Nutrition education

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Nutrition education is a set of learning experiences designed to assist in healthy eating choices and other nutrition-related behavior. [1] It includes any combination of educational strategies, accompanied by environmental supports, designed to facilitate voluntary adoption of food choices and other food and nutrition-related behaviors conducive to health and well-being. [2] Nutrition education is delivered through multiple venues and involves activities at the individual, community, and policy levels. Nutrition Education also critically looks at issues such as food security, food literacy, and food sustainability. [2]

Contents

Overview

Nutrition education promotes healthy-eating and exercise behaviors. [3] The work of nutrition educators takes place in colleges, universities and schools, government agencies, cooperative extension, communications and public relations firms, the food industry, voluntary and service organizations and with other reliable places of nutrition and health education information. [2] Nutrition education is a mechanism to enhance awareness, [3] as a means to self-efficacy, surrounding the trigger of healthy behaviors. [4]

United States

National Education and Training (NET) program

In 1969, a recommendation from the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health stated that nutrition education should be part of school curriculums. [5] It was authorized under the Children Nutrition Act. In 1978, the Nutrition Education and Training (NET) program was created by the USDA, with the purpose of giving grants to help fund nutrition education programs under state educational systems. [5] Funding for the program was targeted towards school children, teachers, parents, and service workers. [6] In its inaugural year, the program was funded with $26 million gradually decreasing to $5 million in 1990. [5] In 1996, NET was restored to temporary status. [7]

Current government oversight

The United States government agency tasked with providing nutrition education and establishing dietary guidelines based on current scientific literature is the United States Department of Agriculture. [8] Through many of their programs, children and low-income citizens can access food that otherwise would be unavailable. [8] Two agencies within the USDA's Food, Nutrition, and Consumer Services are the Food and Nutrition Service and the Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. [9] The main objectives of the Food and Nutrition Service are to use their 15 federal nutrition assistance programs to help reduce the risk of obesity and ensure that hunger is no longer a concern for US citizens. [9] Some of their programs include WIC, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and school meals. [9] The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) on the other hand, was established in 1994, and is responsible for developing dietary guidelines based on scientific evidence and then promotes them to the consumer through nutrition programs such as MyPlate. [10]

Legislation

The Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010 passed by the Obama administration in 2010 included provisions that led to reforms that established minimum requirements that all food and beverages sold on schools' campuses must meet. [11] The new standards include limits on the amount of sugar, sodium, and calories from saturated fat that specific foods may contain per item. [11]

The Public Health Service Act was enacted in 1944 and broadened the scope of the Public Health Service functions. [12] IMPACT (The Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act) was a piece of legislation introduced in the Senate in 2005 aimed to amend the Public Health Service Act in reducing obesity among children. [13] It called for a grants to include the identification, treatment, and prevention of eating disorders and obesity. [14]

Examples of government agencies that incorporate nutrition education into their programs, include

MyPlate diagram created to show a healthy daily diet. USDA MyPlate green.svg
MyPlate diagram created to show a healthy daily diet.

In school

K-12

Nutrition education programs within schools try to create behaviors that prevent students from potentially becoming obese, developing diabetes and cardiovascular issues, and forming negative emotional issues by educating students on the aspects of a healthy diet, emphasizing the consumption of lower fat dairy options and both fruits and vegetables. [18] As most children eat between one and two of their meals at school, school-based nutrition education programs offer opportunities for students to practice making healthy eating decisions. [18] However, due to influences outside of the school environment such as home, cultural, and social environments, there may be a lack of visible desired behavior changes. [18] The National Center for Health Statistics October 2017 data brief, found that the prevalence of obesity among youth ages 2–19 has increased from 13.9 to 18.5 percent from 1999 to 2016. [19]

College

With eating behaviors, such as missing meals throughout the day and engaging in potentially dangerous self-prescribed weight loss methods, combined with a diet consisting of foods high in sodium, cholesterol and saturated fats, college students' dietary habits can potentially negatively affect their current and future health. [20] A typical college student's diet does not contain enough vitamins, minerals or fiber. [20] Limited in both the consumption of fruit and vegetables, research has shown that enrollment in a university nutrition class, emphasizing the consumption of fruits and vegetables and certain dietary habits that prevent chronic disease, significantly increased the students consumption of fruits and vegetables compared to their baseline consumption levels. [20]

Current issues

Childhood obesity is a public health concern. In a recent study done by medical researchers, from 2011-2012, 8.4% of young children ages 2–5, 17.7% of kids ages 6–11, and 20.5% of teens ages 12–19 are categorized as obese in the U.S. [21] Besides nutrition education, environmental factors such as a decrease in physical activity and increase in energy intake have led to more sedentary children. [22] This increase in body mass index has led to hypertension, metabolic syndrome, and type 2 diabetes among other chronic diseases. [22] Poor nutrition habits and lack of physical activity have led to this increase of obesity that leads from childhood to adulthood. [22] A lack of funding and insufficient resources have led to poor nutrition education. [23] Lack of funding has led to schools developing contracts with private companies such as soda and candy companies that allow vending machines and other products as well and has created a monopoly in public schools. [24]

