as a personal or well-being responsibility can slow down the recognition of dietetic consultations as an essential care. In addition, some practitioners fear that reimbursement by health insurance will limit consultations to very short, insufficient formats to provide quality monitoring to the patient“.
While chronic diseases continue to grow, this measure is part of a prevention and education strategy. Facilitating access to professional nutritional support could reduce risk factors and reduce the prevalence of diseases. “”For example, a pre-diabetic person benefiting from 5 consultations with a dietitian will learn simple benchmarks to limit their risk of diabetes“, Ensures Charles Brumauld. Between 2018 and 2022, health insurance supported diabetes prevention programs in three pilot territories. These initiatives have enabled participants to improve their diet, better regulate their weight and have a slightly more balanced nutritional diet at the end of the program.
