Oral

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans serves as the cornerstone for national nutrition policy and nutrition education efforts designed to promote health and reduce risk for chronic diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. Federal programs such as the National School Lunch Program and the Elderly Nutrition Program must comply with Dietary Guidelines recommendations; the Guidelines also serve as the basis for the USDA food guidance system (e.g. MyPyramid). Despite this, the Guidelines are often viewed solely as individual-level recommendations rather than as a public health tool. The purpose of this session is to illustrate how the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 may be used as the basis for population-level chronic disease prevention strategies, using three examples of recommendations with potentially significant public health implications. Specifically, the panel members will discuss recommendations surrounding 1) sodium; 2) seafood; and 3) calorie balance/obesity prevention. Beyond the scientific basis of these evidence-based recommendations, the panel will describe how these recommendations could be addressed, and why they should be addressed at a population level in addition to an individual level. This session is intended for the broad public health community, regardless of level of exposure to or expertise in nutrition.

Session Objectives: -Describe Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010 recommendations regarding sodium, seafood and calorie balance. -Identify methods for implementing the Dietary Guidelines at a population level. -Describe the potential benefits of using the Dietary Guidelines as a public health tool.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)