 Research consistently identifies
links between diet and health, risk for disease, and quality of life. Americans
are now eating 30 percent more calories than 40 years ago. The average American eats 15 more pounds of sugar a year than in the 1970s. The overall health of Americans is threatened
by growing obesity levels that lead to increased risk of heart disease,
diabetes, stroke, and certain types of cancer.
Through our partnership with
land-grant universities, communities, organizations and other federal agencies,
NIFA supports research and educational efforts that encourage Americans to make
more informed food choices and become more physically active. We are committed
to helping rural, low-income, minority, and at-risk Americans live healthy
lives.
A Texas A&M University
project, Texas Grow! Eat! Go!, is a five-year Agriculture
and Food Research Initiative study that engaged
with third and fourth grade students and their families to improve physical
activity and eating behaviors. The university’s study was conducted in schools
with a high degree of ethnic diversity. Youth enrollment in the study was 54
percent Hispanic and 18 percent African-American; 43 percent of their parents
also indicated some degree of family food insecurity. The project was
successful in improving knowledge of nutrition and gardening, increasing the
occurrence of families preparing food, being physically active, and eating
meals together.
To continue successful
nutrition interventions, the Interagency Committee on Human Nutrition Research
recently released the first National
Nutrition Research Roadmap designed to guide federal
nutrition research. The roadmap identifies three key questions that cover a
broad spectrum of research:
- How do we better understand and
define eating patterns to improve and sustain health?
- What can be done to help people
choose healthy eating patterns?
-
How can we develop and engage innovative methods and systems to
accelerate discoveries in human nutrition?
Tomorrow, March 16, at 2 pm, NIFA will host
a Twitter chat with Dr. Deirdra Chester, national program leader for NIFA’s Division
of Nutrition to discuss NIFA’s role in supporting the Nutrition Research
Roadmap and how NIFA programs are contributing to ending the fight on obesity,
and improving nutrition for all Americans.
Over the past seven years,
USDA and the Obama Administration have made great strides in maximizing the
ability of our programs to fight hunger and improve health for more children
and families. We’ve focused on science-based food and nutrition strategies that
contribute to our country’s national and economic security. To learn more,
visit #USDAResults
For more NIFA impacts, visit nifa.usda.gov/impacts or the Land-Grant University
Impacts website. Send us your NIFA-funded impacts at impactstories@nifa.usda.gov or share them with USDA_NIFA on Twitter #NIFAimpacts.
NIFA invests in and advances agricultural research, education and extension and seeks to make transformative discoveries that solve societal challenges.
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