Browse > Article

Public Health Nutrition Policies and the Role of the Government: International Examples and the Need for Action in the Republic of Korea  

Engellhardt, Katrin (School of Public Health Seoul National University)
Joung, Hyojee (School of Public Health Seoul National University)
Publication Information
Nutritional Sciences / v.8, no.1, 2005 , pp. 42-49 More about this Journal
Abstract
Many of the non-communicable diseases, which are now the major causes of death and disability worldwide, can be linked to our lifestyles, and thus to what eat The life-style related risk factors are - to a great extent - preventable. Public health nutrition (PHN) policies are means through which govemments can have an enornous impact on the reduction of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, hypertension, obesity, cancer and cardiovascular disease, by creating and supporting environments which enable healthier food choices and which are conducive to healthy nutrition behavior. More and more countries are developing nutrition policies. Nutrition policies are tools through which governments can intervene and control nutrition-related concerns throughout all levels of society. The need for more concerted action in the Republic of Korea is demonstrated, by showing the lack of priority for nutrition issues. Four recommendations for action are made; the first recommendation places emphasis on the need to implement a structure at the political level, through which nutrition concerns can be addressed, such as a nutrition unit within the Ministry of Health and Welfare. The second recommendation stresses the need for a strong nutrition advocacy strategy, to raise the awareness of the gains that can be achieved by promoting healthy nutrition. The third recommendation calls for more vigorous regulations and stricter enforcement of food and nutrition advertisement, and the fourth recommendation emphasizes the need for a settings-bsed approach to nutrition interventions. Acknowledging the developments that have already occurred in Korea, public health nutrition has yet to become a priority on the agenda of policy makers in Korea.
Keywords
Public Health Nutrition; Policy; Government;
Citations & Related Records
연도 인용수 순위
  • Reference
1 Steyn NP, Mann J, Bennet PH, Temple N, Zimmer P, Tuomilehto J, Lindstrom J, Louheranta A. Diet, Nutrition and the prevention of type 2 diabetes. Public Health Nutrition 7:147-165, 2004
2 Reddy KS, Katan MB. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of hypertension and cardiovascular diseases. Public Health Nutrition 7:167-186, 2004
3 Popkin BM. Nutrition in Transition: The Changing Global Challenge. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 10(suppl):S13-S18, 2001
4 McMichael P. Development and social change: A global perspective. 2nd Edition. Thousand Oaks, CA: Pine Forge Press, 2000
5 Stokols D. Establishing and maintaining Healthy Environ­ments: Towards a Social Ecology of Health Promotion. American Psychologist 47(1):6-22, 1992   DOI   ScienceOn
6 Hughes R. Definitions for public health nutrition. Public Health Nutrition 6:615-620, 2003
7 Warm D, Yngve A, Sjostrom M, Margetts B. Developing an evidence-based approach to Public Health Nutrition: translating evidence into policy. Public Health Nutrition 4: 1393-1397, 2001
8 European Commission. Status report on the European Commission's work in the field of nutrition in Europe. European Commission, Belgium (Available at: http://europa.eu.int/comm/health/ph_determinants/life_style/nutrition/documents/nutrition_report_en.pdf, accessed September, 2004), 2003
9 Haddad L. Redirecting the diet transition: what can food policy do? Development Policy Review 21:599-614, 2003   DOI   ScienceOn
10 WHO. European food and nutrition policies in action. WHO Regional Publications, European Series No 73, Copenhagen., 1998
11 WHO. Food and nutrition action plans in the WHO European Region: past, present and future. WHO Regional Office for Europe EUR/03/5035228, Copenhagen, 2003
12 Kjaernes U. Food and nutrition policies of Nordic countries: how have they been developed and what evidence substan­tiates the development of these policies? Proceedings of the Nutr Soc 62:563-570, 2003
13 WHO. Nutrition labeling and health claims: the global regulatory environment. (Hawkes C. Author). WHO, Geneva, 2004
14 National Conference of State Legislators(NCSL). Legislative overview of health promotion since 01/01/03. (Available at: http://www.ncsl.org/programs/health/sshealthpromo.htm, ac­cessed September, 2004), 2003
15 Kim NS, Moon OR, Kan JH, Lee SY, Jeong BG, Lee SJ, Yoon TH, Hwang KH. Increasing prevalence of obesity related diseases in Koreans associated with overweight and obesity. Korean J Pre Med 34:309-315, 2001
16 Contento I, Balch GI, Bronner YL, Lytle L, Maloney SK, Olson CM et al., The effectiveness of nutrition education and implications for nutrition education policy, programs and research: A review of research. Journal of Nutrition Education 27:277-419, 1995
