Introduction
Australian government works over the realization of various programs in order to improve the well-being of its citizens. In this respect the healthcare approach is a grave example of how Australia takes care of its citizens. Here the example of the Australian National Heart Foundation Pick the Tick program represents an etalon for contemporary society. The thing is that such program serves as the mechanism of facilities promotion for people identifying the choice for healthy and tested food products (1).
The effectiveness of the program is underlined with the tendency of the main producers of consumer goods to follow the standards of the Australian National Heart Foundation with their standardized logo “Pick the Tick” (2). Furthermore it served also as a stimulus for population health in the country. The perspectives are budding, but the capabilities to react faster will then show the consequences on possible improvement as for nutrition in social dimension of the country.
Thus, the briefing is dedicated toward a problem of nutrition in the USA imposing the experience of Australia in this respect. Australian experience is rather appropriate for the US population due to some similarities in the way of food consumption and in the traditional estimation of food approach on the whole. The goals of the briefing are intended to work out the proper nutrition strategy for the United States with support of the Australian colleagues. An overall layout of the report may then serve as a framework for other countries and organizations worldwide due to points of great significance projected and evaluated in the research.
Nutrition Promotion
The current situation in the US in terms of healthcare protection leaves much to be desired. The point is that there is still no effective mechanism for the decrease of such high rates of obesity within the population of the country. This prospect is considered with the lack of right nutrition program for Americans. Shoppers do not realize in majority of the cases how to determine what a healthy product is for them (3).
In this respect the United States Government Health Department states the necessity of immediate actions from the side of our affiliates nationwide. This program is considered with the use of both top-down and bottom-up programs, so that to evaluate the advantageous and disadvantageous sides of the research and its implementation in practice (4). Thus, the urge for top-down model is rather felt in the discussion due to its preferences, namely:
- Easy to visualize functionality.
- Sense of completeness in the requirement.
- Easy to show the progress of development (4).
Top down approach is greatly realized in Australia due to straightforward actions from the side of high authority, The Australian National Heart Foundation. A bottom-up approach was realized in Australia due to awareness of population in their food choices. In fact, it stimulated a decrease of salt intake within Australians (4). The main difference between two approaches is implied in the quickness of reaction resulted in positive evaluation of the process.
Furthermore, the essence of more powers provides faster grow of societal concernment according to nationwide approach. The “Pick the Tick” program is useful for Americans in their food choices and health improvements as well. It contemplates that “approved foods are relatively lower in saturated fat, sodium, and added sugar and higher in dietary fibre than comparable food” (5).
Such necessity to decrease the rates of heart diseases is significant also due to the fact that not all products are bought by the consumers in the markets; there are many of them which are sold without the approval of such organization. In this case the healthcare nutrition environment provided by the government should promote a policy of verification. This top-down approach is effective when relating to the down-up mechanism. In other words, the reciprocity of both approaches is apparent when it concerns vital affairs of peoples’ lives. In a bottom-up method the idea of marginal activity within ordinary consumers is rather in a dynamic process. On the other hand, top-down approach by definite organizations provides rather static impacts, as a regulatory board.
A great consultation between policy makers/ nutritionists and the food industry in the contemporary level of relationships development of the USA matters in terms of effectiveness (6). It also promotes the national concernment of the government and population to mutually participate in suchlike initiative in order to provide top-down and bottom-up approaches in practice. Thus, further continuation of health approach within the nation should be started from the tops of societal structure, of course. However, the promotion and awareness of the program should also be appreciated in a bottom-up approach. In other words, people are to be conscientious about what they use for meat.
Health promotion in Australia contemplates the urge of the nation’s officials to construct the models for the social growth based on the historical cut and peculiarities of country’s foundation (7). Thus, the ability of Australians to take care of its population goes beyond today’s understanding of nutrition fundamentals in the USA. It is so due to modern peoples’ conviction in that “living in a consumer society means that to a large extent of people understand themselves and others through their possessions” (8). Thereupon, a top-down model serves as the optimal way for gaining positive solutions as for the implementation of the program points.
