Abstract
A 1-hour diversity training session was presented in lecture format and consisted of The American Dietetic Association's Diversity & Initiatives 2004-5 PowerPoint presentation and a video clip from Stephen Covey's The 8th Habit. The purpose of this research was to assess whether 1 hour of diversity training to nutrition professionals can result in a more tolerant state. It was also to ascertain whether a state of tolerance can be attributable to factors such as training topic, a time factor when an individual gets more comfortable over time, and/or speaker competence. One hundred and seventy-eight (59%) of 300 eligible nutrition professionals completed pretest and posttests, using the Tolerance of Ambiguity Questionnaire. A paired t test showed that at pretest, a mean score of 52.79 (SD = 9.346) was compared with a mean posttest score of 50.43 (SD = 9.786) with a statistically significant difference from pretest to posttest (P < .05), indicating more tolerance of differences (ambiguity) at posttest. This study supports the American Dietetic Association's Initiative that diversity training be a part of overall strategic goals for dietetic education programs and nutrition services to clients in the United States.