The nutrition literature acknowledges the importance of utilizing environmental approaches to significantly impact eating habits but there are few examples of programs which attempt to alter the environment. Creating dietary change means grappling with a multitude of factors including food marketing and advertising, retail store location, and workplace pressures as well as individual knowledge, preferences and family eating patterns. This presentation will describe the application of the Spectrum of Prevention, a systematic tool which assists practitioners in designing comprehensive initiatives to promote healthy eating.
The Spectrum identifies six levels for promoting prevention, beginning with individual skill building, community education, provider training and ultimately focusing on collaboration, changes in organizational practices and government policy. It was initially developed for use by Contra Costa County's Health Services Department where it was applied to chronic disease prevention, leading to the first county food policy in the country. It has been adopted by the California Department of Health Services for local nutrition and physical activity promotion programs, and was recently used by the authors as a framework for policy recommendations to improve early childhood nutrition. This presentation will describe the tool, examples of its use, and findings related to its value for promoting local policy development.
Participants of this session will be able to 1) identify the six levels of prevention in the Spectrum; 2) delineate specific examples of the application of the Spectrum to nutrition; and 3) apply the Spectrum to use in their own work.
Learning Objectives: Participants of this session will be able to 1) identify the six levels of prevention in the Spectrum; 2) delineate specific examples of the application of the Spectrum to nutrition; and 3) apply the Spectrum to use in their own work
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The Spectrum of Prevention
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.