Research strengthens the credibility of the profession; it makes it on par with other health professions that base practice advances on the discovery of new knowledge. Advances in the science of all aspects of food and nutrition services should be made by dietitians. Part of ADA's Strategic Thinking Initiative is to position dietetics practitioners to achieve a substantial, sustainable competitive advantage. During the process of strategic thinking and planning, every market group identified the need for research in their market, whether it be in acute-and long-term care, foodservice systems, health care reform and legislation, or consumer education. Research serves as the basis of rational decision making. Although this research agenda will not, and does not, address every area in the food and nutrition sciences, it does identify a majority of current priorities. There are gaps in the domains discussed. This document is not intended to be the end of a process but, rather, a formative evaluation of what has been accomplished and some of what remains to be tackled. Ideally, the research agenda will be a living document that evolves and responds to the environment. Although some issues have not been addressed, that does not mean they are not important. Rather the resources available at the time limited our investigations to the topics discussed. Perhaps the hard work performed by these authors will inspire and encourage readers to stake out a research area that is as yet unexplored. © 1993 The American Dietetic Association.
