Improve Health Literacy in the Population

Discussion Topic #: Leading Health Indicators

Nutrition and Healthy Eating as a Leading Health Indicator in Healthy People 2030

Nutrition and healthy eating are critical health indicators in the Healthy People 2030 agenda. Poor diet and nutrition are major risk factors for many chronic diseases and health conditions that affect millions of Americans. According to Healthy People 2030, “More than half of people in the United States have diet-related chronic diseases, and poor diet is a leading cause of illness and death in this country” (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, 2020). Improving nutrition and promoting healthy eating habits is essential for enhancing population health outcomes.

One evidence-based program implemented to address nutrition and healthy eating is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed). SNAP-Ed is the nutrition education component of SNAP (formerly known as food stamps) that aims to improve the likelihood that SNAP participants and other low-income individuals will make healthy food and lifestyle choices within a limited budget. A systematic review of SNAP-Ed interventions found that the program has effectively increased fruit and vegetable consumption, improved food resource management skills, and promoted overall diet quality among participants (Atoloye et al., 2021). Specific evidence-based strategies used in SNAP-Ed include nutrition education classes, cooking demonstrations, grocery store tours, and social marketing campaigns (Zhang et al., 2021).

Two key populations where nutrition and healthy eating initiatives may need to be mainly addressed are children/adolescents and older adults. For children and adolescents, poor nutrition and eating habits can impair growth and development, academic performance and set the stage for chronic health issues later in life. School-based nutrition programs and policies are essential for reaching this population. Maintaining proper nutrition becomes more challenging for older adults due to decreased appetite, difficulty preparing meals, and limited income. Nutrition education and assistance programs tailored for seniors can help address their unique needs.

As Stanhope and Lancaster (2022, p. 252) note, “Nurses are ideal health care practitioners to lead in health promotion through health education”. Community and public health nurses are vital in nutrition education and promoting healthy eating across populations. They can assess community nutrition needs, develop and implement evidence-based nutrition programs, provide nutrition counseling and education to individuals and groups, and advocate for policies that increase access to healthy foods. Nurses’ trusted position in communities makes them effective messengers for delivering nutrition information and motivating behavior change.