Million Hearts® 2022 and Lifestyle Medicine
Have you heard of the Million Hearts® 2022 campaign? It is a national initiative co-led by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes within five years.

The initiative focuses on a small set of priorities selected for their impact on heart disease, stroke, and related conditions. Those priorities include:
  • Keeping people healthy through efforts that promote healthier levels of sodium consumption, increased physical activity, and decreased tobacco use.
  • Optimizing care by using teams, health information technology, evidence-based processes to improve the ABCS (aspirin use when appropriate, blood pressure control, cholesterol management, and smoking cessation), and increase the use of cardiac rehab and enhance heart-healthy behaviors.
  • Improving outcomes for priority populations selected based on data showing a significant cardiovascular health disparity, evidence of effective interventions, and partners ready to act. (Priority populations include African Americans, patients age 35 to 64 years at risk for a heart attack or stroke, people who have had a heart attack or stroke, and people with mental illness or substance use disorders.)

The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) is proud to partner with Million Hearts® to help prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes by 2022. On Tuesday, January 30, 1-2pm EST, Million Hearts® will host a national phone call in which ACPM Associate Executive Director Danielle Pere will provide an overview of how ACPM is using lifestyle medicine to reduce cardiovascular disease risk in the priority populations. Million Hearts® is opening this call to readers of this newsletter.

To participate in the call, register online—select the ‘register’ link next to the heading 'Event status.' Dial-in information for U.S. residents is: +1-415-655-0003 with access code: 668 392 095. No CME is available for this call, but there will be a live Q&A period where you can ask questions about the campaign and ACPM’s involvement.
Lifestyle Medicine at Preventive Medicine 2018
Organized annually by ACPM, Preventive Medicine 2018 is the premier event for professionals dedicated to disease prevention and health promotion, providing practitioners and experts with a forum to discuss broad-reaching health issues and innovative solutions to improve public health.

The meeting theme is “Prevention at the Nexus of Health System Transformation”and several meeting tracks will provide attendees with opportunities to focus on:
  • Engagement & Change
  • Improvement & Innovation
  • Lifestyle Medicine & Precision Public Health
  • Models & Health Systems
  • Policy, Evidence & Practice
  • The Future of Preventive Medicine

The Lifestyle Medicine and Precision Public Health track will examine the emerging science of personalized/precision medicine in regard to lifestyle medicine and precision public health. Sessions will cover topics such as food, exercise, mind-body medicine, and many more. The meeting will be held May 23-26 in Chicago, IL. Registration is now open and CME/MOC credits are available for attendees.
ACPM to Co-sponsor Conference on Healthy Aging
By 2060, adults over age 65 will comprise nearly one in four U.S. residents, making this age group the fastest growing segment in America. To address this demographic shift and the needs of the population, the 2018 Healthy Aging Summit will convene July 16-17 in Washington, DC to explore ways to keep people healthy as they transition into older adulthood.

The summit will focus on maximizing the health of all older adults through prevention strategies that encourage healthy lifestyles, planning for aging, the use of preventive services, and more. Specific tracks and sessions will highlight interventions, services, supports, and strategies that optimize health and prevent, avert, or delay entry into the healthcare system. Open to health professionals and patients from all walks of life, the summit is a unique opportunity to explore the factors that influence health in the later years of life and contribute to how we approach aging in America.
The summit is organized by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Office on Women's Health, and ACPM. The organizers are currently seeking abstract submissions (due February 5) that focus on collaboration with diverse partners across all settings of care.
New Blood Pressure Guidelines Should Lead to Lifestyle Medicine
In a viewpoint article published in JAMA, Dr. Philip Greenland responded to the type of attention the recently updated blood pressure guidelines have received from the media and medical community. Combatting the tenor of some coverage, he said, "The US way of life is the problem, not the guidelines, and those who have raised concerns would do more good if they were to focus on the facts related to the US lifestyle instead of depicting the problem as being caused by the guidelines."

Greendland concludes by recommending that, "Patients and clinicians need to focus attention where it belongs: on promotion of healthy lifestyles; prevention of the risk factors in the first place; and only when needed, use drugs to reduce cardiovascular risk, following evidence- based recommendations."
The updated guidelines eliminated the classification of prehypertension and now define high blood pressure (hypertension) at or above 130/80 mm Hg, rather than 140/90 mm Hg. These new categories are expected to result in nearly half of the U.S. adult population having high blood pressure—with significant increases among adults under age 45—but only a small increase in the number of patients who will require medication.
The new guidelines on the management of high blood pressure were developed by the American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, and nine other health professional organizations— including ACPM —who convened a panel of 21 scientists and health experts that reviewed more than 900 published studies.
OPPORTUNITIES
Openings on Several PCORI Advisory Panels
The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is accepting applications and nominations for new members to join advisory panels focused on topics: Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research, Patient Engagement, Clinical Trials, and Rare Disease.

