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Title: National nutrition objectives and 10-year targets: Perspectives on their basis and evolution

Author
item CRANE, NANCY - Food And Drug Administration(FDA)
item JUAN, WEN YEN - Food And Drug Administration(FDA)
item Goldman, Joseph
item ELLWOOD, KATHLEEN - Retired Non ARS Employee
item SCHNEEMAN, BARBARA - Food And Drug Administration(FDA)

Submitted to: Journal Of The American Dietetic Association
Publication Type: Review Article
Publication Acceptance Date: 6/15/2011
Publication Date: 11/1/2011
Citation: Crane, N.T., Juan, W., Goldman, J.D., Ellwood, K.C., Schneeman, B.O. 2011. National nutrition objectives and 10-year targets: Perspectives on their basis and evolution. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 111(11):1660-1668. DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2011.08.010.

Interpretive Summary: The Healthy People federal initiative provides science-based, 10-year national objectives for improving the health of all Americans. For three decades, Healthy People objectives and goals have provided a framework and vision for multi-sector collaborative efforts to improve the health of Americans. The Healthy People initiative has encouraged collaborations across sectors, guided individuals toward making informed health decisions, and measured the impact of prevention activities. Nutrition-related objectives are a critical topic area of Health People. This article provides a review of the evidence-based approach used to establish seven Healthy People 2020 dietary intake objectives and ten-year targets, and discusses changes from the previous Health People 2010 dietary intake objectives. This paper provides a comprehensive reference of the scientific basis used in the development of the nutrition objectives for the Healthy People initiative for nutrition and public health researchers and educators.

Technical Abstract: For three decades, Healthy People initiatives have provided a comprehensive set of science- and evidence-based objectives with ten-year targets to guide efforts to improve the nation’s health. In each of these initiatives, nutrition-related objectives have remained a critical topic area, given the role of diet in health promotion and disease prevention and overweight and obesity as major public health concerns. This article reviews the science and public health basis for four iterations of Healthy People nutrition objectives, including the relationship of specific objectives to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and the Dietary Reference Intakes. The scientific underpinning for nutrition objectives has strengthened over time, and more data are available to track these objectives, with an increased emphasis on prevention and health determinants. This article reviews the evidence-based approach used to establish seven Healthy People 2020 dietary intake objectives and ten-year targets, and changes from the previous initiative. Whereas six topics from Healthy People 2010 were retained, the wording and operational definitions were changed to improve tracking progress during the decade. A new objective addresses consumption of calories from solid fats and added sugars. the systematic 2020 target-setting approach for all dietary intake objectives considered multiple factors, including baseline estimates in relation to recommendations, past intake trends, and potentially achievable shifts in the baseline usual intake distributions. The article further illustrates Healthy People 2020 dietary intake baselines and targets for sodium intake and other selected objectives for certain subpopulations, and identifies some related research and data needs.