Continuing Professional Education

Updated - July 2011

Integrating Authoritative Dietary Guidance

to Provide Meaningful Advice to Individuals

CPE Credit: One hour (1 CPE)

The Dietary Guidelines for Americans is the official federal policy regarding healthful dietary practices to reduce chronic disease risk and promote health. As such, it drives policy and public health priorities in the United States. Given concern about the prevalence of overweight and obesity in the US, the 2010 Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee focused on obesity as the broad umbrella under which it considered all other issues .

Learning Codes

• 4030 Dietary Guidelines
• 4000 Wellness and Public Health
• 6000 Education, Training and Counseling

Even with unprecedented attention to nutrition and obesity, neither dietary guidance nor science is revolutionary. Dietary guidance and the science upon which it is based evolve over time. Dietary guidance integrates the latest research into the continuum of evidence. Revolutionary moments do happen in science, such as the sequencing of the human genome. However, even in this example, a full understanding of genomic information and its application to human health is unfolding slowly and carefully, with necessary attention to the benefits and risks of related lifestyle changes. Similarly, dietary guidance must consider the weight of scientific evidence and incorporate the context of consumer behavior, the available food supply, and social realities.

This continuing professional education module for dietetic professionals will assist learners as they delve into dietary guidance as a resource for helping individuals. Exploration of sources, target audiences, and intended uses will be the fundamental starting block. From there, ways in which dietary guidance can be communicated to and implemented by consumers, including the roles for health professionals, the food industry, and government authorities, will be considered.

If you are a registered dietitian or a dietetic technician, registered, simply follow the instructions to earn one CPE credit hour following your successful completion of the CPE questions.

*For more information about Kraft Global Nutrition, click here.

Course Objectives

After completing this self-study CPE program, participants will be able to:

• Identify key sources of dietary guidance in the United States.
• Compare and contrast intended audiences, intended uses, and consumer messages among key dietary guidance sources.
• Describe the role of the food industry in promoting consumer adoption of dietary guidance.
• Discuss key considerations in utilizing dietary guidance as a foundation for the development of personalized advice for individuals.

Instructions

1. Read the Course Objectives for this CPE self study module, listed to the right. NOTE: Downloadable Files are in PDF format and require Adobe^® Acrobat Reader^®, click and download it free.
2. Download this CPE Article to get started with the course.
3. To ensure you have met the Course Objectives, download and complete the CPE Quiz for this course. When you are finished, download and view the CPE Answer Key.
4. Complete the CPE Online Evaluation Form for this course. At the end of the evaluation, you will be redirected to the Kraft Nutrition Update home page.
5. Return to this CPE page. Download the CPE Certificate of Completion for this course to keep in your files. This verifies succesful completion of this course and earns you 1 CPE credit hour.