Unit of competency

Modification History

Supersedes and is not equivalent to SISFFIT025 Recognise the dangers of providing nutrition advice to clients, and SISFFIT026 Support healthy eating through the Eat for Health Program.

Application

This unit describes the performance outcomes, skills and knowledge required to identify individual client needs for healthy eating advice, and provide information that supports clients to establish healthier eating patterns. Information is based on the current Australian national dietary guidelines and associated resources which aim to promote optimal health and wellbeing for generally healthy people.

The unit requires the ability to recognise situations that are beyond the scope of practice for fitness instructors and to provide referrals to medical and allied health professionals with expertise to advise on nutritional needs.

This unit applies to personal trainers who work independently with clients using discretion and judgement to plan for and deliver exercise programs, and to provide support to individual clients. They practise in settings such as fitness facilities, gyms, leisure and community centres, client workplaces and homes and outdoor locations.

The skills in this unit must be applied in accordance with Commonwealth and State or Territory legislation, Australian standards and industry codes of practice.

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

Pre-requisite Unit

Nil

Competency Field

Fitness

Unit Sector

Fitness

Elements and Performance Criteria

Foundation Skills

Unit Mapping Information

Supersedes and is not equivalent to SISFFIT025 Recognise the dangers of providing nutrition advice to clients, and SISFFIT026 Support healthy eating through the Eat for Health Program.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=1ca50016-24d2-4161-a044-d3faa200268b

Assessment requirements

Modification History

Supersedes and is not equivalent to SISFFIT025 Recognise the dangers of providing nutrition advice to clients, and SISFFIT026 Support healthy eating through the Eat for Health Program.

Performance Evidence

Evidence of the ability to complete tasks outlined in elements and performance criteria of this unit in the context of the job role, and:

• support healthy eating for three fitness clients and for each of the three clients:

• identify daily eating patterns
• compare daily eating patterns with the recommendations of Australian national dietary guidelines
• assist clients with change to achieve healthier eating patterns using national dietary guidelines and associated resources, and:

• provide information about daily patterns of healthy eating and recommended proportions of the five food groups
• provide examples of healthy meals and snacks
• provide information about healthy ways to prepare and cook food
• educate clients about how to interpret nutrition information on food labels

• consistently use client-centred communication during all interactions
• maintain accurate records of client goals and advice provided
• seek and evaluate feedback from clients and consider ways to improve own practice

• according to actual client interactions or case studies, respond to two clients seeking advice or services outside scope of own practice for providing nutrition advice, and for each client:

• advise client why their nutrition needs are outside scope of own role
• provide information about the appropriate type of medical or allied health professional with relevant expertise
• write a referral that provides clear information about the client and the reasons for referral.

Knowledge Evidence

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

• procedures for maintaining client records and confidentiality of client information
• client-centred communication techniques for establishing and building trust and rapport to support behaviour change
• role and limitations of fitness instructors in providing nutritional advice to clients, and:

• purpose and content of established fitness industry guidelines for providing nutrition advice within scope of practice for fitness instructors
• reasons for confining information and advice that is consistent with current Australian dietary guidelines and support resources
• potential professional, legal and financial consequences of providing nutrition-related advice outside of scope of practice

• how to screen clients to identify the type and depth of advice they are seeking about their nutrition needs
• techniques used to positively communicate with clients about scope of own role and knowledge
• appropriate responses to common fitness-related client requests and situations that require referral to medical and allied health professionals involving:

• detailed nutritional assessment
• personalised meal planning to meet a specific goal including advice and plans for weight loss and weight gain goals
• high intensity, high volume and high level sports performance requirements
• advice and recommendations on specific diet, eating trends and specific popular diets
• nutritional supplements and specialised foods including for performance, medical and general health purposes
• ergogenic aids
• queries about nutrition and medication interactions

• risks to clients of fitness instructors providing nutrition-related advice outside scope of practice:

• nutrient deficiencies and imbalances
• exposure to relative energy deficiency in sport (RED-S) and overview of RED-S impacts
• negative impact on existing health conditions
• food intolerance and allergy adverse reactions
• negative food-drug interactions
• nutrition confusion
• financial burden of product recommendations

• how to find information about available accredited practising dietitians (APD) and accredited sports dietitians (AccSD) in the local area
• benefits of working in collaboration with medical and allied health professionals for both fitness instructors and clients
• format and inclusions of referral letters to medical and allied health professionals
• information and recommendations contained in fitness industry eating disorder publications, and how fitness instructors can effectively respond to behavioural warnings signs for:

• eating disorders
• excessive exercise disorders
• muscle dysmorphia

• sources of authoritative and evidence-based information about nutrition and how to determine credibility
• the meaning of key nutritional terms:

• diet
• healthy eating
• nutrition
• nutrients including macronutrients and micronutrients, and overview of how the body uses these

• how to locate and use information from current Australian dietary guideline resources to provide healthy eating advice to individual fitness clients:

• full guideline and summary documents
• consumer brochures
• teaching tools

• key population level recommendations and healthy eating guidance contained in current Australian national dietary guidelines and associated resources:

• the principal recommendations and guidelines
• characteristics of the five food groups and the nutrients they contribute to the diet
• daily patterns of healthy eating and recommended proportions of the five food groups
• types of discretionary foods to be limited and why

• methods and tools for collecting information about client daily eating patterns and how to evaluate this against national dietary recommendations
• strategies, informed by national dietary guidelines, that support clients with healthy eating:

• how to interpret food labels including health star rating labelling systems to support healthier food choices
• types of healthy meals and snacks
• healthy ways to prepare and cook food

• the benefits to health and emotional wellbeing of combining healthy eating and physical activity
• methods used to evaluate support provided to clients:

• client evaluation questionnaires
• informal conversations with clients
• self-reflection on client responses to information including difficulties in understanding and implementing.

Assessment Conditions

Skills can be demonstrated in:

• the workplace, or
• a simulated workplace, set up for the purpose of skills assessment.

Assessment must ensure use of:

• interaction with clients; these can be:

• clients in an industry workplace, or
• individuals who participate in simulated activities used for the purpose of skills assessment

• established fitness industry guidelines for providing nutrition advice within scope of practice for fitness instructors
• fitness industry eating disorder publications
• current Australian national dietary guidelines and associated resources:

• full guideline and summary documents
• consumer brochures
• teaching tools

• template referral letters
• procedures for maintaining client records and confidentiality of client information.

Assessors must:

• satisfy the Standards for Registered Training Organisations requirements for assessors, and
• hold a Certificate IV in Fitness, and have a collective period of at least two years’ experience working in fitness instruction, where they have applied the skills and knowledge covered in this unit of competency; the two years’ experience can incorporate full and part time experience, or
• be a registered or accredited practising dietitian, sports dietitian, health or exercise professional with a degree and experience relevant to this unit of competency.

Links

Companion Volume implementation guides are found in VETNet - https://vetnet.gov.au/Pages/TrainingDocs.aspx?q=1ca50016-24d2-4161-a044-d3faa200268b