How the nutrition and fitness goals in Healthy People 2020 compare to those in Healthy People 2030

Full Answer Section

• Similarities: Both editions aim to promote healthy eating patterns, increase the consumption of nutrient-dense foods (fruits, vegetables, whole grains), and reduce the intake of unhealthy components (saturated fat, trans fat, added sugars, sodium). Both also address food insecurity.  
• Specific Objectives - 2020: Included objectives like increasing the contribution of specific subgroups of vegetables (dark green, red and orange, and beans and peas) to diets. It also focused on reducing consumption of calories from solid fats and added sugars (SoFAS).  
• Specific Objectives - 2030: While still aiming to increase fruit, vegetable (including subgroups), and whole grain consumption and reduce saturated fat and added sugar intake, some objectives are framed slightly differently. For example, there's a specific leading health indicator to "Reduce consumption of added sugars by people 2 and older." Healthy People 2030 also includes more specific objectives related to increasing the consumption of key nutrients like calcium, potassium, and vitamin D. There's a continued focus on reducing household food insecurity and hunger, with an objective to "Eliminate very low food security in children."  

Fitness/Physical Activity Goals:

• Similarities: Both emphasize the importance of regular physical activity for improving health, fitness, and quality of life. They aim to increase the proportion of children, adolescents, and adults who meet the Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, including both aerobic and muscle-strengthening activities.  
• Specific Objectives - 2020: Included objectives focused on increasing participation in physical activity during leisure time and increasing the proportion of adolescents participating in daily school physical education.
• Specific Objectives - 2030: Continues to focus on increasing the proportion of adults and adolescents meeting aerobic and muscle-strengthening guidelines. It also includes objectives related to increasing walking or biking for transportation, increasing participation in sports among children and adolescents, and reducing screen time in young children. There is also a focus on increasing physical activity among older adults and those with arthritis. Healthy People 2030 includes a leading health indicator to "Increase the proportion of adults who do enough aerobic and muscle-strengthening activity."  

Key Shifts and Emphases in Healthy People 2030:

• Fewer, More Focused Objectives: The reduction in the number of objectives in Healthy People 2030 aims to prioritize the most pressing public health issues and make it easier for stakeholders to identify relevant goals.
• Stronger Focus on Health Equity: While Healthy People 2020 addressed health disparities, Healthy People 2030 has an even stronger emphasis on achieving health equity, eliminating health disparities, and addressing the social determinants of health that influence nutrition and physical activity behaviors and outcomes.  
• Developmental and Research Objectives: Healthy People 2030 includes these new objective types to address high-priority areas where baseline data or evidence-based interventions may be lacking, offering opportunities for innovation and community-based initiatives.  
• Target Setting Methods: Healthy People 2030 utilizes various target-setting methods, including percent improvement, percentage point improvement, projection, and maintaining consistency with national programs.  

In summary, while the fundamental goals of promoting healthy eating and physical activity remain consistent between Healthy People 2020 and 2030, Healthy People 2030 presents a more streamlined set of objectives with a heightened focus on health equity and the underlying factors that influence health behaviors and outcomes. The updated version also aims to be more actionable and easier to navigate for public health professionals and communities.

Sample Answer

While both Healthy People 2020 and Healthy People 2030 share overarching goals related to improving the health and well-being of the nation, preventing chronic diseases, and promoting healthy lifestyles, there are some notable comparisons in their nutrition and fitness goals:

Overall Structure and Focus:

• Healthy People 2020: Had approximately 1,300 objectives organized into 42 topic areas. It emphasized identifying and tracking health disparities.  
• Healthy People 2030: Features a more focused set of 359 core (measurable) objectives, along with developmental and research objectives, across the same 42 topic areas. The framework continues a strong emphasis on health equity and addressing social determinants of health.