Nutrition in the Public Health Agency

Public Health Nutrition in the "Official" Public Health Agency

Three core responsibilities of public health have been identified:

Assessment regularly and systematically assessing the nutrition-related problems and needs of the population, identifying problem areas and opportunities, monitoring the nutritional status of the population and high-risk subgroups.

Assessment activities of public health nutritionist include: surveillance of nutrition status and risk factors; community needs assessment and resource identification; and evaluation of past efforts.

Policy Development developing policies, programs and activities that address the highest priority nutritional problems and needs, promoting the use of scientific knowledge in nutrition decision making and policy development, and setting standards.

Policy development activities of public health nutritionists in policy development include: setting priorities goals and objectives, writing standards, regulations and guidelines, developing and implementing program plans with attention to quality or performance standards, supervision, program management and fiscal management.

Assurance assuring the implementation of effective nutrition strategies to meet agreed upon goals by encouraging and enabling provision by other entities, by requiring action through regulation, or providing services directly.

Assurance activities of public health nutritionists include: assuring access to programs by vulnerable population groups; fostering culturally-competent nutrition education; planning and providing nutrition services to high risk groups; coordinating nutrition programs; providing education and counseling to persons with nutrition-related conditions and disease, mobilizing nutrition resources, encouraging private and public sector involvement; and assuring adequate skills of nutrition personnel.

Essential Public Health Service Functions

1. Monitor health status to identify and solve community health problems.
   
2. Identify and investigate the causes of health problems and health hazards in the community.
   
3. Inform, educate and empower people about health issues.
   
4. Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems.
   
5. Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health.
   
6. Enforce laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
   
7. Link people to needed personal health services and assure the provision of health care when otherwise unavailable.
   
8. Assure a competent public health and personal health care workforce.
   
9. Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility and quality of personal and population-based health services.
   
10. Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems.

(Source: U.S. Public Health Service Essential Public Health Services Work Group of the Core Public Health Function Steering Committee, 1994.)

Public Health Practice Compared to Clinical Nutrition Practice