Social change implies dietary change

Abstract

To provide access to adequate and appropriate food is synonymous with good government at local, state, and national levels and internationally (Chopra 2002; WHO 2003) and can be achieved through numerous, complementary routes: policies about what is grown, imported and exported; supports for an adequate and safe food supply; food pricing; food enrichment and fortification, requirements for ingredient and nutrient labeling; income transfer programs; direct food provision; dietary guidance, nutrition education, and nutrition surveillance and research. Parameters for assuring adequate and appropriate food for a given population at any given time are moving targets. Societal changes have effects on food availability and on eating patterns (WHO 2003;Lang & Heasman 2004). Positive societal changes may lead to positive dietary changes, but not necessarily. Advances in technology have clearly improved overall food availability and, therefore, the theoretical possibility of eliminating hunger and undernutrition. However, changes in the global food economy have also led to prevalent overconsumption of fat and sugar and underconsumption of micronutrient rich foods, along with increasing rates of obesity and diabetes. It seems that the obligation of a society is now as much to protect the population from too much food as to provide enough food. The effects of social and environmental changes on what and how people eat are highlighted in three articles in this issue. Kosonen et al. (2005) report remarkable changes in the use of various types of "special diets" by Finnish adolescents surveyed in 1979 through 2001. They link these trends to changes in the prevalence of diet-related diseases as well as changes in weight concerns and sensitivity to ecological issues. The marginal dietary status of African refugees living in Geneva, Switzerland is reported by Kruseman et al. (2005) based on a qualitative study. Reading this article leaves one with a sense of frustration. Diets of these refugees were characterized by fewer fruits and vegetables and more carbonated sweetened beverages compared to their previous diets. Their ability to recognize and prepare available foods was limited, and weight gain was occurring. The third report comes from a 1998 population survey in Armenia at a time of major social, economic, and political changes following the end of the former Soviet Union (Rossi et al. 2005). The objective was to obtain a baseline for setting public health nutrition intervention priorities for children and reproductive age women in various regions and localities and for both residents and refugees. Anemia and, among the mothers, overweight were identified as problems, but the ability to follow up with corrective interventions was compromised by a drought during the period after this survey was conducted. These articles remind us of the close link between social and environmental conditions and diet and nutritional status and of the need for continued vigilance regarding the adequacy and appropriateness of food intake in vul...

A Cross‐Sectional Prevalence Study of Ethnically Targeted and General Audience Outdoor Obesity‐Related Advertising

“…E nvironmental intervention approaches appear to be necessary to stem the advancing obesity epidemic, as the environment is becoming increasingly “obesigenic,” or obesity‐producing, particularly in communities of color (Fontaine et al 2003; French, Story, and Jeffery 2001; King et al 1995; Kumanyika 2005; Marcus et al 2006; Nestle and Jacobson 2000; Rigby, Kumanyika, and James 2004; Sloane et al 2003, 2006; Swinburn, Egger, and Raza 1999; Swinburn, Gill, and Kumanyika 2005; Yancey, Ory, and Davis 2006; Yancey et al 2005). Efforts to make changes on an individual level have demonstrated little sustainability (Jeffery et al 2000; Kumanyika 2001; Kumanyika and Grier 2006; Yancey 2004; Yancey et al 2004), but a similar shift toward environmental intervention is credited with accelerating declines in tobacco use (Forster, Widome, and Bernat 2007; Hopkins et al 2001).…”

Food acculturation experiences of new Iranian skilled migrant mothers in South Australia

“…Acculturation as adaptation to the host culture is a normal consequence of immigration, with food acculturation referring to changes in eating patterns of immigrants towards those of the host country 1 . Immigrants from developing countries are found to replace their traditional diets largely comprising unprocessed foods, with more processed foods that are energy‐dense and nutrient‐poor, and also widely accessible and highly marketed in developed countries 2 . In this way, food acculturation can act to compromise health 3‐6 .…”

“…1 Immigrants from developing countries are found to replace their traditional diets largely comprising unprocessed foods, with more processed foods that are energy-dense and nutrientpoor, and also widely accessible and highly marketed in developed countries. 2 In this way, food acculturation can act to compromise health. [3][4][5][6] The factors behind dietary changes are numerous and complex.…”

“…6 The impact of food acculturation on health is intricately linked to the complex balance between maintaining traditional cultural identity and practices, while at the same time adapting to the food culture and practices of the new home. 7 The interplay between culture, identity and food, 2,8 as determinants of health are particularly pertinent for immigrants navigating acculturation and settlement.…”