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American Dietetic Association

Publications and source records attributed to American Dietetic Association.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Position of the American Dietetic Association: local support for nutrition integrity in schools.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that the schools and the community have a shared responsibility to provide all students with access to high-quality foods and school-based nutrition services as an integral part of the total education program. Educational goals, including the nutrition goals of the National School Lunch Program and the School Breakfast Program, should be supported and extended through school district wellness policies that create overall school environments that promote access to healthful school meals and physical activity and provide learning experiences that enable students to develop lifelong healthful eating habits. The National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs are an important source of nutrients for school-age children, and especially for those of low-income status. The American Dietetic Association was actively involved in the 2004 reauthorization of these programs, ensuring access through continued funding, promoting nutrition education and physical activity to combat overweight and prevent chronic disease, and promoting local wellness policies. The standards established for school meal programs result in school meals that provide nutrients that meet dietary guidelines, but standards do not apply to foods and beverages served and sold outside of the school meal. Labeled as competitive foods by the US Department of Agriculture, there is a growing concern that standards should be applied to food in the entire school environment. Legislation has mandated that all school districts that participate in the US Department of Agriculture's Child Nutrition Program develop and implement a local wellness policy by the school year 2006-2007. Resources are available to assist in the development of wellness policies, and dietetics professionals can assist schools in developing policies that meet nutrition integrity standards.

Adolescent↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Agricultural and food biotechnology.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that agricultural and food biotechnology techniques can enhance the quality, safety, nutritional value, and variety of food available for human consumption and increase the efficiency of food production, food processing, food distribution, and environmental and waste management. The American Dietetic Association encourages the government, food manufacturers, food commodity groups, and qualified food and nutrition professionals to work together to inform consumers about this new technology and encourage the availability of these products in the marketplace.

Agriculture↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: food and nutrition misinformation.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that food and nutrition misinformation can have harmful effects on the health, well-being, and economic status of consumers. Nationally credentialed dietetics professionals working in health care, academia, public health, the media, government, and the food industry are uniquely qualified to advocate for and promote science-based nutrition information to the public, function as primary nutrition educators to health professionals, and actively correct food and nutrition misinformation. Enormous scientific advances have been made in the area of food and nutrition, leading to a fine-tuning of recommendations about healthful eating. Consumers have become increasingly aware of the nutrition-health link and reliant on nutrition information to base their decisions, and have assumed partial responsibility for changing their eating behaviors. Unfortunately, these same trends also create opportunities for food and nutrition misinformation to flourish. News reports rarely provide enough context for consumers to interpret or apply the advice given, and preliminary findings often attract unmerited and misleading attention. Effective nutrition communication must be consumer-friendly and contain sufficient context to allow consumers to consider the information and determine whether it applies to their unique health and nutritional needs. Consistent with ADA's organizational vision that members "are the leading source of nutrition expertise," ADA recognizes its responsibility to help consumers identify food and nutrition misinformation in the following ways: (a) ADA members should provide consumers with sound, science-based nutrition information and help them to recognize misinformation; (b) ADA members need to be the primary source of sound, science-based nutrition information for the media and to inform them when misinformation is presented; and (c) ADA members should continue to diligently work with other health care practitioners, educators, policy makers, and food and dietary supplement industry representatives to responsibly address the health and psychological, physiological, and economic effects of nutrition-related misinformation.

Communication↗

American Dietetic Association: standards of practice and standards of professional performance for registered dietitians (generalist, specialty, and advanced) in oncology nutrition care.

The Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance in Oncology Nutrition Care serve as a professional resource for self-evaluation and professional development for RDs specializing in oncology nutrition practice. Application of these documents in clinical practice presents the opportunity for quality improvement in oncology nutrition services provided by the RD. Just as the professional self-evaluation and continuing education process is an ongoing cycle, these standards are also a work in progress, and will be reviewed and updated on a regular basis. The Standards of Practice and Standards of Professional Performance are a quality initiative of the ADA and ON DPG that reflect a commitment to improving the quality of nutrition services provided by RDs in oncology settings.

Certification↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: the roles of registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered in health promotion and disease prevention.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that primary prevention is the most effective, affordable course of action for preventing and reducing risk for chronic disease. Registered dietitians and dietetic technicians, registered, are leaders in delivering preventive services in both clinical and community settings, including advocating for funding and inclusion of these services in programs and policy initiatives at local, state, and federal levels. In addition, registered dietitians are leaders in facilitating and participating in research in chronic disease prevention and health promotion. Diet, nutrition, and physical activity are important factors in the promotion and maintenance of good health throughout the life cycle. Cost-effective interventions that produce a change in personal health practices are likely to lead to substantial reductions in the incidence and severity of the leading causes of disease in the United States. In an era of increasing health care expenditures and relative decreases in availability of federal funds, there is increasing demand on health promotion and disease prevention to be economically viable. Through clinical involvement and rigorous participation in research on chronic disease prevention and health promotion, the field of dietetics can lead the way to effectively translate the impact of nutrition on all ages.

