Nutrition education may be defined as a combination of educational tactics accompanied by physical or environmental supports, the purpose of which is to encourage voluntary adoption of foods and other lifestyle behaviors that are beneficial to health. This book highlights the importance of nutrition education as an integral part of day-to-day life. The first part takes an in-depth look at what nutrition education is and how it can be used to influence various target populations. The second part explores the complexities of eating behavior, underscoring the importance of early childhood as a critical time for intervention. The final part focuses on nutrition education in medical schools, highlighting the latest educational technologies being used in curricula, as well as methods for bringing nutrition to the clinic. The insights presented in this book cover the basis of how nutrition interventions can be designed and delivered to improve food choices and, ultimately, an individual's health. The publication will be of great interest for educators, pediatricians, dietitians, public health, professionals, and policy makers.
IX - X: Foreword
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Published:2019
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Book Series: Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop Series
2020. "Foreword", Nutrition Education: Strategies for Improving Nutrition and Healthy Eating in Individuals and Communities, Maureen M. Black, Helen K. Delichatsios, Mary T. Story
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There has been a tremendous shift in the quantity and quality of the human diet over the last decades. On the one hand, nutritious food is more readily available, resulting in improved nutrition and the opportunity for better health. However, on the other hand, there is a higher consumption of saturated fats, salt, and sugar. Despite increased overall wealth, there remains a health disparity, particularly in low-income populations in developing countries, giving rise to the double burden of obesity and malnutrition. Indeed, data from the latest WHO/UNICEF/World Bank Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates indicate that around 155 million children under the age of 5 years are stunted, 41 million are overweight, and 52 million are wasted. Furthermore, developed countries are also witnessing a dramatic rise in diet-related disorders, such as cardiovascular disease and type 2 diabetes.
Despite the explosion of information on diet, health, and nutrition, changing an individual’s eating habits is a difficult task. We now have a better knowledge of the forces that shape a person’s eating behavior, and it is high time to leverage nutrition education to drive healthy food choices for a better quality of life.
The importance of nutrition education as an integral part of day-to-day life was in the centerpiece of the 92nd Nestlé Nutrition Institute Workshop “Nutrition Education: Strategies for Improving Nutrition and Healthy Eating in Individuals and Communities,” which took place in Lausanne in September 2018.
Nutrition education may be defined as a combination of educational tactics accompanied by physical or environmental supports, whose purpose is to encourage the voluntary adoption of foods and other lifestyle behaviors that are beneficial for health. The first session on Nutrition education to optimize healthy growth and development during the first 1,000 days, led by Prof. Maureen M. Black, took an in-depth look at what nutrition education really is and how it can be used to influence different target populations, including women, girls, and young children. The second session on the importance of nutrition education in childcare, schools, and communities settings, chaired by Prof. Mary T. Story explored the complexities of eating behavior, underscoring the importance of early childhood as a critical time for intervention. Here, nutrition education efforts in childcare, schools, and community settings play an important role. The final session with Dr. Helen K. Delichatsios shifted the focus to nutrition education in medical schools. Paradoxically, nutrition education is sorely lacking in many medical schools around the world. This session highlighted the latest educational technologies that are being used in medical school curricula, as well as methods for bringing nutrition to the clinic. Altogether, the 3 sessions in the workshop cover the basis of how nutrition interventions can be designed and delivered to improve food choices and ultimately, an individual’s health.
On behalf of the Nestle Nutrition Institute, I would like to thank the 3 Chairpersons Mary T. Story, Maureen M. Black, and Helen K. Delichatsios for putting the scientific program together.
I would also like to thank all speakers and scientific experts in the audience, who have contributed to the workshop content and scientific discussions.
Dr. Natalia Wagemans
Global Head
Nestlé Nutrition Institute, Switzerland
