Healthy Hospitals and Health Care
Hospitals and health care providers can help improve the health of their patients and employees by advocating for healthy eating and physical activity in their practice, facility, and community. The resources below can improve the health of patients and their care providers. Research shows that behavior change is more likely to last when people and their communities make similar changes.
Resources That Address Both Hospitals and Health Care
- AAP Policy Opportunities Tool showcases strategies that support healthy eating and active living for children and families. This tool is designed for healthcare professionals who have experience in advocacy and are interested in focusing their advocacy efforts on obesity prevention.
- Guidelines for Offering Healthy Foods at Meetings, Seminars, and Catered
Events
from the University of Minnesota School of Public Health - What Works in Healthcare , developed, by the Wisconsin Nutrition and Physical Activity Program, provides health care professionals with strategies to prevent and screen for overweight and obesity.
Health Care Resources
- 5-2-1-0 Tools for Pediatric Primary Care include BMI basics, assessment, and goal setting tools. 5-2-1-0 Healthy NH is a statewide public education campaign to bring awareness to the daily guidelines for nutrition and physical activity. Its message is simple and clear and represents some of the most important steps families can take to prevent childhood obesity.
- CDC's Research-to-Practice Weight Management Series provides health care providers with information on lifestyle modification, fruits and vegetables, portion size, sugar-sweetened beverages, breastfeeding, energy-dense foods, and eating-away-from-home.
- Weigh In: Talking to Your Children About Weight and Health offers practical advice for parents.
Hospital Resources
- Baby-Friendly Hospital Initiative is a global program that encourages and recognizes hospitals and birthing centers that offer an optimal level of care for infant feeding and assists hospitals in giving mothers the information, confidence, and skills needed to successfully initiate and continue breastfeeding their babies or feeding formula safely, and gives special recognition to hospitals that have done so.
- Hospital Support for Breastfeeding: Preventing Obesity Begins in Hospitals Breastfeeding helps protect against childhood obesity and other illnesses and lowers medical costs. Learn how hospitals can help.
- Kaiser Permanente Cafeteria Menu Labeling is a practice-tested intervention to help hospital cafeteria patrons make informed food decisions by providing calorie and nutrient information at the point-of-decision-making. In March 2012, 35 hospitals adopted the intervention.
- NC Hospital Cafeterias' Healthy Food Environments Pricing Incentive is a practice-tested policy intervention developed to increase availability, visibility, and affordability of healthy foods and beverages for employees, volunteers, and visitors on hospital campuses. It:
- Provides access to healthy foods
- Uses pricing to promote healthy foods
- Uses marketing techniques to promote healthy foods
- Uses benefit design and incentives to encourage behavior change
- Educates staff and visitors about healthy foods
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