Abstract
This article reviews the symposium and presentations on food and nutrition at the 20th World Conference on Health Promotion in Geneva held by the International Union for Health Promotion and Education (IUHPE). Also reviewed is the therapeutic program at the Division of Therapeutic Education for Chronic Diseases (SETMC) of the University Hospital of Geneva.
The 20th IUHPE conference consisted of one symposium, one workshop, and 71 presentations related to food. As evidenced by the main theme of the conference “health equity and sustainable development,” sustainability was emphasized in the context of food choice, food education, and food safety. To achieve the sustainable development of society, the food cycle must be integrated into a food system that includes the economy, ecology, and other social factors.
Another emphasis was made on the role of universities as “healthy universities”. Universities represent communities in which students, researchers, and workers live, study, and work. Universities have the potential to make significant contributions to health given their roles as centers of learning, development, creativity, and innovation.
The therapeutic patient education program at SETMC appeared resourceful as an individual patient-based approach on diet. The program includes cognitive-behavioral, motivational interviewing, and art therapies. These therapies were found to be more effective than simple pharmaceutical interventions against obesity and diabetes.
The issues discussed above would be beneficial if incorporated into health promotion activities in Japan.
