01/11/99 Rely More on Nutrition Professionals to Improve Americans'  Health inthe next Decade

Rely More on Nutrition Professionals to Improve Americans'  Health inthe next Decade

Press Release

January 11, 1999

Media Contact: Tom Ryan, Doris Acosta, or M. Johnna Thomas
E-mail: media@eatright.org
(Please do not publish/broadcast contact information.)

RELY MORE ON NUTRITION PROFESSIONALS TO IMPROVE AMERICANS' HEALTH IN THE NEXT DECADE, ADA URGES GOVERNMENT

CHICAGO--The training and expertise of nutrition professionals in disease prevention, treatment and keeping people healthy are crucial to achieving many goals of Healthy People 2010, the government's ambitious blueprint for improving the health of all Americans into the 21st century that is now being prepared for national release, according to the American Dietetic Association.

ADA, the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, has been involved in the Healthy People initiative for several years, helping draft the project's framework and identifying broad areas of focus for the coming decade. ADA has filed a 29-page response with the Department of Health and Human Services on the Healthy People 2010 draft objectives, which were issued for public comment in September.

ADA's comments reflect the work of a task force of more than two dozen nutrition professionals representing 70,000 ADA members working in public health, research, education and patient care.

Demonstrating the importance of improved nutrition to a person's overall health, the Healthy People 2010 draft contains more than 20 nutrition-based objectives relating to weight status; intake levels of fat, vegetables, grain, calcium and sodium; iron deficiency and anemia; school meals and snacks; workplace nutrition education; food safety and security; mental health; and medical conditions such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease and stroke.

Overall, ADA praises the draft objectives, due for final release in January 2000, particularly for recognizing the important role of nutrition in promoting and improving Americans' health.

"Few public initiatives are more important to the health of this nation than Healthy People," said registered dietitian Ann Coulston, ADA president. "But ADA strongly believes the objectives need to more adequately recognize the vital role that nutrition professionals can and should play in achieving the Healthy People 2010 goals."

In its response, ADA recommends modifications to the Healthy People objectives to address the critical national need for a comprehensive approach to nutrition services, especially for medical nutrition therapy in a variety of health-care settings. Such an approach would reflect the complexities of changing diet and behavior, especially for patients with serious chronic illnesses.

Medical nutrition therapy has been proven effective in treating and controlling cancer, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, high cholesterol and other life-threatening conditions. ADA's response includes evidence that patients receiving medical nutrition therapy require fewer hospitalizations and medications and have fewer complications.

ADA also made a number of positive recommendations that included stressing the importance of counseling, education and treatment by qualified nutrition professionals; encouraging medical schools to require more nutrition courses for their students; and encouraging physicians to refer patients to nutrition professionals, especially patients with such conditions as diabetes, heart disease and obesity.

The association's response points out that registered dietitians have more than five years of education and training devoted to nutrition, with a significant portion of their training dedicated to direct patient care. Nearly 40 percent hold master's degrees or doctorates. And, according to a 1997 ADA survey, dietitians are viewed along with physicians as the most-valued sources of nutrition information.

The final Healthy People objectives will include a number of "leading health indicators" designed to introduce Healthy People to the general public and non-health professionals and to educate them on Healthy People's goals. ADA enthusiastically supports the inclusion of three leading health indicators related to nutrition: healthy eating, physical activity and obesity.

"Proper nutrition and regular physical activity are known to play an important role in chronic disease prevention," Coulston said. "Obesity, the number-one chronic condition in this country, has been called an epidemic, costing Americans $90 billion yearly in direct and indirect medical costs. Obesity can be considered the leading malnutrition problem in the United States."

See ADA's 29-page response to the Department of Health and Human Services on the Healthy People 2010 draft objectives. The Healthy People 2010 draft objectives can be read at http://web.health.gov/healthypeople.

ADA is the world's largest organization of food and nutrition professionals, serving the public by promoting optimal nutrition, health and well-being.