Guidance for monitoring healthy diets globally
Guidance for monitoring healthy diets globally

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org. [Author] [Author]

Published: 2024-06-27

Total Pages: 44

ISBN-13: 9251388369

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

It is vital for countries to monitor their population’s diets to inform actions toward improving the health of people and the planet. The healthiness of diets must be tracked in global frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), to help monitor how the world’s population is faring. Currently, few countries regularly assess diets and there are no dietary indicators in global monitoring frameworks. Recognizing the importance of diets for health and the lack of consensus on how to measure and monitor healthy diets at scale, FAO, UNICEF and WHO joined forces to chart a way forward via the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI). The joint mission of the HDMI is to enable national and global decision-makers and stakeholders to monitor and achieve healthy diets for people and the planet. The current guidance document is focused on healthy diets for healthy people. This version of the document provides an overview of the range of purposes for measuring the healthiness of diets and offers examples of the dietary assessment methods and types of dietary intake data, surveys and metrics that are currently available to monitor healthy diets.

Harmonizing and mainstreaming the measurement of healthy diets
Harmonizing and mainstreaming the measurement of healthy diets

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2024-03-27

Total Pages: 30

ISBN-13: 9240086668

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

With rapidly changing diets, the burden of disease due to the consumption of unhealthy diets is a worldwide concern. Assessment and monitoring of diets across countries and population groups is critical. However, there are no harmonized metrics for tracking how the healthfulness of diets around the world is evolving. Recognizing the need for consensus and action, and to chart a way forward, FAO, UNICEF, and WHO established the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI) in 2022. The joint mission of this Initiative was articulated through discussions at a technical expert meeting in Bellagio, Italy, in late 2022. This meeting report includes the discussions and conclusions made on the suitability of existing metrics for assessment and monitoring of healthy diets nationally and globally. It also includes a workplan roadmap for the HDMI for the next two years towards the development of a global guidance on healthy diets metrics.

Sustainable healthy diets
Sustainable healthy diets

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2019-10-15

Total Pages: 42

ISBN-13: 9251318751

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Considering the detrimental environmental impact of current food systems, and the concerns raised about their sustainability, there is an urgent need to promote diets that are healthy and have low environmental impacts. These diets also need to be socio-culturally acceptable and economically accessible for all. Acknowledging the existence of diverging views on the concepts of sustainable diets and healthy diets, countries have requested guidance from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO) on what constitutes sustainable healthy diets. These guiding principles take a holistic approach to diets; they consider international nutrition recommendations; the environmental cost of food production and consumption; and the adaptability to local social, cultural and economic contexts. This publication aims to support the efforts of countries as they work to transform food systems to deliver on sustainable healthy diets, contributing to the achievement of the SDGs at country level, especially Goals 1 (No Poverty), 2 (Zero Hunger), 3 (Good Health and Well-Being), 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality) and 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) and 13 (Climate Action).

Methods and options to monitor the cost and affordability of a healthy diet globally
Methods and options to monitor the cost and affordability of a healthy diet globally

Author: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2022-08-02

Total Pages: 52

ISBN-13: 925136690X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

FAO is focusing its attention on the pursuit of healthy diets and transformations of agrifood systems to ensure healthy diets are affordable for all. Measuring and systematically monitoring the cost and affordability of healthy diets and making progress towards ensuring the affordability of healthy diets is of upmost importance and is urgently needed. To this end, FAO is committed to institutionalize the computation of the least-cost healthy diet, and the corresponding affordability indicator, and to publish updated estimates in the annual The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World report, as well as provide the full data series on FAOSTAT. This background paper to The State of Food Security and Nutrition in the World 2022 report presents the new methodological refinements applied in the estimation of the average cost of a healthy diet. This is an important methodological update as it results in a more robust indicator that provides greater transparency and supports long-term systematic monitoring utilizing annually updated price data. The paper then explores potential mechanisms and data sources for monitoring globally the cost of a healthy diet.

