Nutritional Status of Adults in the United States As the number of older adults in the United States grows, the demands on the food system will change. The U.S. Bureau of the Census projects that by the year 2050, the population will grow by another 110 million people to 392 million (2010). The median age has increased from 34.0 in 1994 to 37.2 in 2010. It is projected to peak at 39.1 in 2035. The older population, 65 and older is projected to increase from 12.4 percent in 2000 to 20.7 percent in 2050. The age group that is growing the fastest is age 85 and older. Racial minority groups, African American, Indian/Alaskan Native, and Asian/Pacific Islanders are expected to increase to 27.9 percent, while Hispanics will increase to 24.4 percent and the proportion of Whites will decrease to 50.1 percent. With the growing number of older adults making up the population, it is believed that they will be more health conscious and may have a variety of health problems related to diet. This is not the first time the U.S. has faced problems with the health of the nation. In 1946, President Harry S. Truman signed the National School Lunch Act. This legislation came in response to claims that many American men were rejected for military service due to diet related health issues. School lunch was established as “a measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the nation’s children and to encourage the domestic consumption of nutritious agricultural commodities and other food (Gunderson, 2013).” Challenges The World Health Organization (WHO) indicates that health conditions associated with the ageing process are arthritis, stroke, heart disease, cancer and diabetes. These health concerns can be avoided... ... middle of paper ... ..._5 Nicklas, T., Jahns, L., Bogle, M., Chester, D., Giovanni, M., Klurfeld, D., Laugero, K., Liu, Y., Lopez, S., and Tucker, K., (2013). Barriers and Facilitators for Consumer Adherence to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans: The HEALTH Study. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, Vol. 113, No. 10, 1317-1330. Reed, S., Crespo, C., Harvey, W., and Andersen, R., (2011). Social isolation and physical inactivity in older US adults: Results from the Third National and Nutrition Examination Survey. European Journal of Sport Science, Vol. 11, No. 5, 347-353. Report of the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, (2010), http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-DGACReport.htm U.S. Bureau of the Census, http://census.gov/2010census/ World Health Organization (WHO), http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs135/en/
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An aging population is indeed a problem for the society and will possibly cause many social and economic difficulties in the future. According to David Foot (2003), professor of Economics at University of Toronto, an effective birth rate of 2.2% against current 1.75% will be necessary to replace the current work force in the near future and the government’s policy of bringing in more immigrants will eventually fail (Foot, 2003, 2). However some people predict that the increased size of an aging population will drive growth in the home, health care, and many other industries resulting in job creation and economic growth (Marketwire, 2013, 1). Majority of the people are of the opinion that the issue will be mainly in the health care and economic activity. As humans age, they start to develop health problems, leading to more visits to a medical clinic putting extra burden on health care system.
Many issues, both genetic and environmental, affect how we age. A 2014 Census Bureau report, “65+ in the United States: 2010,” present some statistics regarding people over 65 years old in the United States. Laura Skarnulis publishes her study titled “7 Health Challenges Of Aging” where she explains seven of the most common heath issues senior citizens face. Obesity, arthritis, osteoporosis and cancer are among the most common challenges senior citizens have to face. Skarnulis mentions that we should take care of ourselves while we are young. Some of these health issues can be prevented if the respective precautions are taken on
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President Harry Truman initiated The School Lunch Program (NSLP) in 1946, it was established under the National School Lunch Act. The program provides nutritionally balanced, low‐cost lunches to more than 32 million boys and girls each school day.The NSLP ensures the nutrition,portion, and safety of our children food, over the years do to the rise of childhood obesity the The USDA School Lunch Program is constantly evolving to meet the needs of our youth. Many concerned citizens, such as Eric schlosser author of Fast Food Nation believes that the USDA is not providing our children with the right nourishment. Many parents are taking it into their own hand and creating and joining advocacy groups. It is crucial that our youth receive nutrient
The founding of the National School Lunch Program in 1946, otherwise known as NSLP, was inspired by investigations placed on men who were rejected from draft during World War II, where a connection was found between their physical impairments as a result of poor nutritional diets in early childhood (National School Lunch Program). Their mission statement being, “ A measure of national security, to safeguard the health and well-being of the Nation’s children.” Later on effecting after school initiatives in which after school activities on school grounds, were required to provide snacks for the students, in 1998 (National School Lunch Program). Throughout the history of government involvement in school lunches, there have been changes made due to new findings. First the purpose of school lunches were to give students food in case they were not receiving any at now, slowly it began to evolve to a nutritional meal that covers the main food groups.
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Unhealthy school lunches served in cafeterias across the nation are a major contributing factor to the development of childhood obesity. They are well known to be high in fat, sodium, and sugar, while also being outright unappetizing. It is currently estimated that about a third of kids and adolescents in the United States are overweight or obese. In addition, poor nutrition from school lunches can lead to chronic health problems over time and is also tied to poorer academic performance. While the US government updated the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs in early 2012, not all schools have implemented the changes and not all students are choosing to eat the healthier options
The increase rate in childhood obesity urged Michelle Obama to improve school lunches. In result of First Lady Michelle Obama addressing the issue, nutrition standards were raised in the Healthy Food Act of 2010. Sources show that this law caused a heated debate among parents. The question still stands, is the food actually healthy? the food system in the United States is making it very difficult for students to receive the nutrition they need to grow into healthy adults. The National School Lunch Program plays a huge role involving school lunches. I believe that the National School Lunch Program has influenced school lunches in a few positive ways. Their program is great for low income families and they also promote healthy eating and physical activity through changes in school environments. The National School Lunch Program is the reason behind schools serving breakfast, as well as the increased amount of fruits and vegetables. The National School Lunch Program, Michelle Obama, and the U.S. Department of Agriculture, another contributor in school lunches, have been fighting to improve school lunches, but they are not doing so well when it comes to improving the food served on the
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Healthy Aging is the process of achieving optimal levels of physical, mental and social status. Healthy aging begins at early stages of a person's life. Bad choices such as smoking or chewing tobacco, excessively drink, or abusing prescription and illegal drugs are all examples of things a young person can begin that will prevent healthy aging. Healthy aging requires three key things to be present; An adequately balanced diet, exercise of both the body and mind, and a time set aside to relax and stop stressing about life. Innovations such as organ transplantation, antibiotics, and vaccines have extended the average life by decades. Longer lifespans mean that the US has a much larger geriatric population than in decades past. Heart disease has
In 1933, the Secretary of Labor Services stated that a fifth of children preschool and school aged were displaying signals of low nourishment (Flam). This shows that about half a century ago, U.S. children weren’t eating at fast food restaurants. Furthermore, the first nationwide school lunch program started in 1946 due to the lack of nourishment at that time (Flam). This proves that the government back then took nationwide issues very seriously and cared deeply about those issues.
In the quest for overall health and wellness, one of the first things typically assessed is a person’s diet. It is common knowledge that nutrition is one of the most important factors in determining the future of one’s health and numerous studies are published every year on how to eat and be healthy. Nevertheless, the nutritional guidelines recommended by the government are continually changing and much of the published research into the science of nutritional health is often contradictory. “In the United States, a lifestyle pattern at odds with health---inclusive, but not limited to, poor dietary choices---is linked to a growing disparity between life span, the length of life per se, and health span, defined as years of healthy life. Globally, lifestyle-related chronic disease constitutes an enormous and growing burden” (Katz & Meller, 2014, p. 84). In response, more and more diet plans keep entering into the health scene as companies’ attempt to cash in on the billions of dollars spent by patients looking to cure chronic illness with nutrition.