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Healthy People 2020, ADA, and You
practice applications
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
Healthy People 2020, ADA, and You 4. Truly measurable. A hallmark of Healthy People is that objectives are specific and measurable; ADA has said it is essential to keep these attributes at the core of Healthy People 2020. 5. Effectively communicated. Connecting relevant information with appropriate audiences is critical and will require different approaches for different people. This is how we will involve and engage the US population in the Healthy People initiatives.
Healthy People provides sciencebased, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. Since 1979, Healthy People has set and monitored national health objectives to meet a broad range of health needs, encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of our prevention activity (1).
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ate last year, American Dietetic Association (ADA) members were invited to take part in an online survey and make their views known on proposed objectives for Healthy People 2020. Thank you to all members who took the time to participate and to offer your well-considered remarks which were used to develop ADA’s specific comments on Healthy People’s objectives (2). ADA representatives testified last fall at three regional meetings organized by the Department of Health and Human Services, and at six meetings in 2008, to hear public comments on the nearly 40 health areas covered by Healthy People—from access to health services to family planning, nutrition and weight status, respiratory diseases, and substance abuse. While ADA is concerned foremost with strengthening the nutritional health of the American public, our comments at the public hearings also addressed larger issues such as making the guidelines more meaningful and useful. CALL FOR CHANGE WHERE IT MATTERS MOST What does ADA think of the Healthy People 2020 process, and the objectives as they now exist? We have called for an updated set of national health objectives that can be applied where change matters most and where it can occur in the development of federal, state, and community plans. ADA has also spoken to the need for the public to understand the rewards associated with the adoption of behaviors that reduce health risks. In general, ADA believes Healthy People 2020 needs to be:
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Jessie M. Pavlinac 1. Streamlined, focused, and simplified. As Healthy People has expanded over the decades, it is at risk of becoming a laundry list of items rather than a focused, doable plan that can make a difference in the life of every American. Objective stratification is imperative to setting priorities, and goals should be achievable. ADA believes the Healthy People 2020 framework should focus on the greatest areas of health need in order to have a measureable impact. Further, ADA has said preventive health approaches involving nutrition and food safety need to rise in priority. 2. Relevant. The Healthy People framework must be usable and easily adapted at the state and local level. For people to most productively use its recommendations, understanding and awareness are necessary steps for making Healthy People most relevant. Utilizing a “health in all policies” approach could expand educational efforts that could transform this already important resource into an even more valuable one. 3. Supported with data. ADA believes the strength of Healthy People lies in objectives that are measurable using validated indicators, and that an evidence-based approach is essential in making decisions. In addition, reliable, publicly available data sources that are sustained and supported will add dimension and context for the public.
Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION
POWERFUL RESOURCE ADA’s comments on the proposed Healthy People 2020 draft objectives include a strong emphasis on access to health-care professionals, including registered dietitians, to help Americans eat well, optimize their health, and achieve more healthful lifestyle behaviors. And the involvement of ADA and every member in Healthy People 2020 doesn’t end with our comments. Once the Healthy People objectives are approved, state and local governments, schools, businesses, and organizations of all types incorporate the objectives into their programs. Healthy People therefore becomes a powerful, practical resource for each of us to advocate for strong nutrition outcomes in our workplaces and our communities. Take the opportunity to apply the oncein-a-decade national objectives of Healthy People directly to the lives of the people we serve, every single day. —Jessie M. Pavlinac, MS, RD, CSR, LD [email protected] doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.12.011 References 1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020: The Road Ahead. US Department of Health and Human Service Web site. http://www.healthypeople.gov/ HP2020/. Accessed December 22, 2009. 2. Health Literacy and Nutrition Advancement. American Dietetic Association Web site. http:// www.eatright.org/Members/content.aspx?id⫽ 11331. Accessed January 5, 2010.
