CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — 141st APHA Annual Meeting

Theme: Think Global, Act Local: Best Practices Around the World

Food and Nutrition

Submission Deadline: Friday, February 8, 2013

 Plans for the F&N Sessions

• The F&N Section is seeking abstracts and full panel session proposals that highlight research, evidenced-based practice, and policies. Abstracts that combine nutrition with other disciplines such as physical activity, environmental health, communications, and/or other disciplines are of particular interest.
• The F&N Section seeks both international and domestic representation, with a particular interest in programs and interventions that serve populations most affected by diet-related diseases.
• Student abstracts are strongly encouraged and the F&N Section will present an award to the highest scored student abstract in-person at the section awards ceremony. Award recipients must attend the conference, or forfeit their award.
• Abstracts employing innovative technology and/or media (interactive phone, internet, mass media, film and theater) that can be presented in the Film and Technology Theater are encouraged.
• The final program will be a mix of 1) poster and oral sessions compiled from individually-contributed abstracts, 2) full panel sessions, fully compiled and coordinated by submitting parties and 3) invited sessions on important topics identified by F&N leadership.

PRESENTER AND PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS

All persons making a presentation at the Annual Meeting & Exposition must pay a registration fee in order to participate in the program. All persons presenting an abstract must become individual members of APHA and must register for the annual meeting in order to make their presentations. APHA does not pay honoraria or expenses to any presenter.
Presentations may not be submitted to multiple Sections, SPIGs, Caucuses or Forums and may be presented only one time during the Annual Meeting & Expo. The presentation may not be presented or published prior to the APHA Annual Meeting.

DESCRIPTION OF ABSTRACT/PRESENTATION TYPES

Research Presentations

Abstracts describing scientific research should focus on new knowledge of public health nutrition issues. Abstracts must include the following four elements (please include these section headings in your abstract text): 1) INTRODUCTION – purpose and background of topic/issue; 2) METHODS –research methodology in terms of data collection and study design; 3) RESULTS – specific study findings. For studies in progress, list results or outcomes that will be presented at APHA; and, 4) DISCUSSION - importance or significance of the findings.

 Program or Policy Presentations

Program or policy abstracts should describe the application of knowledge to real-world problems or policies. Many times these types of abstracts are referred to as public health in practice.  Abstracts must include the following four elements (please include these section headings in your abstract text): 1) INTRODUCTION –problem statement and background of program, topic, or issue; 2) APPROACH – program development, implementation, and/or evaluation; strategies/policies to address problem 3) RESULTS – program or policy impact and, 4) DISCUSSION - importance or significance of the program or policy.

TOPICS OF INTEREST

Individual abstracts should be submitted to one of the topics listed below. Please note that these topics are used for sorting purposes only. While we would like you to select and submit under the category that best represents the focus of your abstract, abstracts will not be evaluated based on their ability to fit within a given topical area.

