A Toolkit for Creating Healthy Hospital Environments: Making Healthier Food, Beverage, and Physical Activity Choices

Nationwide, there were more than 5,700 hospitals registered with the American Hospital Association in 2012, with more than 37 million inpatient admissions, 118 million emergency department visits, and 481 million outpatient visits. Hospitals also employ more than 6.3 million full- and part-time salary and wage workers.¹ In light of the growing burden of preventable chronic diseases, such as obesity, heart disease, and diabetes, hospital leadership and champions can promote the health of employees, patients, and communities by considering policies and practices that ensure that the healthier choice is the easier choice. This tool kit provides guidance to hospital nutritionists, human resources and employee health staff, and others who wish to promote and support healthy food, beverage, and physical activity options in hospitals.

Creating Healthier Hospital Food, Beverage, and Physical Activity Environments: Forming Teams, Engaging Stakeholders, Conducting Assessments and Evaluations [PDF-765KB]
This resource provides an overview of how to go about environment change, including engaging stakeholders, assessing needs, conducting scans and planning an evaluation.

• A Step-by-Step Guide to Using the Healthy Hospital Food, Beverage and Physical Activity Environment Scans [PDF-879KB]
  This document is a how-to guide to using the food/beverage and physical activity environment assessments scans.
• Healthy-Hospital-Food-Beverage-Environment-Scan-Cafeterias-Vending Machines [PDF-639KB]
  This document is a food and beverage environment assessment scan.
• Healthy Hospital Physical Activity Environment Scan [PDF-592KB]
  This document is a physical activity environment assessment scan.

¹Hospital Statistics 2009 Annual Survey Data. 2010; Accessed October 10, 2014.