From individual behaviour strategies to sustainable food systems: Countering the obesity and non communicable diseases epidemic in New Zealand (original) (raw)
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Healthy Eating - Healthy Action": evaluating New Zealand's obesity prevention strategy
BMC Public Health, 2009
Background: New Zealand rates of obesity and overweight have increased since the 1980s, particularly among indigenous Māori people, Pacific people and those living in areas of high deprivation. New Zealand's response to the obesity epidemic has been The Healthy Eating-Healthy Action: Oranga Kai -Oranga Pumau (HEHA) Strategy ('the Strategy'), launched in 2003. Because the HEHA Strategy explicitly recognises the importance of evaluation and the need to create an evidence base to support future initiatives, the Ministry of Health has commissioned a Consortium of researchers to evaluate the Strategy as a whole.
World Futures: The Journal of New Paradigm Research, 2021
Sustainable diet is to consume food according to human health and our planet’s health. These diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritionally adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources. There are two challenges in terms of sustainable diet: climate change and obesity. The aim of this study is, therefore, to examine the link between obesity and sustainable diet within a TVNZ production ‘The Big Ward’ in Aotearoa, New Zealand (NZ). The methodology of this research is a case study within qualitative approach. The data is collected by discourse analysis. There are four males and eight females’ patients from different age and cultural backgrounds. The four themes are defined at the end of the study: Eating and shopping habits, the meaning of food, mental and psychological problems, physical problems.NZ is one of the obese countries. Maori and Pacific populations are the most vulnerable group in terms of obesity because of their lower income levels. Their food choices are mostly based on inexpensive, high caloric and nutrient poor foods therefore they are also very vulnerable group in terms of obesity. NZ needs to develop a dietary guidance, to promote long-term food security, to test different sustainable diet options, to design ecopedagogy-based education programmes and policy analysis within holistic perspective.
Australia and New Zealand Health Policy, 2008
As obesity prevention becomes an increasing health priority in many countries, including Australia and New Zealand, the challenge that governments are now facing is how to adopt a systematic policy approach to increase healthy eating and regular physical activity. This article sets out a structure for systematically identifying areas for obesity prevention policy action across the food system and full range of physical activity environments. Areas amenable to policy intervention can be systematically identified by considering policy opportunities for each level of governance (local, state, national, international and organisational) in each sector of the food system (primary production, food processing, distribution, marketing, retail, catering and food service) and each sector that influences physical activity environments (infrastructure and planning, education, employment, transport, sport and recreation). Analysis grids are used to illustrate, in a structured fashion, the broad array of areas amenable to legal and regulatory intervention across all levels of governance and all relevant sectors. In the Australian context, potential regulatory policy intervention areas are widespread throughout the food system, e.g., land-use zoning (primary production within local government), food safety (food processing within state government), food labelling (retail within national government). Policy areas for influencing physical activity are predominantly local and state government responsibilities including, for example, walking and cycling environments (infrastructure and planning sector) and physical activity education in schools (education sector). The analysis structure presented in this article provides a tool to systematically identify policy gaps, barriers and opportunities for obesity prevention, as part of the process of developing and implementing a comprehensive obesity prevention strategy. It also serves to highlight the need for a coordinated approach to policy development and implementation across all levels of government in order to ensure complementary policy action.
Nutrition Bulletin, 2013
Understanding the drivers for improving Scotland's dietary health is one of the key objectives within the 'Food, Land and People' component of the Scottish Government's Strategic Research Programme (SRP). Food producer, processor, retailer and consumer behaviour relative to diet and health are investigated through the programme's 'Healthy Safe Diets' theme. The research recognizes both the importance of food to Scotland's economy, health and wellbeing, as well as the challenges faced by the burden of obesity and dietary-related illness. The Healthy Safe Diets theme's analysis of diet and behaviour has a focus on the interplay of the social, biological, behavioural and environmental determinants of nutritional health and aims to develop and test prototype policy interventions relevant to improving the health of Scotland's population. Here, we argue the necessity for concerted and coordinated multidisciplinary approaches to understand and influence dietary behaviour within the changing technological, economic, social and cultural context of individuals within society. The SRP's structure encourages and is developing such interdisciplinary links. Inherent to this is the combining of qualitative and quantitative approaches; using the insights gained from in depth study of small numbers of people, both to provide a better understanding of the results of quantitative analysis and to inform new research questions. Placed in context with the SRP's wider research objectives (such as on physical activity, the role of 'urban green space', enhancing the health-beneficial properties of foods and the environmental sustainability of food production and supply), SRP interconnection offers significant opportunity to develop synergies and reconcile conflicts between research areas to create cohesive policy advice and enhance health and wellbeing outcomes.