• Community-based nutrition programming
  Interventions; Translating evidence based diet-lifestyle programs to community settings; Local-level program planning and evaluation; Community assessment; Qualitative methods; Other evaluation/measurement strategies; etc.
• Food and nutrition from a global perspective
  Global and domestic issues around food access, sovereignty and the right to safe and healthy foods; Access to cultural foods; Preserving culinary/dietary traditions; Impact of immigration patterns on diet; Interventions; etc.
• Food environment
  Policy, systems, and environmental changes to prevent obesity or impact other public health concerns; ; Increasing access to healthy and affordable foods; Built environment; Innovations in healthy  food retail; Evaluation/measurement of the food environment (e.g. environmental audits, GIS, etc.); Disparities in local food environments; Influence of the food environment on diet; etc.
• Food marketing
  Labeling (menu, front of package, health claims); Food and beverage marketing; Food prices; Product placement; Advertising; Point-of-purchase prompts; etc.
• Food safety
  Safe food handling practices; Consumer food safety; Food safety policies; etc.
• Food systems
  Local, regional, national and/or global systems; Sustainable food production; Promoting local foods; etc.
• Implementation of national nutrition recommendations and standards in communities
  Dietary Guidelines, MyPlate, Let’s Move, Healthy People 2020, National Prevention Strategy, National non-profit organizations (e.g. American Heart Association, American Cancer Society); etc.
• Nutrition and aging
  Nutrition education efforts; Access to healthy foods; Chronic disease management; Nutritional requirements; Foodborne illness and the elderly; Government assistance programs for older adults, Education and policies addressing nutrition and physical activity in aging; etc.
• Nutrition assistance programs
  Effectiveness of Nutrition Education in SNAP, WIC, School Lunch/Breakfast, CACFP; SNAP restrictions; SNAP eligibility; incentives to purchase healthier options; emergency food assistance; etc.
• Nutrition disparities and food insecurity
  Issues addressing age, race, gender, income, literacy, culture, location, and other factors; Food Deserts and Swamps (rural and urban); Strategies to address food insecurity;  Food insecurity and obesity; etc.
• Nutrition epidemiology
  Best practices in dietary assessment and surveillance; Population health and nutrient intake; Links between dietary behaviors and health outcomes; etc.
• Nutrition in pregnancy and early childhood
  Maternal and neonatal nutrition; policies and programs that support breastfeeding; infant feeding; Education and policies addressing nutrition and physical activity in child care settings; Innovative approaches to reaching families with young children; Evaluation/measurement strategies; etc.
• Nutrition in schools
  Education and policies addressing nutrition and physical activity in school and after school; Wellness policies; Community partnerships; Impact on academic achievement; Farm to school efforts; Evaluation/measurement strategies;  Implementation  of new guidelines for healthy meals in schools; etc.
• Nutrition messaging and communications
  Framing nutrition messages; Nutrition and health literacy; Social marketing approaches; Innovative communication strategies; Social media; etc.
• Technology in food and nutrition
  Use and impact of technology on nutrition programming, measurement, and behaviors/outcomes; etc.
• Other topics
  Other topics not listed above

• Individual abstract contributions are welcome. Program planners will combine accepted individual abstracts into 90 minute oral sessions (4-5 individual abstracts of 10-20 minute oral presentations) and poster sessions (sets of 10 posters organized and presented together within a 60 minute session).
• Please indicate in your submission the preferred type of presentation (oral only, poster, or no preference).
• Please indicate in the comment box the type of abstract you are submitting (Research or Program/Policy)
• Abstract text should be no less than 150 words and no more than 250 words.
• Include 2-3 measurable objectives with your abstract (see continuing education credit instructions below; although only 1 objective for CE is required the section would like 2-3 objectives).
• Abstracts should be free of trade and commercial product names including, for example, Wal-Mart, SPSS, Stata, ArcGIS, Food ProcessorSQL, Dun & Bradstreet, and InfoUSA.
• Persons submitting individual abstracts will be notified by email regarding the status of their submissions by June 1, 2013.

 To review examples of accepted abstracts from past meetings, click on the following link:
http://www.apha.org/meetings/pastfuture/pastannualmeetings.htm
Please note that abstracts from last year were not broken out by research and program/policy.

FULL PANEL SESSION PROPOSALS

Send session overview to F&N Section Program Planning Chair and submit abstracts for all invited speakers online by above mentioned deadline.

• Proposals for full panel sessions are welcome. Full panel sessions are comprised of invited speakers who will address different aspects of the same topic of interest or a set of closely related topics. They generally include a session introduction by a moderator, 3-4 key presenters, and a discussant.
• All proposals should contain an overview document (should not exceed two pages, single-spaced) with the following information in the order listed below: 

1. Session organizer’s name, affiliation, complete mailing address, e-mail address, telephone and fax numbers (on top of page 1);
2. Brief overview including the title, relevance (purpose and importance) of the proposed session;
3. Two to three learning objectives for the session (see continuing education credit instructions below);
4. List of proposed invited speakers (including any discussant or presiding individual), their affiliations and proposed presentation topics; and
5. Session Timeline/Agenda: Detailed schedule for an hour and a half session. Please list the start and end time for each moderator, presenter, and discussant, the presenter’s name (underlined) and all other authors and 1-3 sentences on the goal of the specific presentation. Please begin the session timeline at 0:00 hrs and end it at 1:30. Presentations may be up to 30 minutes in length.

