Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .
Neighborhood food environments and Body Mass Index: the importance of in-store contents.
BACKGROUND Most public health studies on the neighborhood food environment have focused on types of stores and their geographic placement , yet marketing research has long documented the influence of in-store shelf-space on consumer behavior . PURPOSE This paper combines these two str and s of research to test whether the aggregate availability of specific foods in a neighborhood is associated with the BMI s of its residents . METHODS Fielded from October 2004 to August 2005 , this study combines mapping of retail food outlets , in-store surveys , and telephone interviews of residents from 103 r and omly sample d urban census tracts in southeastern Louisiana . Linear shelf-space of fruits , vegetables , and energy-dense snack foods was measured in 307 food stores in the study tracts . Residential addresses , demographic information , and heights and weights were obtained from 1243 respondents through telephone interviews .  Cumulative shelf-space of foods within defined distances of each respondent was calculated using observations from the in-store survey and probability-based assignments of shelf-space to all unobserved stores in the area . RESULTS After controlling for sociodemographic variables , income , and car ownership , regression analysis , conducted in 2008 , showed that cumulative shelf-space availability of energy-dense snack foods was positively , although modestly , associated with BMI . A 100-meter increase in shelf-space of these foods within 1 kilometer of a respondent 's household was associated with an additional 0.1 BMI points . Fruit and vegetable shelf-space was not significantly related to BMI . CONCLUSIONS Interventions that seek to improve the neighborhood food environment may need to focus on more than just increasing access to healthy foods , because the results suggest that the availability of energy-dense snack foods plays a role in weight status
Several specific population interventions that achieved a Class I or IIa recommendation with grade A or B evidence were identified , providing a set of specific evidence -based strategies that deserve close attention and prioritization for wider implementation .
Effective interventions included specific approaches in all 6 domains evaluated for improving diet , increasing activity , and reducing tobacco use .
The writing group also identified several specific interventions in each of these domains for which current evidence was less robust , as well as other inconsistencies and evidence gaps , informing the need for further rigorous and interdisciplinary approaches to evaluate population programs and policies .
This systematic review identified and grade d the evidence for a range of population -based strategies to promote lifestyle change .
BACKGROUND Poor lifestyle behaviors , including suboptimal diet , physical inactivity , and tobacco use , are leading causes of preventable diseases globally .
Although even modest population shifts in risk substantially alter health outcomes , the optimal population -level approaches to improve lifestyle are not well established .