Information is Power
One of the best things about Public Health is that it helps to empower and educate individuals to make healthy choices. In this Subway, we found a sheet with nutritional information for the various types of food products sold at the store. Simple measures like this allow hungry shoppers to easily see the dietary pros and cons of the food they may be about to order. Public Health ideas like this one will help our nation by helping us better understand what we put in our body, and If measures like this one could be expanded, we would better equip our population with the knowledge to manage and increase their own health. After all, who hasn’t stopped in at a restaurant or other food shop to quickly grab lunch or a bite to eat as we go about our busy day? A little bit of clear information helps in those moments, and this poster was easy to read as well as positioned directly near the ordering area. Recently, we heard in the news how a larger share of Americans are, or are predicted to become, overweight or obese. These conditions lead to a long list of preventable diseases and illnesses, both chronic and long term. Everything from cancer, heart disease, and diabetes all become more likely from a population point of view as the rates of overweight/obese increase. Transparency about nutritional information and food content will help us combat this growing problem, especially as our nation grapples with rising health care costs and national debt.This *is* Public Health!
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| Dominika Zugaj, Michael Nelson and Jamanda Simmons |
I though this was an excellent example showing what constitutes public health. I like how subway posts the nutritional facts for hungry shoppers so they can eat smart. This method is great for people who are hungry, and in a rush. Nutrition plays a huge role in american diet; compared to other countries, the United States has the highest obesity rates and heart disease. I feel that more fast food restaurants should display nutritional facts, like subway, to help decrease some of the statistics, so people can become more consciences of what they are eating. Weight Watcher menu's are a start!
ReplyDeleteDuring the Obama administration, a law was passed that requires chain restaurants to provide nutritional information either on the menu or displayed somewhere. I believe this defines "public health." By displaying the nutritional value of certain menu items, some people may stray away from the higher fat, higher calorie foods,therefore eating more nutritious foods for a better diet! As we know, a better diet results in a healthier individual. In the long run, hopefully this will be able to lower healthcare costs to our nation.
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ReplyDeleteI feel like this is a perfect example of how public nutrition facts exemplifies public health. By listing the calories and nutritional facts, it allows for people following diets to stay on a health path. It also allows for those dealing with health issues like diabetes and obese people, manage the food that is going in by knowing the exact nutritional number. Great idea for a public health post.
ReplyDeleteThis was a great idea to show public health i had no idea that this could considered as public health, but i guess its helping the community in a healthy way by informing them of the calories they are about to ingest. This visibility of calories and nutrition facts should be like that at all restaurants, to help consumers make healthy choices.
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