Creating Nourishing Communities for Aging

Strategies To Influence Food and Physical Activity Choices

The Social-Ecological Model provides the framework for considering strategies that are comprehensive.

Emphasis on Dietary Guidelines

Evidence demonstrates that both multi-component and multi-level changes must be implemented to effectively influence public health. Multi-component changes are those that use a combination of strategies to promote behavior change. These strategies can be employed across or within different settings. For example, a multi-component obesity prevention program at an early care and education center could target classroom education around nutrition and physical activity, ensure the continued nutritional quality of meals and snacks served, make improvements to the mealtime setting, increase opportunities for active play, and initiate active outreach to parents about making positive changes at home.

Multi-level changes are those that target change at the individual level as well as additional levels, such as in community, school, and retail settings. For example, strategies to reduce sodium intake could include providing individual education on how to interpret sodium information on food labels or restaurant menus (e.g., sodium versus salt), reformulating foods and meals to reduce sodium content in retail and food service establishments, and conducting public health campaigns to promote the importance of reducing sodium intake.

Many strategies for implementing these types of multi-component and multi-level actions have shown promise to positively influence food and physical activity choices. For example, moderate evidence indicates that multi-component school-based programs can improve dietary intake and weight status of school-aged children. Fundamental to the success of such actions is tailoring programs to meet the needs of the individual, the community, and/or the organization so as to increase the chances of affecting social and cultural norms and values over time.

Source: DGA: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-3/meeting-people-where-they-are/#callout-influence-heading

Applying the Settings and Sectors Layers of the Model

To shift from current eating patterns to those that align with the Dietary Guidelines, collective action across all segments of society is needed. As previously described, these actions must involve a broad range of sectors, occur across a variety of settings, and address the needs of individuals, families, and communities. These actions include identifying and addressing successful approaches for change; improving knowledge of what constitutes healthy eating and physical activity patterns; enhancing access to adequate amounts of healthy, safe, and affordable food choices; and promoting change in social and cultural norms and values to embrace, support, and maintain healthy eating and physical activity behaviors.

The following examples of strategies exemplify the concerted action needed. It is important to note that no one strategy is likely to be the primary driver to improve individual and population lifestyle choices. Evidence demonstrates that multiple changes both within and across all levels of the Social-Ecological Model are needed to increase the effectiveness of interventions.

Sectors - Examples include:

• Foster partnerships with food producers, suppliers, and retailers to increase access to foods that align with the Dietary Guidelines.
• Promote the development and availability of food products that align with the Dietary Guidelinesin food retail and food service establishments.
• Identify and support policies and/or programs that promote healthy eating and physical activity patterns.
• Encourage participation in physical activity programs offered in various settings.

Settings - Examples include:

• Expand access to healthy, safe, and affordable food choices that align with the Dietary Guidelines and provide opportunities for engaging in physical activity.
• Adopt organizational changes and practices, including those that increase the availability, accessibility, and consumption of foods that align with the Dietary Guidelines.
• Provide nutrition assistance programs that support education and promotional activities tailored to the needs of the community.
• Implement educational programs tailored to individuals and change organization practices, approaches, and/or policies to support healthy food choices where food decisions are being made, including at early care and education programs, schools, worksites, and other community settings.
• Encourage opportunities in the workplace for regular physical activity through active commuting, activity breaks, and walking meetings.

from DGA: https://health.gov/dietaryguidelines/2015/guidelines/chapter-3/strategies-for-action/#strategies-for-action

What's Your Plan for Nutrition & Wellness in Action?

Now it's your turn.

1. Imagine what your ideal well community would look like. Where is this community? What is in the environment? What are the people in your community doing? What are their relationships like? Now, close your eyes and picture it in as much detail as you can.
2. On paper, sketch and/or describe your ideal well community.
3. What is going on in your ideal well community that will maximize nutrition and wellness throughout the life course for individuals, communities, and society?
4. Think through or write what it would take (a plan) to get to that ideal well community.
5. Is it possible in your lifetime? What can you do today to get one small step closer to what you've already imagined?

Community Planning with Aging in Mind

Let's finish this module with some big picture approaches and resources. The following webinar runs 90 minutes and is a great follow up to the concepts and examples we have explored so far in this course. As you watch the webinar, think about intersections between your Big Idea and the community planning ideas presented here.