Towards the harmonization of healthy diet metrics for global monitoring
Towards the harmonization of healthy diet metrics for global monitoring

Author: World Health Organization

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2024-05-19

Total Pages: 8

ISBN-13: 9240074740

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Unhealthy diets are recognized globally as key contributors to morbidity and mortality. As food systems and diets evolve globally, the importance of monitoring what people eat has never been more critical. Yet, there is a lack of consensus on what constitutes healthy diets and how to measure them. In collective recognition of this challenge, the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative (HDMI), a partnership among FAO, UNICEF and WHO was established in 2022 with the mission of enabling national and global decision-makers and stakeholders to monitor and achieve healthy diets for people and the planet. We invite all national governments, United Nations agencies and international organizations, implementing partners, donors, civil society organizations, researchers and other key stakeholders (such as those concerned about climate change and food systems) to read our Call to Action and join the Healthy Diets Monitoring Initiative.

Healthy diet metrics: a suitability assessment of indicators for global and national monitoring purposes
Healthy diet metrics: a suitability assessment of indicators for global and national monitoring purposes

Author: Edward FRONGILLO

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2023-07-20

Total Pages: 84

ISBN-13: 9240072136

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This report scientifically assesses the validity, usefulness, and fitness-for-purpose of existing healthy diet metrics for population assessment for global and national monitoring. Existing healthy diet metrics were identified and critically assessed through a set of criteria for their use as global and national monitoring indicators. After comparative evaluation, three healthy diet metrics were identified as the most suitable for global and national monitoring. The report highlights strengths and weaknesses for the existing healthy diet indicators. Some may be suitable for simple data collection tools and short data collection time while other indicators may require complex quantitative dietary information, lengthy data collection time, and might need to confirm the validity in various contexts. Some of them may only capture a limited number of the sub-constructs of the construct of healthy diets. The report underlines main knowledge gap regarding the population groups for which the metrics could be used – whether these indicators were developed for a particular demographic and/or socioeconomic groups and their ability to be used for other population groups. The report also identifies key priority areas to further explore how these indicators could be used for more population groups and settings.

Cost and affordability of healthy diets across and within countries
Cost and affordability of healthy diets across and within countries

Author: Herforth, A., Bai, Y., Venkat, A., Mahrt, K., Ebel, A. & Masters, W.A.

Publisher: Food & Agriculture Org.

Published: 2020-12-12

Total Pages: 108

ISBN-13: 925133725X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Price and affordability are key barriers to accessing sufficient, safe, nutritious food to meet dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. In this study, the least-cost items available in local markets are identified to estimate the cost of three diet types: energy sufficient, nutrient adequate, and healthy (meeting food-based dietary guidelines). For price and availability the World Bank’s International Comparison Program (ICP) dataset is used, which provides food prices in local currency units (LCU) for 680 foods and non-alcoholic beverages in 170 countries in 2017. In addition, country case studies are developed with national food price datasets in United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, Ethiopia, Ghana and Myanmar. The findings reveal that healthy diets by any definition are far more expensive than the entire international poverty line of USD 1.90, let alone the upper bound portion of the poverty line that can credibly be reserved for food of USD 1.20. The cost of healthy diets exceeds food expenditures in most countries in the Global South. The findings suggest that nutrition education and behaviour change alone will not substantially improve dietary consumption where nutrient adequate and healthy diets, even in their cheapest form, are unaffordable for the majority of the poor. To make healthy diets cheaper, agricultural policies, research, and development need to shift toward a diversity of nutritious foods.

A Practical Guide to Developing and Implementing School Policy on Diet and Physical Activity
A Practical Guide to Developing and Implementing School Policy on Diet and Physical Activity

Author: Who Regional Office for the Eastern Medi

Publisher: World Health Organization

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 28

ISBN-13: 9290216948

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In order to reduce the impact of major risk factors such as unhealthy diet and physical inactivity, the World Health Assembly adopted the Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health (DPAS) in May 2004 and the School Policy Framework on Diet and Physical Activity. DPAS is a call to Member States to develop and implement policies and programs that promote healthy diets and increase levels of physical activity. Subsequently, the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean developed a Regional Framework on Diet and Physical Activity for national policy-makers. The regional framework suggests several approaches to addressing issues of unhealthy diet and physical inactivity including in schools. This guide was reviewed by health-promoting school focal points from 16 countries in the Region and it includes their recommendations. It is a work in progress and is not intended to be prescriptive. Countries are encouraged to adapt the proposed interventions according to their own priority needs and social and cultural contexts and make use of mechanisms and tools already existing in country.