Evaluating the effects of the dietary guidelines for Americans on consumer behavior and health: methodological challenges

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2003-12, Vol.103 (12), p.42-49
• Main Authors: Guthrie, Joanne F., Smallwood, David M.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Biological and medical sciences; Community Participation; Diet - standards; Dietary Guidelines; Feeding Behavior; Guidelines as Topic; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; health promotion; Human physiology applied to population studies and life conditions. Human ecophysiology; Medical sciences; nutrition monitoring; Nutrition Policy; Nutritional survey. Food supply and nutritional requirement; Outcome and Process Assessment (Health Care); Program Evaluation; United States
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 2212-2672; 1878-3570; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2003.09.036

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the official nutrition policy statement for the United States. Government involvement in providing information on private behavior, such as food choice, is justified by the high cost of poor diets, as measured in medical expenses and lost productivity. The Guidelines are intended to provide an up-to-date, consistent information base for federal nutrition education and information efforts and food assistance program regulations. Through these policy mechanisms, the Guidelines are assumed to improve dietary behavior, and, ultimately, health. By law, the Dietary Guidelines for Americans must be updated every five years; however, there is no mandate for evaluation. Evaluation could provide useful information to assess the extent to which the Guidelines positively influence health and provide insights into reasons for their successes and limitations. However, evaluation would also present considerable challenges. This paper discusses the critical data and methodological needs for improving evaluation of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.