The Acting Assistant Secretary for Health chaired the third review of progress on Healthy People 2000 objectives for nutrition. As the co-lead agencies for this priority area, the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health led a discussion that focused on overweight prevalence and consumption of fruits and vegetables, with an emphasis on children and adolescents. A summary of the review of these and other selected nutrition objectives follows: |
2.3 The
prevalence of overweight has increased since 1980 for nearly all age, ethnic and gender
groups. From a 1976-80 baseline of 24 percent, overweight prevalence in adult males 20-74
years of age (body mass index [BMI]³27.8) increased to 34 percent, according to data for
1988-94. Overweight prevalence for adult females (BMI³27.3) increased from the baseline
of 27 percent to 37 percent in the same period. The year 2000 target is 20 percent for
both groups. Data for 1988-94 showed that 24 percent of adolescents aged 12-19 were
overweight (using BMI cutoffs based on modified age- and gender-specific 85th percentile
values of the 1976-80 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey), an increase from
the base-line of 15 percent. While there are no year 2000 objectives for reducing
overweight in children, data show that overweight in girls aged 4-5 (using sex- and
age-specific 95th percentile of weight for stature based on NCHS/CDC growth charts)
increased from 7.6 percent in 1976-80 to 11.2 percent in 1988-94. For boys in that age
group, the increase was from 4.4 to 5 percent. Among children aged 6-11, overweight (using
sex- and age-specific 95th percentile of BMI based on the National Health Examination
Survey II) increased from 7.6 percent in 1976-80 to 13.6 percent in 1988-94. 2.5 Data for 1994-96 indicate that people 2 years of age and over received on average 33 percent of their total caloric intake from fat and 11 percent from saturated fat. In the baseline period of 1989-91, the proportions were 34 percent and 12 percent, respectively. Thus, there is some progress toward the year 2000 targets: 30 percent for fat and 10 percent for saturated fat. In 1994-96, 33 percent of people age 2 and over met the goal for fat intake (baseline: 22 percent) and 35 percent met the goal for intake of saturated fat (baseline: 21 percent), which is progress toward the 50 percent target. 2.6 In 1994-96, the population aged 2 and over consumed an average of 4.6 daily servings of fruits and vegetables, an increase from the 1989-91 baseline of 4.1. Those aged 2-19 consumed an average of 4.0 daily servings (baseline: 3.6) and those aged 20 years and over consumed an aver-age of 4.9 daily servings (baseline: 4.3). The year 2000 target for all groups is 5 servings. The proportion of the population aged 2 and over that met the Dietary Guide-lines for Americans recommendation of 5 or more servings daily has increased from 29 percent in the baseline period 1989-91 to 36 percent in 1994-96. The age group 2-19 years showed an increase from 20 percent to 26 percent over this time span. The increase for those aged 20 and over was from 32 percent at baseline to 40 per-cent in 1994-96. The target for all groups is 50 percent. 2.19 There has been an increase from 60 percent in 1990 to 69 per-cent in 1994 in the proportion of States that require nutrition education in grades K-12, moving toward the year 2000 target of 75 percent. 2.20 In 1995, 18 percent of work-sites with 50 or more employees offered nutrition or cholesterol education programs and 14 per-cent offered weight management programs. The year 2000 target is for 50 percent of these worksites to provide such programs. 2.21 In 1992, the percentages of primary care providers who provided nutrition assessment and counseling and/or referral to 81-100 percent of patients were as follows: pediatricians 53 percent; nurse practitioners 46 percent; obstetricians/gynecologists15 percent; internists36 percent; family physicians 19 percent. The percentages who formulated a diet/nutrition plan for 81-100 percent of patients who needed it were as follows: pediatricians 31 percent; nurse practitioners31 percent; obstetricians/ gynecologists19 percent; internists33 percent; family-California physicians24 percent. The year 2000 target for each category and specialty is 75 percent.. |
H I G H L I G H T S
F O L L O W- U P
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P A R T I C I P A N T S Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) California Department of Health Services Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Food and Drug Administration Health Resources and Services Administration M.D. Anderson Cancer Center (University of Texas) National Institutes of Health Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion Office of Minority Health Pan American Health Organization Presidents Council on Physical Fitness and Sports Produce for Better Health Foundation Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration U.S. Department of Agriculture University of Colorado |
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