Nutrition Initiative for Small Chain Restaurants (NISCR)

描述(由申请人提供)：小型连锁餐厅营养倡议(NISCR)项目摘要/摘要为了帮助对抗肥胖和在美国流行的饮食相关疾病，拟议的项目将制定一项计划，使和鼓励小型连锁餐厅(1)提供精选的“更健康”菜单项，并提供相应的营养信息，以及(2)以各种方式宣传选定的菜单项。许多大中型连锁餐厅都有菜单项目的营养分析，而大多数小型连锁和独立餐厅-占美国所有餐厅门店的80%-没有。该项目的长期目标是(1)开发和扩大一种工具，通过这种工具，小型连锁店和独立餐厅被“激励”提供和推广一系列健康的选择，以及(2)帮助美国人识别和选择健康的餐厅膳食。这项拟议倡议的重点是在一系列测试餐厅中为“更健康”的菜单项目提供计算机化的营养分析，并开发专门为小型连锁和独立餐厅量身定做的促销战略的“工具包”。这些策略旨在指导参与的餐厅向消费者(1)在餐厅环境中、(2)在社区内和(3)向媒体宣传他们选择的“更健康”的菜单项目。在第一阶段，(1)将招募3至5家“测试”餐厅，(2)[将收集对健康教育工作者的调查，以获得关于如何最好地与“社区合作伙伴”合作以帮助促进更健康的餐厅膳食的反馈，(3)将开发战略的“工具包”，[4]将向测试餐厅提供实施工具包战略的指导，[5]将通过评估(A)[社区健康教育工作者帮助促进更健康的餐厅膳食的意愿，(B)餐馆在实施工具包战略方面的成功，(C)更健康的菜单项目的销售，(D)餐馆经营者对该计划的满意度，以及(E)食客的反馈。预期的长期结果是一项计划，通过该计划，(1)小型连锁和独立餐厅帮助支持社区的健康并从中受益，(2)美国人在国家的小型连锁和独立餐厅有更多机会获得更健康的选择。与公共卫生相关：肥胖和营养不良是美国十大主要死亡原因(癌症、心脏病、中风和糖尿病)中的四大原因，每年估计造成2000亿美元的医疗费用。美国人每周吃四到五次餐馆准备的食物，加上餐馆的食物往往比家里准备的食物更不健康，而且体积更大，这都是上述健康问题的重要原因。因此，餐馆提供和推广更健康的食物，以及美国人在外出就餐时[能够识别并]选择这些食物，对整体公众健康越来越重要。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Nutrition Initiative for Small Chain Restaurants (NISCR) Project Summary/Abstract To help combat obesity and diet-related diseases prevalent in the U.S., the proposed project will develop a program that enables and encourages small chain restaurants to (1) serve a selection of "healthier" menu items and provide corresponding nutrition information and (2) promote the selected menu items in various ways. Many of the large and moderate-sized chain restaurants have nutrition analyses for their menu items, whereas most small chain and independent restaurants - which represent 80 percent of all U.S. restaurant locations - do not. The project's long- term goals are to (1) develop and expand a vehicle through which small chain and independent restaurants are "incentivized" to offer and promote a selection of healthful options and (2) assist Americans in identifying and choosing healthful restaurant meals. This proposed initiative focuses on providing computerized nutrition analysis for "healthier" menu items at a set of test restaurants and developing a "Toolkit" of promotional strategies specifically tailored for small chain and independent restaurants. These strategies will be designed to guide participating restaurants in promoting their selected "healthier" menu items to consumers (1) within the restaurant setting, (2) in the community, and (3) to the media. During Phase I, (1) three to five "test" restaurants will be recruited, (2) [surveys of health educators will be collected to obtain feedback about how best to work with "community partners" to help promote healthier restaurant meals, (3)] the "Toolkit" of strategies will be developed, [4] guidance in implementing the Toolkit strategies will be provided to the test restaurants, and [5] the longer-term feasibility of the program will be tested by evaluating (a) [willingness of community health educators to help promote healthier restaurant meals,] (b) the restaurants' success in implementing the Toolkit strategies, (c) sales of the healthier menu items, (d) restaurant operator satisfaction with the program, and (e) diners' feedback The expected long-term outcome is a program through which (1) small chain and independent restaurants help to support the health of the community and benefit from doing so, and (2) Americans have greater access to healthier choices at the nation's small chain and independent restaurants. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Obesity and poor nutrition contribute significantly to four of the ten leading causes of death in the United States (cancer, heart disease, stroke and diabetes) and cost an estimated $200 billion in health care costs each year. The fact that Americans are eating restaurant-prepared foods four to five times per week, along with the fact that restaurant meals tend to be less healthful and larger than meals prepared at home, contribute significantly to the health problems stated above. Therefore, it is increasingly important for overall public health that restaurants provide and promote healthier meals, and that Americans [be able to identify and] choose these meals when dining out.