Dietary Guidelines for Americans - SchoolNutritionAndFitness.com

Chapter 6Helping AmericansMake Healthy ChoicesIndividuals and families make choices every dayabout what they will eat and drink and how physicallyactive they will be. Today, Americans mustmake these choices within the context of an environmentthat promotes overconsumption of calories anddiscourages physical activity. This environment andthe individual choices made within it have contributedto dramatic increases in the rates of overweightand obesity. Poor health outcomes, such as cardiovasculardisease, type 2 diabetes, and some typesof cancer also have increased in tandem. To reversethese trends, a coordinated system-wide approachis needed—an approach that engages all sectors ofsociety, including individuals and families, educators,communities and organizations, health professionals,small and large businesses, and policymakers.Everyone has a role in the movement to make Americahealthy. By working together through policies, programs,and partnerships, we can improve the healthof the current generation and take responsibility forgiving future generations a better chance to leadhealthy and productive lives.One way to think about how our current food andphysical activity environment evolved, and abouthow it can be improved, is the Social-EcologicalModel. Many public health experts agree that theSocial-Ecological Model (Figure 6-1) provides aframework to illustrate how all elements of societycombine to shape an individual’s food and physicalactivity choices, and ultimately one’s calorie balanceand chronic disease risk. The following describessome of the factors and influencers found withineach element of the model:• individual factors. Factors such as age, gender,income, race/ethnicity, genetics, and the presenceof a disability can all influence an individual’sand/or family’s food intake and physical activitypatterns. In order to change one’s knowledge,attitude, beliefs, and behaviors, these individualfactors should be considered and addressed(as possible).• environmental settings. People regularly makedecisions about food and physical activity in a55DIETARY GUIDELINES FOR AMERICANS, 2010 | Chapter Six