Nutrition Knowledge and Behavior Change
In the world practice the societal approach toward healthier environment along with food intake and just positive way of life is shown on examples of developed countries. In Europe and in the United States this idea began with more impacts on GM food and specific labeling in the points of purchase. Then the concernment of people touched upon best ways to get rid of harmful effect of fast-foods and carcinogenic ingredients.
For better effect in spread of information the Healthcare board should be apt in making nutrition knowledge impact on the changes in behavior of Americans. Again the experience of Australians is of great importance to show the difference. With regards to the report done by the Australian Heart Foundation the risks of people inclined for heartaches and disease related to the cardio-vascular system of human beings there is a need of salt decrease in nutrition in order to prevent population from hypertension (9). Another report outlined the importance of sodium reduction in breakfast cereals, which are so favorable within Americans (Health promotion international).
In this respect there were several pieces of information about the biochemical processes inside organisms of human beings, so that to outline the risk of proper diseases. “Pick the Tick” program is helpful and the most reliable in making such knowledge projected in peoples’ minds throughout Australia. Its implementation seems the most progressive at the time. Moreover, the effects shifted all expectations of the experts and analytics in the dimension of nutrition. Today, people are faster in consuming “tick”-products (10).
In New Zealand the results of same program were pointed out with the positive feedbacks: “While there may be other marks and symbols out there, the Heart Foundation Pick the Tick is the only independent, easily-spotted guide that guarantees a food has met strict standards for salt, saturated fat, fibre and kilojoules (calories)” (11). In fact, it is an analog of the fair trade program developed in the UK with more points on making ethical approach toward an issue of labor hardship of people making various products, such as tea, bananas etc. (12).
Looking at the experience of the developed countries one may find out that the elaboration of product specific targets for saturated fat and salt levels in key food categories may give a grave impulse in the beginning of sharing the idea of “Pick the Tick” program (13). Then the spread of such strategic for nation approach should be concerned with other different structural parts of customer-producer relationships (14).
Though, the urge of the American healthcare department toward the way of changes should be constituted, first, on the legislative level. Then the initiative group of department’s key workers should make nutrition knowledge available for every ordinary consumer in the US. “Pick the Tick” program may serve as a symbol for the imperative drive for consumers. Such initiative and the information about it would make people more and more understand the significance of healthy nutrition for long-lasting life. In the USA “Tick” program is supposed to be successful and convenient for consumers due to easiness of identification and more points on persuasion of reliability of product qualities.
Conclusions and recommendations
To sum up, the idea of healthy products line with a special logo is a good approach for the United States. Consumers are not aware of the healthiest tendency to make changes in the sphere of Medicare and for its effectiveness as well. The experience of Australia is a great demonstration of nutrition knowledge flow within masses in terms of making impacts on peoples’ behavior of healthy choices about goods. Salt and fat saturation in products, which in turn caused the rate of 34% of Australians to be likely die of cardiovascular diseases (15) were the main reasons for Australia’s great attention on the nation’s health factor. In this respect the attention of the Healthcare Department of the United States should be greater due to facts of predominant cases of obesity within the nation and the risk of cancer as well as heart and blood vessel diseases.
People responsible for making changes in the healthcare domain of the American health approach and the Minister of this very department are suggested to work out the structurally well-organized similar to Australian “Pick the Tick” program, so that to improve the whole situation considered with the appropriate products’ testing by the National Healthcare Organization. The initial stage of this program implementation should take into account the major needs of Americans in food choices (16). Time prospects and the effective use of mass media are other features concerned with the primordial stage of the project (17). All in all, personal motivation for such sort of research is implied in the constant news about health decline of the American people (18).
References
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- Balakrishnan S. Top Down Vs Bottom Up Approach. 2007. Web.
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- Raynera M, Boazb A, Higginson C. Consumer Use of Health-Related Endorsements On Food Labels in the United Kingdom and Australia. British Heart Foundation Health Promotion Research Group, Department of Public Health, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom. 2006. Web.
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