RESUMO
What food is produced, and how, can have a critical impact on human nutrition and the environment, which in turn are key drivers of healthy human reproduction and development. The US food production system yields a large volume of food that is relatively low in cost for consumers but is often high in calories and low in nutritional value. In this article we examine the evidence that intensive use of pesticides, chemical fertilizers, hormones, antibiotics, and fossil fuel in food production, as well as chemicals in food packaging, are potentially harmful to human reproductive and developmental health. We conclude that policies to advance a healthy food system are necessary to prevent adverse reproductive health effects and avoid associated health costs among current and future generations. These policies include changes to the Farm Bill and the Toxic Substances Control Act, and greater involvement by the health care sector in supporting and sourcing food from urban agriculture programs, farmers' markets, and local food outlets, as well as increasing understanding by clinicians of the links between reproductive health and industrialized food production.
Assuntos
Fast Foods/análise , Contaminação de Alimentos/análise , Indústria Alimentícia , Embalagem de Alimentos , Substâncias Perigosas/análise , Política de Saúde/tendências , Política Nutricional/tendências , Adulto , Fast Foods/efeitos adversos , Feminino , Contaminação de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Contaminação de Alimentos/prevenção & controle , Indústria Alimentícia/legislação & jurisprudência , Embalagem de Alimentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Previsões , Substâncias Perigosas/toxicidade , Política de Saúde/legislação & jurisprudência , Humanos , Lactente , Recém-Nascido , Masculino , Política Nutricional/legislação & jurisprudência , Gravidez , Estados Unidos , United States Environmental Protection Agency/legislação & jurisprudênciaRESUMO
Climate change will impact human health in various ways as the ecology of our planet changes. Environmental changes such as increased heat waves, sea-level rise, and increased drought around the globe will aggravate already-existing health problems, increase the onset of new health problems, and, in some cases, cause premature death. Catastrophic events associated with these environmental changes, such as floods, and increases in hospital and routine clinic visits will have nurses on the front lines tending to those in need. Climate change needs to be reframed as a public health issue, and the importance of nurses to be educated and engaged cannot be overstated. Nurses can be instrumental in communications with patients and families, working with their hospitals and health systems to reduce emissions and influencing the adoption of strategies to better prepare our health care facilities and our communities for the health impacts of climate change.
