Healthy Aging Research
Open Access

Abstract

Impact of government-sponsored nutrition education and physical activity programs on healthy aging in the United States

Shahla Wunderlich, Kelsey A. Gatto

With the population of individuals over the age of 65 years expanding, the health of America’s aging population is of increasing concern. Preserving the physical wellbeing of this group is a critical part of minimizing agingrelated health care costs and maximizing individuals’ quality of life. Nutrition education and physical activity programs have been shown to improve health measures such as nutritional status, mobility, and balance skills, which can help prevent chronic disease and enable elderly individuals to remain independent. Governmentsponsored programs can potentially integrate nutrition and activity programs into pre-existing systems, such as meal delivery and assistance programs, in order to make them accessible to vulnerable aging demographic populations, both at home and in group settings. These programs must be periodically assessed in order to determine the areas that may need improvement. Programs funded by the government have the capability to reach highly vulnerable populations and improve their quality of life, as well as their ability to live independently for longer periods of time. A review of nutrition education, counseling, and physical activity programs demonstrates the effectiveness of these age-targeted programs and indicates the benefits of such combined programs on participants’ health and wellbeing.