Chronic Disease↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Nutrition intervention in the treatment of anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that nutrition intervention, including nutritional counseling, by a registered dietitian (RD) is an essential component of the team treatment of patients with anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and other eating disorders during assessment and treatment across the continuum of care. Diagnostic criteria for eating disorders provide important guidelines for identification and treatment. However, it is thought that a continuum of disordered eating may exist that ranges from persistent dieting to subthreshold conditions and then to defined eating disorders, which include anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, and binge eating disorder. Understanding the complexities of eating disorders, such as influencing factors, comorbid illness, medical and psychological complications, and boundary issues, is critical in the effective treatment of eating disorders. The nature of eating disorders requires a collaborative approach by an interdisciplinary team of psychological, nutritional, and medical specialists. The RD is an integral member of the treatment team and is uniquely qualified to provide medical nutrition therapy for the normalization of eating patterns and nutritional status. RDs provide nutritional counseling, recognize clinical signs related to eating disorders, and assist with medical monitoring while cognizant of psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy that are cornerstones of eating disorder treatment. Specialized resources are available for RDs to advance their level of expertise in the field of eating disorders. Further efforts with evidenced-based research must continue for improved treatment outcomes related to eating disorders along with identification of effective primary and secondary interventions.

Anorexia Nervosa↗

Position paper of the American Dietetic Association: nutrition across the spectrum of aging.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that older Americans receive appropriate care; have broadened access to coordinated, comprehensive food and nutrition services; and receive the benefits of ongoing research to identify the most effective food and nutrition programs, interventions, and therapies across the spectrum of aging. Food and water and nutritional well-being are essential to the health, self-sufficiency, and quality of life for the fast growing, heterogeneous, multiracial, and ethnic populations of older adults. Many people, as they age, remain fully independent and actively engaged in their communities; however, others fare less well and need more support. A broad array of appropriate, culturally sensitive food and nutrition services, physical activities, and health and supportive care customized to the population of older adults are necessary. National, state, and local policies that promote coordination and integration of food and nutrition services into health and supportive systems are needed to maintain independence, functional ability, chronic disease management, and quality of life. Dietetics professionals can take the lead by researching and developing national, state, and local collaborative networks to incorporate effectively the food and nutrition services across the spectrum of aging.

Aged↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: Promoting and supporting breastfeeding.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that exclusive breastfeeding provides optimal nutrition and health protection for the first 6 months of life, and breastfeeding with complementary foods for at least 12 months is the ideal feeding pattern for infants. Breastfeeding is also a public health strategy for improving infant and child health survival, improving maternal morbidity, controlling health care costs, and conserving natural resources. ADA emphasizes the essential role of dietetics professionals in promoting and supporting breastfeeding by providing up-to-date, practical information to pregnant and postpartum women, involving family and friends in breastfeeding education and counseling, removing institutional barriers to breastfeeding, collaborating with community organizations and others who promote and support breastfeeding, and advocating for policies that position breastfeeding as the norm for infant feeding. ADA also emphasizes its own role by providing up-to-date information to the public, encouraging empirical research, providing continuing education opportunities, providing cultural sensitivity and cultural competence training to dietetics professionals, and encouraging universities to review and update undergraduate and graduate training programs.

Adult↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: benchmarks for nutrition programs in child care settings.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association that all child care programs should achieve recommended benchmarks for meeting children's nutrition and nutrition education needs in a safe, sanitary, and supportive environment that promotes healthy growth and development. Use of child care is the norm for America's families. It is essential, therefore, that nutrition professionals work in partnership with child care providers and with children's families to ensure that meals and snacks consumed in child care settings meet children's nutrition needs and provide them with excellent models of healthy dietary patterns. This position provides guidance and information about resources for nutrition professionals, health care practitioners, child care providers, and parents regarding meal plans, food preparation and food service, physical and social environment, and nutrition consultation and training for child care.

Benchmarking↗

Position of the American Dietetic Association: fortification and nutritional supplements.

It is the position of the American Dietetic Association (ADA) that the best nutritional strategy for promoting optimal health and reducing the risk of chronic disease is to wisely choose a wide variety of foods. Additional nutrients from fortified foods and/or supplements can help some people meet their nutritional needs as specified by science-based nutrition standards such as the Dietary Reference Intakes. Dietetics professionals are trained to assess dietary adequacy as well as the need for dietary modification. This position paper addresses increasing the nutrient density of foods or diets through fortification or supplementation when diets fail to deliver consistently adequate amounts of vitamins and minerals. The discussion presents points to consider that relate to both public health and individual applications. Many resources may be used to help guide the dietetics professional to determine responsible, evidence-based recommendations relating to nutrient fortification or supplementation.

Diet↗