Nutrition based policies use a trickle-down methods: federal, regional, state, local and school district policies. [23] Teachers have a more direct influence in nutrition education. [23] There are not a lot of studies that show how nutrition education policies affect the teachers in the schools they are meant to influence. [23]

Additional publications

See also

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food pyramid (nutrition)</span> Visual representation of optimal servings from basic groups

A food pyramid is a representation of the optimal number of servings to be eaten each day from each of the basic food groups. The first pyramid was published in Sweden in 1974. The 1992 pyramid introduced by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) was called the "Food Guide Pyramid" or "Eating Right Pyramid". It was updated in 2005 to "MyPyramid", and then it was replaced by "MyPlate" in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthy diet</span> Type of diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy.

The Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) is an agency in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, created on December 1, 1994, to improve the health and well-being of Americans by establishing national dietary guidelines based on the best science available. CNPP promotes dietary guidance by linking scientific research to the nutritional needs of the American public through the function of USDA's Nutrition Evidence Library, which it created and manages.

The Child Nutrition Act of 1966 (CNA) is a United States federal law (act) signed on October 11, 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson. The Act was created as a result of the "years of cumulative successful experience under the National School Lunch Program (NSLP) to help meet the nutritional needs of children." The National School Lunch Program feeds 30.5 million children per day. NSLP was operated in over 101,000 public and nonprofit private schools in 2007. The Special Milk Program, functioning since 1954, was extended to June 30, 1970 and incorporated into the act. The act also provided Federal funding assistance towards non-food purchases for school equipment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food policy</span> Area of public policy

Food policy is the area of public policy concerning how food is produced, processed, distributed, purchased, or provided. Food policies are designed to influence the operation of the food and agriculture system balanced with ensuring human health needs. This often includes decision-making around production and processing techniques, marketing, availability, utilization, and consumption of food, in the interest of meeting or furthering social objectives. Food policy can be promulgated on any level, from local to global, and by a government agency, business, or organization. Food policymakers engage in activities such as regulation of food-related industries, establishing eligibility standards for food assistance programs for the poor, ensuring safety of the food supply, food labeling, and even the qualifications of a product to be considered organic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western pattern diet</span> Modern dietary pattern

The Western pattern diet is a modern dietary pattern that is generally characterized by high intakes of pre-packaged foods, refined grains, red meat, processed meat, high-sugar drinks, candy and sweets, fried foods, industrially produced animal products, butter and other high-fat dairy products, eggs, potatoes, corn, and low intakes of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, pasture-raised animal products, fish, nuts, and seeds.

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) provide nutritional advice for Americans who are healthy or who are at risk for chronic disease but do not currently have chronic disease. The Guidelines are published every five years by the US Department of Agriculture, together with the US Department of Health and Human Services. Notably, the most recent ninth edition for 2020–25 includes dietary guidelines for children from birth to 23 months. In addition to the Dietary Guidelines per se, there are additional tools for assessing diet and nutrition, including the Healthy Eating Index (HEI), which can be used to assess the quality of a given selection of foods in the context of the Dietary Guidelines. Also provided are additional explanations regarding customization of the Guidelines to individual eating preferences, application of the Guidelines during pregnancy and infancy, the USDA Nutrition Evidence Systematic Review, information about the Nutrition Communicators Network and the MyPlate initiative, information from the National Academies about redesigning the process by which the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are created, and information about dietary guidelines from other nations.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MyPyramid</span> Nutrition guide

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Criticism of fast food</span> Overview about the criticism of fast food

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">MyPlate</span> US federal nutrition guide since 2011

MyPlate is the current nutrition guide published by the United States Department of Agriculture's Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion, and serves as a recommendation based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. It replaced the USDA's MyPyramid guide on June 2, 2011, ending 19 years of USDA food pyramid diagrams. MyPlate is displayed on food packaging and used in nutrition education in the United States. The graphic depicts a place setting with a plate and glass divided into five food groups that are recommended parts of a healthy diet. This dietary recommendation combines an organized amount of fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and dairy. It is designed as a guideline for Americans to base their plate around in order to make educated food choices. ChooseMyPlate.gov shows individuals the variety of these 5 subgroups based on their activity levels and personal characteristics.

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Mary Story is Professor of Global Health and Community and Family Medicine, and associate director of Education and Training, Duke Global Health Institute at Duke University. Dr. Story is a leading scholar on child and adolescent nutrition and child obesity prevention.