17 Kim KN. Health and Nutrition Messages in the Baby Food Advertisements of Women's Magazines. Journal of Com­munity Nutrition 5: 178-185, 2003
18 Nestle M. Changing the diet of a nation: population/regulatory strategies for a developed economy. Asia Pacific J of Clin Nutr 9(Suppl):33-40, 2000   DOI   ScienceOn
19 http://www.fns.usda.gov/fns/ (accessed: August, 2004)
20 Ministry of Health and Welfare(MOHW). National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001. Health Examination Summary Book, 2002c
21 KHIDI, Korean Health Industry Development Institute. Korean National Action Plan for Nutrition. (Funded by the Korean Health Promotion Fund), 2001
22 Sobal J. Social and cultural influences on obesity. (pp.305-322) In: Bjorntorp P (ed.) International Textbook of Obesity. New York: John Wiley and Sons, 2001
23 Livingstone S. Childhood obesity-Food advertisement in context. OFCOM, Office of Communication, UK. (Available at: http://www.ofcom.org.uk/research/consumer_audience/research/tv/food_ads/report.pdf, accessed September 2004), 2004
24 Details about these regulations can be found on the website: http://europa.eu.int
25 Puska P. Nutrition and global prevention of non-communi­cable diseases. Asia Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 11 :S755-S758, 2002   DOI   ScienceOn
26 Nutrition Society, United Kingdom (www.nutsoc.org.uk)
27 French SA, Story M, Jeffery RW, Snyder P, Eisenberg M, Sidebottom A, Murray D. Pricing strategy to promote fruit and vegetable purchase in high school cafeterias. J Am Diet Assoc 97:1008-1010, 1997   DOI   ScienceOn
28 Lobstein T, Longfield J. Improving Diet and Health through European Union Food Policies. London: Health Education Authority, 1999
29 WHO. Using domestic law in the against obesity: an introductory guide for the Pacific. WHO Regional Office for the Western Pacific Region, Manila, 2003
30 WHO. Marketing food to children: the global regulatory environment. (Hawkes C. Author). WHO, Geneva, 2004c
31 Moon HK. Analysis of trends for commenly used foods and meals. Unpublished paper presented at the Symposium: Nutrition Monitoring and Surveillance System. Hoam Convention Center, Seoul, 12 March, 2004
32 http://www.verbraucherministerium.de (English version avail­able)
33 WHO. Global Strategy Diet, Physical Activity and Health. World Health Assembly Resolution, WHA57.17. (Available at: http://www.who.int/gb/ebwha/pdf_files/WHA57/A57_RI7-en.pdf, accessed September, 2004), 2004
34 WHO. Fact Sheets: Global Strategy on Diet, Physical Activity and Health. WHO, Geneva, 2003
35 Zimmet P. Globalization, coca-colonization and the chronic disease epidemic: can the doomsday scenario be averted? J Intern Med 247:301-310, 2000   DOI   PUBMED   ScienceOn
36 Carroll A, Craypo L, Samuels S. Evaluating nutrition and physical activity social marketing campaigns. Center for Advanced Studies in Nutrition and Social Marketing, Uni­versity of California, Davis (Available at: http://socialmarketing­-nutrition.ucdavis.edu/Downloads/SamuelsSMC.pdf, accessed September 2004), 2000
37 WHO. Intersectoral food and nutrition policy development: a manual for decision-makers. WHO Regional Office for Europe EUR/01/5026035, Copenhagen. (Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E73104.pdf, accessed September 2004), 2001
38 Food and Nutrition Service(United States Department of Agriculture, FNS). Amendment of the School Lunch Act and the Child Nutrition Act. Public Law 108-265 (Available at: http://www.fns.usda.gov/cnd/Governance/Legislation/PL_108-265.pdf, accessed September, 2004), 2004
39 Korean Ministry of Health and Welfare(MOHW). National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001. Chronic Disease Summary Book, 2002b
40 Sobal J. Food system globalization, eating transformation, and nutrition transitions. (pp.171-193). In: Grew R (ed.). Food in Global History. Boulder, CO: Westview, 1999
41 French SA, Jeffery RW, Story M, Hannan P, Snyder M. A pricing strategy to promote low fat snack choices through vending machines. Am J Public Health 87:849-851, 1977   DOI   ScienceOn
42 Kim YO. Development of food supply and distribution indicators within Korean nutrition surveillance. Unpublished paper presented at the Symposium: Nutrition Monitoring and Surveillance System. Hoam Convention Center, Seoul, 12 March, 2004
43 Pomerleau J, McKee M, Lobstein T, Knai C. The burden of disease attributable to nutrition in Europe. Public Health Nutrition 6:453-461, 2003
44 Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO). Food fortification: technology and quality control. FAO Paper 60. Rome, Italy, 1995
45 Alcalay R, Bell RA. Promoting nutrition and physical activity through social marketing: current practices and recommenda­tions. Center for Advanced Studies and Social Marketing, University of California, Davis (Available at: http://sociaImarketing-nutrition.ucdavis.edu/Downloads/AlcalayBell.pdf, accessed Sep­tember, 2004), 2000