© 2010 by the American Dietetic Association
PRESIDENT’S PAGE
Healthy People 2020, ADA, and You 4. Truly measurable. A hallmark of Healthy People is that objectives are specific and measurable; ADA has said it is essential to keep these attributes at the core of Healthy People 2020. 5. Effectively communicated. Connecting relevant information with appropriate audiences is critical and will require different approaches for different people. This is how we will involve and engage the US population in the Healthy People initiatives.
Healthy People provides sciencebased, 10-year national objectives for promoting health and preventing disease. Since 1979, Healthy People has set and monitored national health objectives to meet a broad range of health needs, encourage collaborations across sectors, guide individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measure the impact of our prevention activity (1).
L
ate last year, American Dietetic Association (ADA) members were invited to take part in an online survey and make their views known on proposed objectives for Healthy People 2020. Thank you to all members who took the time to participate and to offer your well-considered remarks which were used to develop ADA’s specific comments on Healthy People’s objectives (2). ADA representatives testified last fall at three regional meetings organized by the Department of Health and Human Services, and at six meetings in 2008, to hear public comments on the nearly 40 health areas covered by Healthy People—from access to health services to family planning, nutrition and weight status, respiratory diseases, and substance abuse. While ADA is concerned foremost with strengthening the nutritional health of the American public, our comments at the public hearings also addressed larger issues such as making the guidelines more meaningful and useful. CALL FOR CHANGE WHERE IT MATTERS MOST What does ADA think of the Healthy People 2020 process, and the objectives as they now exist? We have called for an updated set of national health objectives that can be applied where change matters most and where it can occur in the development of federal, state, and community plans. ADA has also spoken to the need for the public to understand the rewards associated with the adoption of behaviors that reduce health risks. In general, ADA believes Healthy People 2020 needs to be:
166
Jessie M. Pavlinac 1. Streamlined, focused, and simplified. As Healthy People has expanded over the decades, it is at risk of becoming a laundry list of items rather than a focused, doable plan that can make a difference in the life of every American. Objective stratification is imperative to setting priorities, and goals should be achievable. ADA believes the Healthy People 2020 framework should focus on the greatest areas of health need in order to have a measureable impact. Further, ADA has said preventive health approaches involving nutrition and food safety need to rise in priority. 2. Relevant. The Healthy People framework must be usable and easily adapted at the state and local level. For people to most productively use its recommendations, understanding and awareness are necessary steps for making Healthy People most relevant. Utilizing a “health in all policies” approach could expand educational efforts that could transform this already important resource into an even more valuable one. 3. Supported with data. ADA believes the strength of Healthy People lies in objectives that are measurable using validated indicators, and that an evidence-based approach is essential in making decisions. In addition, reliable, publicly available data sources that are sustained and supported will add dimension and context for the public.
Journal of the AMERICAN DIETETIC ASSOCIATION
POWERFUL RESOURCE ADA’s comments on the proposed Healthy People 2020 draft objectives include a strong emphasis on access to health-care professionals, including registered dietitians, to help Americans eat well, optimize their health, and achieve more healthful lifestyle behaviors. And the involvement of ADA and every member in Healthy People 2020 doesn’t end with our comments. Once the Healthy People objectives are approved, state and local governments, schools, businesses, and organizations of all types incorporate the objectives into their programs. Healthy People therefore becomes a powerful, practical resource for each of us to advocate for strong nutrition outcomes in our workplaces and our communities. Take the opportunity to apply the oncein-a-decade national objectives of Healthy People directly to the lives of the people we serve, every single day. —Jessie M. Pavlinac, MS, RD, CSR, LD [email protected] doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2009.12.011 References 1. US Department of Health and Human Services. Healthy People 2020: The Road Ahead. US Department of Health and Human Service Web site. http://www.healthypeople.gov/ HP2020/. Accessed December 22, 2009. 2. Health Literacy and Nutrition Advancement. American Dietetic Association Web site. http:// www.eatright.org/Members/content.aspx?id⫽ 11331. Accessed January 5, 2010.
© 2010 by the American Dietetic Association