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References

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  2. 1 2 3 Contento, I. R. (2008). "Nutrition education: Linking research, theory, and practice" (PDF). Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 17 (Suppl 1): 176–9. PMID   18296331.
  3. 1 2 Pérez-Rodrigo, Carmen; Aranceta, Javier (2001). "School-based nutrition education: Lessons learned and new perspectives". Public Health Nutrition. 4 (1A): 131–139. doi: 10.1079/PHN2000108 . PMID   11255503. S2CID   24342976.
  4. ↑ Ronda, G. (2001). "Stages of change, psychological factors and awareness of physical activity levels in the Netherlands". Health Promotion International. 16 (4): 305–314. doi: 10.1093/heapro/16.4.305 . PMID   11733449.
  5. 1 2 3 Shannon, Barbara; Mullis, Rebecca; Bernardo, Valerie; Ervin, Bethene; Poehler, David L. (1992). "The Status of School-Based Nutrition Education at the State Agency Level". Journal of School Health. 62 (3): 88–92. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1992.tb06024.x. PMID   1619903.
  6. ↑ Womach, Jasper. "Agriculture: A Glossary of Terms, Programs, and Laws, 2005 Edition." CRS Report for Congress, 16 June 2005, https://happyhoursbbsr.com/how-to-inculcate-healthy-eating-habits-in-children/
  7. 1 2 About Nutrition Reviews, Oxford Academic. Accessed 29 November 2018.
  8. 1 2 Food and Nutrition, USDA. Accessed 29 November 2018.
  9. 1 2 3 About FNS Food and Nutrition Service. Accessed 29 November 2018.
  10. ↑ About CNPP | Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion. https://www.cnpp.usda.gov/about-cnpp . Accessed 29 November 2018.
  11. 1 2 National School Lunch Program and School Breakfast Program: Nutrition Standards for All Foods Sold in School as Required by the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010. Federal Register, 28 June 2013
  12. ↑ "Public Health Service Act, 1944." Public Health Reports, vol. 109, no. 4, 1994, p. 468.
  13. ↑ Nutrition in Schools, Health Law & Policy Institute. http://www.law.uh.edu/Healthlaw/perspectives/Children/020830Nutrition.html . Accessed 27 November 2018.
  14. ↑ Frist, William. S. 1325–109th Congress (2005-2006): Improved Nutrition and Physical Activity Act. 28 June 2005, https://www.congress.gov/bill/109th-congress/senate-bill/1325 .
  15. ↑ Cappellano, Kathleen L. (May 2011). "Let's Move-Tools to Fuel a Healthier Population". Nutrition Today. 46 (3): 149–154. doi:10.1097/NT.0b013e3181ec6a6d. ISSN   0029-666X.
  16. ↑ Nutrition, Center for Food Safety and Applied (2022-02-25). "Using the Nutrition Facts Label and MyPlate to Make Healthier Choices". FDA.
  17. ↑ "MyPlate | U.S. Department of Agriculture". www.myplate.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-05.
  18. 1 2 3 Blitstein, Jonathan L.; Cates, Sheryl C.; Hersey, James; Montgomery, Doris; Shelley, Mack; Hradek, Christine; Kosa, Katherine; Bell, Loren; Long, Valerie; Williams, Pamela A.; Olson, Sara; Singh, Anita (2016). "Adding a Social Marketing Campaign to a School-Based Nutrition Education Program Improves Children's Dietary Intake: A Quasi-Experimental Study". Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 116 (8): 1285–1294. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2015.12.016. PMID   26857870.
  19. ↑ Graig M. Hales, et al. Prevalence of Obesity Among Adults and Youth: United States, 2015–2016. NCHS Data Brief, 288, Center for Disease Control, 1 November 2017, pp. 1–7, https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/databriefs/db288.pdf .
  20. 1 2 3 Ha, Eun-Jeong; Caine-Bish, Natalie (2009). "Effect of Nutrition Intervention Using a General Nutrition Course for Promoting Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among College Students". Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior. 41 (2): 103–109. doi:10.1016/j.jneb.2008.07.001. PMID   19304255.
  21. ↑ Hemphill, Thomas A. (December 2018). "Obesity in America: A Market Failure?". Business and Society Review. 123 (4): 619–630. doi:10.1111/basr.12157. hdl: 2027.42/146865 . S2CID   158126145.
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  23. 1 2 3 4 McCaughtry, N.; Martin, J. J.; Fahlman, M.; Shen, B. (2012). "Urban health educators' perspectives and practices regarding school nutrition education policies". Health Education Research. 27 (1): 69–80. doi: 10.1093/her/cyr101 . PMID   22072137.
  24. ↑ Ebbeling, Cara B.; Pawlak, Dorota B.; Ludwig, David S. (2002). "Childhood obesity: Public-health crisis, common sense cure". The Lancet. 360 (9331): 473–482. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(02)09678-2. PMID   12241736. S2CID   6374501.
  25. ↑ "Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior". Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior.
  26. ↑ "Journal of School Health". Journal of School Health.
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