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Nutrition Promotion: Theories and Methods, Systems and Settings

Article  in  Nutrition & Dietetics · June 2009

DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2009.01342.x

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Carol A Wham
Massey University
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 Nutrition & Dietetics 2009; 66: 129–131
BOOK REVIEWS ndi_1342 129..••
Nutrition Promotion: Theories and
Methods, Systems and Settings
Worsley T. Allen and Unwin, Crows Nest, Australia,
2008, 391 pages, $69.95, ISBN 978-1-74175-241-0
The human diet has always been in a state of change. The
capacity to flourish in a wide range of environments from
available foods has been a dominant factor in human evolu-
tion. In more recent years, dietary change has been advo-
cated as health promotion measures. This has created a more
pressing need for dietary change to be effective. Nutrition
promotion draws on the principles of health promotion and
education to address food and health problems. What is
apparent and well illustrated in this book is that the com-
plexity of food, its social and cultural meaning and its
intricate relationship to health are often overlooked.
Taken from a public health perspective, Nutrition Promo-
tion is a compact book that takes a food-based approach to
understand nutrition-related problems and solutions. This
book fills an important gap in the knowledge and practice of
nutrition promotion and is a valuable resource for nutrition
students, dietitians, nutritionists, health professionals as well
as others who seek to enhance healthy eating behaviours in
the community.
The author Tony Worsley, Professor of Public Health at the
University of Wollongong, is well qualified to write this
book. He has a wide experience in the promotion and main-
tenance of behaviour change, food and nutrition policy
research, health and nutrition promotion and the evaluation
of public health nutrition programs.
A particularly refreshing and valuable facet of this book is
its focus on food. A comprehensive overview of the interre-
lated factors that influence food consumers is provided. The
author examines how food permeates our lives: can provide
us with pleasure and fulfilment as well as fill us with anxi-
eties and fears. Between individuals, the author scrutinises
the wide disparity in motivations that influence daily food
choice. From the perspective of the wider environment, we
discover how the food and nutrition system influences the
types of food that are on offer. Social, cultural and media
influences that permeate our food choice decisions as well as
the settings in which we work and live are closely examined.
Identifying the factors that affect food behaviour is
fundamental to the promotion of healthy eating. This book
clearly describes how food-related problems and life-
styles differ from other health-related issues. The reader is
familiarised with the modern food and nutrition system
and the complexity of tensions that can arise from accessing,
preparing and consuming healthy food. At the level of the
individual, the importance of understanding food behav-
iours is clearly illustrated. The reader is reminded of the
personal pressures that food consumers have to deal with in
© 2009 The Authors
Journal compilation © 2009 Dietitians Association of Australia
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DOI: 10.1111/j.1747-0080.2009.01342.x
making food choices. Indeed, the author suggests that nutri-
tion promoters need to put themselves ‘into the minds of
food consumers’. This level of understanding is essential for
effective nutrition promotion. For allied researchers who
have no practical experience in the field of food and nutri-
tion, this book would provide useful insights.
A variety of behavioural and social theories that can be
applied to dietary behaviours are described. Individual-level
theories and models attempt to delineate the effects of likely
influences. The pros and cons of individual expectancy value
models, the trans-theoretical model and various education
models are examined to help understand food behaviours.
At the level of the environment, theories and models used
to explain broader influences on nutrition behaviours are
critiqued for their relevance.
While the first half of the book (chapters one to seven)
provides an introduction to nutrition promotion, its history,
principles and methods, the second half (chapters eight
to 13) deals with the application of nutrition promotion
programs in community-based settings. We are introduced
to mass communication theories that can successfully be
applied to nutrition promotion. At best, the media can be
part of the solution.
Nutrition promotion programs can bring about changes
in food consumption. Nutrition problems and opportu-
nities for solutions are presented in a variety of settings and
there are examples of community-based nutrition programs
undertaken in Australia and other parts of the world. As
eating behaviour differs in various settings, a diversity of
different methods and approaches are suggested.
Using an evidenced-based approach, Nutrition Promotion
is easy to read. Each chapter makes good use of summary
boxes and tables and discussion questions for teaching
purposes are provided. It provides an excellent text.
Carol Wham, PhD, MSc, BHSC, DipEd, NZRD
Senior Lecturer, Institute of Food,
Nutrition and Human Health
Massey University, Albany Campus,
Auckland, New Zealand
Clinical Cases in Dietetics
Fred Pender F, Blackwell Publishing, Oxford, UK, 2008,
281 pages, $86.95, ISBN 9781405125642
A case-based approach to clinical education has been fash-
ionable now for a number of years. The assumption is that it
fosters the development of clinical reasoning through growth
in competency, self-analysis and problem-solving skills. It
encourages teamwork and the patient is firmly based in
the centre of the process.
129