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Public Nutrition is a field of professional study and practice that has existed for many years without being named as such. It encompasses the disciplines that deal with factors affecting the food consumption and nutritional outcomes of populations, and goes beyond the definition of Public Health Nutrition by including the study of public policy in areas outside of health and nutrition as traditionally defined, that nonetheless can have profound effects on nutrition. Career paths in Public Nutrition exist at a variety of professional levels, including practitioners and direct service providers; administrators and planners; policy makers; and researchers and educators. The professional preparation of those working in Public Nutrition typically combines education and experience in nutritional science, social science, and sometimes management and planning. The field of Public Nutrition is important in providing a critical link between advances in understanding biomedical determinants of nutrition and the application of such understanding in programs and policies. However, the study of Public Nutrition goes beyond this: it represents an agenda of research and practice in its own right. Public Nutrition includes the study of how specific policies, in varying contexts, affect food consumption and nutrition outcomes; it includes the study of determinants of program effectiveness in improving these outcomes. Specific training programs in Public Nutrition do exist; the elements of a curriculum in Public Nutrition include social science research skills (data collection, management, analysis and interpretation), an understanding of economic, social, political, and behavioral determinants of food consumption, health and nutrition; a grounding in nutritional science. Field experience is an essential part of the preparation of Public Nutrition professionals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two‐hundred and forty households were interviewed through a survey assessing the impact on various aspects of household welfare of a large‐scale irrigation project in the Lukkos region of Morocco. Installation of milk centers to collect milk from producers for commercial purposes affected households’ economic and dietary patterns. It motivated households to procure genetically improved cattle and hence to increase their milk production. Caring for improved cattle had a positive effect on household income, but no additional effect of access to milk centers on income could be shown. This access negatively affected household consumption of dairy products and calcium intake, particularly during summer, when alternative sources of calcium were less available. A nutrition education program should address the importance of the consumption of dairy products to improve the quality of households’ diet. Expansion of rural markets will also benefit this quality through increase in the frequency of food purchase and the physical and economic access to food markets. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]