Nutrition, Health Literacy, and Nursing's Role in Healthy People 2030

Nutrition and Healthy Eating as a Leading Health Indicator

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 therefore essential for enhancing population health outcomes.

SNAP-Ed: An Evidence-Based Nutrition Program

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).

Key Populations for Nutrition Interventions

Two key populations where nutrition and healthy eating initiatives may need to be primarily addressed are children and 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. For older adults, maintaining proper nutrition becomes more challenging due to decreased appetite, difficulty preparing meals, and limited income. Nutrition education and assistance programs tailored for seniors can help address their unique needs.

Improving Health Literacy: The Nursing Imperative

Nurses play an important role in achieving the Healthy People 2030 objective to improve health literacy in the population. As frontline healthcare providers, nurses are uniquely positioned to assess, address, and enhance health literacy among individuals and communities (Auld et al., 2020).

School nurses, in particular, have significant opportunities to impact health literacy. As noted in the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2021, p. 108) report, "school nurses are essential to expanding access to quality health care for students, especially in light of the increasing number of students with complex health and social needs." They can integrate health literacy education into school curricula, teaching students how to access, understand, and use health information effectively. School nurses can also conduct health literacy assessments and provide targeted interventions for students and families with limited health literacy skills.

Conclusion

By prioritizing nutrition and healthy eating as a leading health indicator and implementing evidence-based programs like SNAP-Ed, significant progress can be made in improving population health outcomes related to diet and nutrition. Community and public health nurses are well-positioned to lead these efforts and make a meaningful impact on the nutritional status of individuals and communities. Similarly, through culturally competent communication, technological innovation, and policy advocacy, nurses in school and psychiatric settings can advance health literacy and contribute to greater health equity for all populations.

Atoloye, A. T., Savoie-Roskos, M. R., Guenther, P. M., & Durward, C. M. (2021). Effectiveness of Expanded Food and Nutrition Education Program in changing nutrition-related outcomes among adults with low income: A systematic review. Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 53(8), 691–705.

Auld, M. E., Allen, M. P., Hampton, C., Montes, J. H., Sherry, C., Mickalide, A. D., Logan, R. A., Alvarado-Little, W., & Parson, K. (2020). Health literacy and health education in schools: Collaboration for action. NAM Perspectives, 2020.

National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine. (2021). The future of nursing 2020–2030: Charting a path to achieve health equity. The National Academies Press.

Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2020). Nutrition and healthy eating. https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/nutrition-and-healthy-eating

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2022). Foundations for population health in community/public health nursing (6th ed.). Elsevier Health Sciences.

Zhang, D., Thapa, J. J., Li, G., Son, H., Chen, Z., Mu, L., Li, Y., Liu, J., Pagán, J. A., & Giabbanelli, P. J. (2021). Scaling up the SNAP-ED toolkit interventions to improve fruit and vegetable consumption across counties in Georgia: An agent-based model. 2021 Annual Modeling and Simulation Conference (ANNSIM).