Inclusion of evidence-based healthy eating policies in Community Health Improvement Plans: Findings from a national probability survey of US local health departments

Abstract

Introduction: Evidence-based healthy eating (HE) policies can increase opportunities to engage in a healthy diet. The adoption of evidence-based policies into practice is limited and no study reports the status of HE policies nationally. Community Health Improvement Plans (CHIPs) strategically address health priorities, steer evidence-based strategy selection and implementation, and require collaboration. Local health departments (LHDs) are often key stakeholders. We aimed to determine the proportion of LHDs with a CHIP having evidence-based HE policies. Methods:A national probability survey of US LHDs serving populations of Results: 44.1% (95%CI: 34.7-54.0%) of US LHDs with a CHIP reported at least one evidence-based HE policy. The proportion of specific HE policies ranged from 28.9% for school district nutrition/procurement/vending policies to 1.3% for sugar-sweetened beverage tax. Conclusions: Increased implementation of evidence-based HE policy approaches are needed within communities.