Towards healthy and sustainable food consumption: an Australian case study
Public Health Nutrition, 2013
ObjectiveTo articulate a healthy and sustainable (H&S) diet; outline key health and environmental sustainability principles that can be applied in the selection of foods for inclusion in such a diet; and describe a methodology with which to assess the availability and affordability of a H&S food basket.DesignWe synthesized publically available evidence on the environmental impact of different foods from academic, government, industry and non-government sources and constructed a hypothetical H&S equivalent of the typical Australian diet. Based on this, we constructed a weekly H&S food basket for a household of two adults and two children.SettingAustralia.SubjectsAustralian populations.ResultsThe H&S diet is based on three overarching principles: (i) any food that is consumed above a person's energy requirement represents an avoidable environmental burden in the form of greenhouse gas emissions, use of natural resources and pressure on biodiversity; (ii) reducing the consumption o...
Behaviour change for better health: nutrition, hygiene and sustainability
BMC Public Health, 2013
As the global population grows there is a clear challenge to address the needs of consumers, without depleting natural resources and whilst helping to improve nutrition and hygiene to reduce the growth of noncommunicable diseases. For fast-moving consumer goods companies, like Unilever, this challenge provides a clear opportunity to reshape its business to a model that decouples growth from a negative impact on natural resources and health. However, this change in the business model also requires a change in consumer behaviour. In acknowledgement of this challenge Unilever organised a symposium entitled 'Behaviour Change for Better Health: Nutrition, Hygiene and Sustainability'. The intention was to discuss how consumers can be motivated to live a more healthy and sustainable lifestlye in today's environment. This article summarises the main conclusions of the presentations given at the symposium. Three main topics were discussed. In the fi rst session, key experts discussed how demographic changesparticularly in developing and emerging countries-imply the need for consumer behaviour change. The second session focused on the use of behaviour change theory to design, implement and evaluate interventions, and the potential role of (new or reformulated) products as agents of change. In the fi nal session, key issues were discussed regarding the use of collaborations to increase the impact and reach, and to decrease the costs, of interventions. The symposium highlighted a number of key scientifi c challenges for Unilever and other parties that have set nutrition, hygiene and sustainability as key priorities. The key challenges include: adapting behaviour change approaches to cultures in developing and emerging economies; designing evidence-based behaviour change interventions, in which products can play a key role as agents of change; and scaling up behaviour change activities in cost-eff ective ways, which requires a new mindset involving public-private partnerships.
Healthy and Climate-Friendly Eating Patterns in the New Zealand Context
Environmental Health Perspectives, 2020
BACKGROUND: The global food system is driving both the climate crisis and the growing burden of noncommunicable disease. International research has highlighted the climate and health co-benefit opportunity inherent in widespread uptake of plant-based diets. Nevertheless, uncertainty remains as to what constitutes healthy and climate-friendly eating patterns in specific world regions. OBJECTIVES: Using New Zealand as a case study, this research investigates the extent to which potential contextual differences may affect the local applicability of international trends. It further examines the potential for demand-end avenues to support a transition toward a healthier, more climatefriendly food system in New Zealand. METHODS: A New Zealand-specific life-cycle assessment (LCA) database was developed by modifying cradle to point-of-sale reference emissions estimates according to the New Zealand context. This food emissions database, together with a New Zealand-specific multistate life-table model, was then used to estimate climate, health, and health system cost impacts associated with shifting current consumption to align with dietary scenarios that conform to the New Zealand dietary guidelines (NZDGs). RESULTS: Whole plant foods, including vegetables, fruits, legumes, and whole grains were substantially less climate-polluting (1:2-1:8 kgCO 2 e=kg) than animal-based foods, particularly red and processed meats (12-21 kgCO 2 e=kg). Shifting population-level consumption to align with the NZDGs would confer diet-related emissions savings of 4-42%, depending on the degree of dietary change and food waste minimization pursued. NZDGabiding dietary scenarios, when modeled out over the lifetime of the current New Zealand population, would also confer large health gains (1.0-1.5 million quality-adjusted life-years) and health care system cost savings (NZ$14-20 billion). DISCUSSION: Guideline-abiding dietary scenarios, particularly those that prioritize plant-based foods, have the potential to confer substantial climate and health gains. This research shows that major contextual differences specific to New Zealand's food system do not appear to cause notable deviation from global trends, reinforcing recent international research.
Policy, Systems, and Environmental Approaches for Obesity Prevention
Journal of Public Health Management and Practice, 2013
Background Obesity is a major threat to the health of the nation. The prevalence of obesity 1,2 and its associated health risks are well documented. 3,4 Known determinants of obesity include physical activity and dietary behaviors. Public health efforts to increase physical activity and improve nutrition among the general population have traditionally been aimed at individuallevel health changes. Such approaches have been found to be minimally effective, costly, and difficult to sustain. 5 In 2002, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) endorsed a broad approach to public health problems recommending the adoption of an ecologic model, where individuals and their behavioral choices are situated within and influenced by their broader social and environmental context. 6,7 Physical activity and nutrition researchers and practitioners have applied the ecologic model. 8 Researchers currently recommend a systems-oriented multilevel framework, which acknowledges the interrelated, dynamic, and adaptive factors that can influence obesity.