Jennifer, you bring up very pertinent points. Very seldom are barriers isolated in a vacuum, where we can flick the switch and fix the issue. Certainly the multifactorial considerations are concerns with almost any facet of healthcare and behavioral modifications. As I described in a response to Angelina Aquila, Flynn et al. (2013) described multifactorial viewpoints both from individual and family perspectives that describe facilitators and barriers to behavioral changes affecting health adaptations, including patient-level, Family-level, clinic-level, and community-level. As I described in my response, tailoring our education and assistance is key in these individual situations, but by reaching out to those other group-level associations,
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Family budgets are usually a finite amount and the purchase of healthy food choices can be prohibitive. However I believe that education, both logistically in teaching how to shop for cost-effective healthful foods as well as teaching patients and families the practicalities of cooking with those ingredients, is essential. Without these considerations, the uptake is doubtful and the maintenance will likely diminish quickly. Though you point out a famous article, which circulated far and wide, the argument can be made that vegetables can be “cheaper” than fast foods, and not only considering health outcomes but rather actual monetary costs. The USDA’s Economic Research Service found that half of 94 reviewed vegetables cost less than 50 cents per one cup serving. (Stewart et al., …show more content…
The difficulty is in the preparation, including cutting and cooking, particularly so for seniors whose manual dexterity may not be sufficient. I have found that prepacked vegetables, though a little more expensive can be beneficial, particularly for those that do not want to do the prep, in that it is easier. The vegetables have been prepped, washed, cut, and are ready for use. In particular, I have found that Costco broccoli is an excellent and cost-effective means to increase dietary intake of green cruciferous vegetables.
On a more global scale, the graph you found is indeed interesting, in that it shows the amounts of federal subsidies provided are primarily to the meat and dairy industries, and lastly as a minute percentage to the apple industry. While a much more colossal project, this would be an ideal consideration for the nursing profession as whole to tackle, to canvas congress to implement better subsidization of healthful industries and health
Family budgets are usually a finite amount and the purchase of healthy food choices can be prohibitive. However I believe that education, both logistically in teaching how to shop for cost-effective healthful foods as well as teaching patients and families the practicalities of cooking with those ingredients, is essential. Without these considerations, the uptake is doubtful and the maintenance will likely diminish quickly. Though you point out a famous article, which circulated far and wide, the argument can be made that vegetables can be “cheaper” than fast foods, and not only considering health outcomes but rather actual monetary costs. The USDA’s Economic Research Service found that half of 94 reviewed vegetables cost less than 50 cents per one cup serving. (Stewart et al., …show more content…
The difficulty is in the preparation, including cutting and cooking, particularly so for seniors whose manual dexterity may not be sufficient. I have found that prepacked vegetables, though a little more expensive can be beneficial, particularly for those that do not want to do the prep, in that it is easier. The vegetables have been prepped, washed, cut, and are ready for use. In particular, I have found that Costco broccoli is an excellent and cost-effective means to increase dietary intake of green cruciferous vegetables.
On a more global scale, the graph you found is indeed interesting, in that it shows the amounts of federal subsidies provided are primarily to the meat and dairy industries, and lastly as a minute percentage to the apple industry. While a much more colossal project, this would be an ideal consideration for the nursing profession as whole to tackle, to canvas congress to implement better subsidization of healthful industries and health