46 Kim YO. Changes in rice consumption patterns for Korean since 1970. Kor J Com Nutr 6:854-861, 2001
47 Lee YN, Lee HS, Kim BH, Chang JE, Kim CI. Diets of the Korean over weight population. Journal of the Korean Society for the Study of Obesity 13:281-290, 2004
48 Jo I, Ahn Y, Lee J, Shin KR, Lee HK, Shin C. Prevalence, awareness, treatment, control and risk factors of hyper­tension in Korea: the Ansan study. Journal of Hypertension 19:1523-1532, 2001   DOI   ScienceOn
49 Ministry of Health and Welfare(MOHW). National Health and Nutrition Survey, 2001. Overview Book, 2002a
50 WHO. Development of the first food and nutrition action plan. Report of a WHO Consultation. WHO Regional Office for Europe EUR/lCP/LVNG 010210, Copenhagen, 1999
51 Kim JH, Lee MH, Lee JJ. Body image, eating behavior, and weight control practices among Korean adolescent girls. Nutritional Sciences 5:245-255, 2002
52 Gostin LO. Legal and public policy interventions to advance the population's health. (pp. 390-416). In: Institute of Medicine (IOM). Promoting health: Intervention strategies from social and behavioral research. Washington DC, The National Academic Press, 2000
53 Strategic Inter-Governmental Nutrition Alliance (SIGNAL). Eatwell Australia: A strategic framework for public health nutrition. National Public Health Partnership (Available at: http://www.nphp.gov.au/publications/signal/eatwell1.pdf,accessed September 2004), 2001
54 Marshall T. Exploring a fiscal food policy: the case of diet and ischaemic heart disease. BMJ 320:301-304, 2000   DOI   PUBMED   ScienceOn
55 WHO. The first action plan for food and nutrition policy 2000-2005. WHO Regional Office for Europe EUR/01/5026013, Copenhagen. (Available at http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E72199.pdf, accessed September 2004), 2001a
56 Beaglehole R, Bonita R, Horton R, Adams O, McKee M. Public health in the new era: improving health through collective action. Lancet 363:2084-2086, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
57 FAO/WHO. Final Report of the International Conference on Nutrition. Rome, December (Available at: http://www.who.int/nut/documents/icn_final.pdf, accessed October, 1004), 1992
58 Donovan R, Henley N (ed.). Social marketing: principles and practices. East Hawthorne, Australia: IP-Communications, 2003
59 WHO. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of chronic disease. Report of a joint FAO/WHO Expert Consultation. WHO Technical Report Series 916, WHO, Geneva. (Available at: http://whqlibdoc.who.int/trs/WHO_TRS_916.pdf, accessed Sep­tember 2003), 2003
60 Story M et al., Individual and environmental influences on adolescent eating behaviors. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102:S40-S51, 2002   DOI   ScienceOn
61 WHO. Progress report on the first action plan for food and nutrition in the WHO European region. WHO Regional Office for Europe EUR/02/5035234, Copenhagen. (Available at: http://www.euro.who.int/Document/E79034.pdf, accessed September, 2004), 2002
62 National Health and Nutrition Survey (NHNS). Korean Ministry of Heath and Welfare, 2001
63 Lee YH. Epidemiology of eating disordered symptoms in the Korean general population using a Korean version of the Eating Attitudes Test. Eat Weight Disord 3:153-61, 1998
64 Waxman A, Norum KR. Why a global strategy on diet, physical activity and health? The growing burden of non-communicable diseases. Public Health Nutrition 7: 381-383, 2004
65 Nestle M, Jacobsen MF. Halting the obesity epidemic: A public health policy approach. Public Health Reports 113: 12-24, 2000
66 Key TJ, Schatzkin A, Willet WC, Allen NE, Spencer EA, Travis RC. Diet, nutrition and the prevention of cancer. Public Health Nutrition 7: 187-200, 2004
67 Steven M. Strategies to influence nutrition behavior. Journal of Human Nutrition and Dietetics 3: 183-197, 1990   DOI
68 American Dietetic Association(ADA). Position of the American Dietetic Association: Food and nutrition misinfonnation. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 102:260-266, 2002   DOI   ScienceOn
69 Chopra M et al., A Global Response to a Global Problem: the Epidemic of Overnutrition. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 80:952-958, 2002
70 Tulchinsky TH, Kaluski DN, Berry EM. Food fortification and risk group supplementation are vital parts of a comprehensive nutrition policy for prevention of chronic diseases. European Journal of Public Health 14:226-228, 2004   DOI   ScienceOn
71 Kim S, Moon S, Popkin B. Nutrition transition in the Republic of Korea. Asia Pacific J Clin Nutr 10 (Suppl):S48-S56, 2001
72 Sobal J. Commentary: Globalization and the epidemiology of obesity. International Journal of Epidemiology 30: 1136-1137, 2001   DOI   PUBMED   ScienceOn
73 WHO. Healthy nutrition: Preventing nutrition-related diseases in Europe. WHO Regional Publications, European Series No 24, Copenhagen, 1988