Nutrition education materials from the National Institutes of Health: development, review, and availability

Many of the institutes, centers, and offices (ICOs) within the National Institutes of Health (NIH) develop and disseminate nutrition education materials for the general public. These materials provide information about the relationship of diet to health and about associations between diet and specific diseases. The materials, which are drafted by the NIH or contract science writers, go through pretesting (for literacy level and appropriateness for target audiences) and ICO clearance (for scientific accuracy). To further ensure scientific and technical accuracy and consistency with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, the materials then go through a two-tiered governmental review system. The first review is through the Nutrition Education Subcommittee (NES) of the NIH Nutrition Coordinating Committee. The second review, which is required for federal nutrition education materials, is conducted jointly by the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) Nutrition Policy Board Committee on Dietary Guidance and by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) Dietary Guidance Working Group. The review process helps ensure consistency in nutrition messages within the NIH ICOs and among government agencies. The pretesting, ICO clearance, NES review, and joint DHHS/USDA review result in materials for nutrition educators that are high in quality, low in cost or free, easily accessible, appropriate for the intended target audience, and consistent with the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.