PCORI panels provide guidance on everything from refining and prioritizing research questions for potential funding, to offering feedback on the design of clinical trials and engaging patients as partners in research. If you are interested in serving on a panel, or would like to nominate someone for this opportunity, review the advisory panel openings and apply with the necessary information by March 30.

ACPM Executive Director Dani Pere has served on the PCORI Healthcare Delivery and Disparities Research panel for three years. She has found participation in the panel to be an essential opportunity to serve the interests of the communities she cares about and ensure ACPM's interests and philosophy are adequately represented in professional discourse and the subsequent recommendations made by the panel. 
WEBINARS
January 26; Webinar
Speakers will share insights on how payers, clinicians, and program providers are preparing for the launch of the Medicare Diabetes Prevention Program on April 1. Panelists will include Marissa Hudson, ACPM; Jay Shubrook, Solano County Health System; Brenda Schmidt, Solera Health; and Vicki Boyle, Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan. Attendees must register to participate.
Various dates and locations
Registration for the spring cohort is now open! Training graduates will earn a "certificate of completion in Culinary Coaching" from the Institute of Lifestyle Medicine. Free introductory sessions will be held February 21 and April 24 for interested participants looking for more information.
RESEARCH / NEWS
New fitness program helps overweight hockey fans make lasting lifestyle changes – The 12-week health-and-fitness program uses the social bonds and camaraderie men share watching hockey to help them to get in shape, eat better and lose weight. "We don't talk about hockey directly in the program but we tailor the topics to male sports fans," said Danielle Bouchard, assistant professor of kinesiology at UNB and leader of the study in New Brunswick. About six in 10 Canadian men are classified as overweight or obese, but most fitness and lifestyle programs are geared to—or tend to attract—women. – The Canadian Press
Strategies to Limit Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption in Young Children: Proceedings of a Workshop – The proceedings of this workshop summarize the presentations and discussions that aimed to examine the current and emerging strategies, guidelines, and various factors involved in reducing the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages by young children ages 0 to 5 years. – The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine
Physicians, patients truly benefit from new hypertension guidelines – Nick van Terheyden, MD (Medical Economics) 
Diet quality is associated with disability and symptom severity in multiple sclerosis – Results of this large cross-sectional survey suggest a healthy diet and a composite healthy lifestyle are associated with lesser disability and symptom burden in MS. – Neurology
Impact of obesity on bone marrow cells – Investigators say their study provides groundwork to investigate how lifestyle choices, such as diet, can durably impact blood formation and may contribute to the development of blood cancer. – Science Daily
1 Billion Steps Challenge -- American Public Health Association
How to Beet High Blood Pressure: The bountiful benefits of beets – People with high blood pressure have lower levels of nitric oxide, a chemical that relaxes blood vessels. This relaxation opens the vessels (vasodilation) increasing blood flow throughout the body. Without nitric oxide the heart and muscles cannot meet the increased demand of exercise. Beet juice is rich in nitrate, which the body converts to nitric oxide. By promoting vasodilation, beet juice lowers blood pressure, improves exercise capacity and duration, and protects the blood vessels from stiffening (arteriosclerosis). – HuffPost
EVENTS
Society of Behavioral Medicine
April 11-14; New Orleans, LA
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
May 8-11; Bethesda, MD
Early registration rates will be available through March 31. Keynote speakers Include Dame Carol Black, Tony Buettner, John Howard, Kimberly Jinnett, Hans-Horst Konkolewsky and Robert Waldinger.
American College of Preventive Medicine
May 23-26; Chicago, IL
National Wellness Institute
June 18-20; Saint Paul, MN
The Institute of Lifestyle Medicine / Spaulding Rehabilitation Network
June 22-23; Boston, MA
ACPM / HHS
July 16-17; Washington, DC
Australasian Society of Lifestyle Medicine
August 17-19; Brisbane, Australia
American College of Lifestyle Medicine
October 21-24; Indianapolis, IN
American Board of Lifestyle Medicine
October 25; Indianapolis, IN 
ACPM distributes lifestyle medicine news and updates each month.