BETHLEHEM, Pennsylvania — According to the American Heart Association, one in six Americans will develop some form of cardiovascular disease over the next few decades unless their eating habits change.
Now health experts are looking into the relationship between food and heart health and how to bring healthier options to dinner tables across the country.
A new report from the American Heart Association says the high cost and limited availability of nutritious foods could be contributing to a cardiovascular disease crisis.
The “The Future of Health and Food in the U.S.” report was conducted by Zogby Analytics on behalf of Research!America and the American Heart Association.
This included a public opinion survey on public attitudes towards food and nutrition.
“The results show significant differences in how historically underrepresented groups rank barriers to healthy eating,” said Mary Woolley.
Woolley serves as CEO of Research!America, a nonprofit health care and research advocacy coalition.
result
“Nearly seven in 10 Asian Americans [66%] Hispanic [68%] “Respondents said the biggest barrier to eating healthy was the cost of healthy foods,” Woolley said at the report launch event on Monday.
“Black respondents were more likely to cite a lack of knowledge about healthy foods. [38%] Difficulty accessing stores with a wide selection of nutritious foods [25%] as an obstacle to healthy eating.”
Woolley said seven in 10 people polled believe healthy eating habits are an important factor in increasing the chances of living a long, healthy life.
However, about half of respondents feel the country is not making enough progress to make nutritious food more available and affordable.
100 years of experience
Details of the study were released on the same day that the American Heart Association celebrated its 100th anniversary.
“The trend is ominous.”
American Heart Association CEO Nancy Brown
“Efforts led by the American Heart Association have cut deaths from heart disease in half over the past 100 years, but as we enter our second century, the trends are ominous,” said Nancy Brown, CEO of the American Heart Association.
“We are committed to averting an unprecedented health and economic burden crisis from cardiovascular disease and obesity for decades to come.”
Health experts and those involved in the survey noted “the urgent need to build food systems that effectively integrate nutritious foods into healthcare to prevent, treat and care cardiovascular disease and other chronic diseases.”
The report on the future of health and food in the United States points to food and nutrition insecurity, ultra-processed foods, and a lack of resilient and adaptable food and agriculture systems as the main causes of unhealthy diets.
“Healthy, nutritious foods can not only lead to improved overall health, but can also be an important tool in treating, managing and preventing chronic disease,” said Dr. Kevin Volpp, science lead for the American Health Association’s Food is Medicine initiative, Health Care by Food.
Volpp is also founding director of the Center for Health Incentives and Behavioral Economics at the Perelman School of Medicine and the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Call to action
“Stopping the compound tides of obesity and nutritional insecurity that threaten the health of millions of Americans now and for decades to come will require cross-sector collaboration and research-backed innovation in public and private sector programs,” Volpp said.
The Heart Association’s Food for Health Initiative funds research, outreach and education to find food for health approaches that are cost-effective for the nation’s health care system.
The new initiative aims to “fundamentally shape public health guidelines on nutrition and obesity.”
The report calls on health professionals, policymakers and others involved in delivering healthy food to Americans to make changes before a cardiovascular disease crisis ensues.
For more information on the report, visit the American Heart Association website.
