Promoting Diet and Physical Activity

Obesity and inactivity threaten the health of a great number of people in this country. The Planning Assessment Initiative tested whether systematic reviews of the scientific literature, guided by logic models, could help the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) assess the impact of its programs, direct its resources efficiently, and achieve its goal of improving the health of Americans. 

We reviewed evaluations of DHHS-supported interventions that directly promote the improvement of diet and physical activity levels and found that 20 of them promote better nutrition or increased physical activity. Six other interventions showed promise, and 10 lacked sufficient evidence.

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