EAT FOR HEALTH – AusTRALiAn diETARy guidELinEs
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As part of the consultation process, Quantum Market Research was commissioned through an open Request for
Tender process to conduct focused discussion in October 2010 and November 2011 to determine the preferred
graphics and the messages for the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. Discussion was undertaken with:
• eight groups consisting of members of the community
• four groups consisting of professionals including health, teaching, child care and community health
• two groups consisting of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander populations and professionals.
The groups from the general public (all adults) were divided into two age groups with a good representation
across the population.
Results were also available from a survey of 40 dietitians attending a workshop at the DAA meeting in 2007.
This survey was concerned with attitudes to the current Australian Guide to Healthy Eating including:
• use of the guide and what changes would make it more usable
• which other food guides were used and the advantages/disadvantages of these guides
• suitability of food groupings
• changes that might be needed and preferred presentation formats.
A web-based survey was also undertaken by NHMRC in 2007 before commencing the reviews of the Australian
Guide to Healthy Eating and the Guidelines.
under the direction of the NHMRC Project Team and NHMRC Publications Team, Folk Pty ltd were engaged from
the Australian Government Department of Human Services Creative and Design Panel to complete the graphic
design work for the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating.
B5 Development of the Australian Dietary Guidelines
In translating the evidence to formulate the dietary guideline recommendations, the Working Committee
considered the following sources of evidence:
• the commissioned literature review (Evidence Report)^33
• the Food Modelling System^9
• the NRV Document^8
• key authoritative government reports and documents provided by the Working Committee and the NHMRC,
including evidence in material provided by stakeholders during consultation processes and findings of relevant
large, quality, peer-reviewed studies published after 2009, and
• the previous dietary guidelines for Australians series and their supporting documentation.34-36
The information in the previous guidelines was used as the basis. New evidence was assessed to determine
whether associations between food, dietary patterns and health outcomes had strengthened, weakened, or
stayed the same since the last review of the evidence.
The final wording of the guideline recommendations was developed by a Working Committee consensus approach
and was focus tested by Quantum Market Research. Guidelines recommendations were further refined following
the public consultation process.
RaggAhmed was commissioned in October 2010 by NHMRC through a Request for Quote process through the
NHMRC Technical Writers and Editors Panel to edit the draft chapters and collate them into one succinct report
including all referencing. This report underwent further editing by Mr Simon Grose from the NHMRC Technical
Writers and Editors Panel before release for public consultation.
Following public consultation and expert review, with the advice of the Working Committee, the NHMRC project
team finalised the technical writing of the Guidelines. Ampersand Health and Science Writing was selected
through a Request for Quote process from the NHMRC Technical Writers and Editors Panel to complete the
final editing.
The NHMRC and DoHA project teams also developed the companion resources including an interactive
website, guideline summaries, posters and brochures relating to the general population, infants, children and
pregnant women.