Food based dietary guidelines in Vietnam: progress and lessons learned

Area of Science:

• Public Health Nutrition
• Nutrition Education and Communication

Background:

• Vietnam faces concurrent nutritional challenges: malnutrition, overweight, and undiversified diets.
• Socio-economic changes necessitate adaptive nutrition strategies.
• Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs) are vital for nutrition education in Vietnam.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the development and implementation of Vietnam's Food-Based Dietary Guidelines (FBDGs).
• To assess the effectiveness and appropriateness of FBDGs in a dynamic socio-economic context.
• To provide recommendations for future FBDG revisions and implementation.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of three versions of FBDGs developed and revised every five years since 1995.
• Review of dissemination strategies including Food Guide Pyramid and Food Square.
• Examination of evaluation processes and multi-sectoral involvement in FBDG implementation.

Main Results:

• FBDGs, alongside supplementary tools, have been disseminated through various channels.
• Regular evaluation is crucial to align FBDGs with evolving eating patterns and lifestyles.
• The need for periodic assessment (5-10 years) due to rapid socio-economic shifts in developing countries.

Conclusions:

• FBDG implementation requires close integration with national nutrition plans and multi-sectoral collaboration.
• Training, monitoring, and evaluation are essential for translating FBDG advice into consumer action.
• Lessons learned from past FBDG implementations are key to developing more effective future guidelines.