Lifestyle Medicine Featured at Preventive Medicine 2017
Preventive Medicine 2017—the annual meeting of the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM)—is the premier event for professionals in disease prevention and health promotion. The meeting advances the science of preventive medicine and lifestyle medicine through educational programming and networking opportunities. This year’s meeting will be held May 23-26 in Portland, Oregon.
Several registration packages are available for ACPM members and non-members who want to participate in the full meeting track or a specific learning institute.
Several pieces of legislation introduced in the 115th Congress aim to advance, promote, and institutionalize core lifestyle medicine principles through health education and tax incentives. It may be unlikely that these initiatives will be prioritized in today’s political climate, but it is encouraging to see bipartisan support and acknowledgement that nutrition and physical activity play an important role in health care and public health.
We encourage you to learn more about the following bills, provide feedback to the respective sponsors, and, as you deem appropriate, support the advancement of the legislation by contacting uncommitted Representatives and Senators. ACPM is in the process of meetings with the Congressional sponsors of each of the bills and we will be reporting back on any progress in future issues of the newsletter.
ENRICH Act – The Expanding Nutrition’s Role in Curriculums and Healthcare Act, H.R. 1413, is a bipartisan bill sponsored by Representatives Tim Ryan (D-Ohio) and Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio) establishing a grant program to integrate nutrition and physical activity education into medical school curricula. ACPM supports this bill and has met with Ryan to stress the immediate value the Lifestyle Medicine Core Competencies Program can provide to medical schools and osteopathic colleges hoping to quickly implement learning opportunities for their students and trainees.
PHIT Act – The Personal Health Investment Today Act is a bipartisan bill designed to promote physical activity and prevent illness by offering a medical care tax deduction for individuals up to $1,000 per year (up to $2,000 per household per year) for qualified sports and fitness expenses such as gym memberships, sports equipment, and program fees. The bill was introduced in their respective chambers by Representatives Jason Smith (R-Mo.) and Ron Kind (D-Wis.), H.R. 1267, and by Senators John Thune (R-S.D.) and Chris Murphy (D-Conn.), S.482, along with a number of co-sponsors from both parties.
EAT for Health Act – The Education and Training for Health Act of 2017, H.R. 1634, is a bill introduced by Representative Raul Grijalva (D-Ariz.) that would require federal agencies to develop new guidelines and procedures for integrating nutrition into continuing education requirements for federally-employed primary care health professionals. The bill instructs that the continuing education must at minimum cover the role of nutrition in the prevention, management, and reversal of obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or cancer.
Your Take: Using Lifestyle Medicine to Achieve Health Equity
We want to know how you feel lifestyle medicine relates to "Achieving Health Equity through Prevention," the theme of Preventive Medicine 2017. Your insightful quotes and contributions will be used to help illustrate the importance lifestyle medicine plays in preventing disease and promoting health. Submissions will be displayed at the conference on video screens and tabletop tablets for meeting attendees.
Submit your statement of 40 words or less describing how lifestyle medicine can help achieve health equity. Submissions due May 9.
Increasing Awareness of Stroke and High Blood Pressure
May is National Stroke Awareness Month and National High Blood Pressure Education Month. We encourage you to actively raise awareness about stroke and high blood pressure among your patients and communities. The Million Hearts® initiative has compiled the following education materials and resources to help you get started.
Videos of stroke survivors Prince Quire and Blanche sharing their experiences
One-third of American adults have high blood pressure (a leading cause of stroke) and each year nearly 800,000 people in the United States have a stroke. Stroke is preventable and treatable, yet many Americans do not know if they are at risk for a stroke or how to recognize a stroke if it happens to them or someone they love. Critically, many people having a stroke do not call 911 or seek immediate medical treatment that could save their life or prevent serious disability. Join us in raising awareness this month!
RESEARCH / NEWS
Racial Disparities in Age-Specific Mortality Among Blacks or African Americans (United States, 1999–2015) -- Although the overall life expectancy at birth has increased for both blacks and whites and the gap between these populations has narrowed, disparities in life expectancy and the leading causes of death for blacks compared with whites in the United States remain substantial. To continue to reduce the gap in health disparities, these findings suggest an ongoing need for universal and targeted interventions that address the leading causes of deaths among blacks (especially cardiovascular disease and cancer and their risk factors) across the life span and create equal opportunities for health. -- CDC
An open letter to medicine students -- "Not all students who enter medical school really want to be a doctor in the first place. Some of them realize this later, or maybe they are still in denial, or are simply not ready yet. Keep in mind that you are not alone. You have friends to turn to when the going gets tough. They will motivate you to keep going. Sometimes they will be your 'why.'” -- Eriko Kristoffer dela Cruz
An NIOSH researcher will be speaking about sleep as part of the MA Working on Wellness Expert Series Webinars from the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