• The overview document for all full panel session proposals must be submitted by mail or email (no faxes, please) to the F&N Program Chair by February 6^th. These are not submitted through the online system.
• In addition to the proposal overview document, a complete abstract for each proposed presentation will need to be submitted online via the contributed abstracts system by February 6th. Abstracts are not required for the session introduction or discussion. Each abstract must follow the format guidelines for individually contributed abstracts and include 2-3 measurable learning objectives (see continuing education credit instructions below).
• When invited speakers/panelists for full panel sessions submit their abstracts online, they should write in the comment box "I am an invited panel member." Once the panelist receives his/her abstract number, he/she must send it to the session organizer who is in turn responsible for sending all abstract numbers to the F&N Section Program Planning Chair. This ensures that all panelists in the full/invited session are placed together.
• If a full panel session is not accepted as proposed, the individual abstracts for the session submitted online will still be considered for the program (if the speakers would like) and may be assigned to the session(s) in which they fit best.
• We encourage full panel sessions to allow time for discussion and questions from the audience. In the past, point/counterpoint and panel discussions that engage the audience have been well received. This format should be highlighted in the submission text and timeline.
• If the session will include the release of any new reports or data, this should be mentioned in the proposal, along with any plans to promote the session to news media.
• All sessions will be reviewed by the F&N Section Program Planning Committee and the Session Chair. Acceptance notices will be sent to special session organizers by April 1, 2013. Please consider that proposals are competitive. If accepted, organizers and presenters will be requested to complete a conflict of interest disclosure.

Full panel session overviews should be sent to:
Laura Bellows, PhD, MPH, RD
2013 Food & Nutrition Section Program Chair
Colorado State University
Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1571
Phone: (970) 491-1305
Email: apha.fnprogram@gmail.com

EVALUATION CRITERIA
Individual abstracts and full panel session proposals will be evaluated based on the same criteria. The criteria are broad to allow for the evaluation of science, policy, and public health practice proposals. They are: 1) Relevance to public health nutrition; 2) Originality of work; 3) Sound conceptual framework; 4) Defined research methodology/study or program design; 5) Defined outcomes/evaluation; 6) Quality of writing; and 7) Overall reviewer enthusiasm.

 CONTINUING EDUCATION CREDIT

APHA values the ability to provide continuing education credit to physicians, nurses, health educators, and those certified in public health at its annual meeting. Please complete all required information when submitting an abstract so members can claim credit for attending your session. These credits are necessary for members to keep their licenses and credentials.

For a session to be eligible for Continuing Education Credit, each presenter, panelist, discussant, and/or faculty must provide:

1) an abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names;

2) at least one MEASURABLE SINGLE objective (“to understand” or “to learn” are not measurable objectives and compound objectives are not acceptable).  Use ONLY the following

Measurable Action Verbs:  Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Name, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.

3) A signed Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form with a relevant qualification statement;

Example of Acceptable Biographical Qualification Statement: (I have been the principal or co-principal of multiple federally funded grants focusing on the epidemiology of drug abuse, HIV prevention and co-occurring mental and drug use disorders. Among my scientific interests has been the development of strategies for preventing HIV and STDs in out-of-treatment drug users.)

4) All continuing education learning content must be of sound science or professional practice and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills and professional competence of the health professional. Learning content should be evidence-based if available. A list of over 30 areas will be provided online for you to choose from. You will be asked to choose at least one or up to 6 areas that your presentation will address.

Thank you for your assistance in making your session credit worthy. Contact Annette Ferebee at annette.ferebee@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, contact the program planner listed below.