INTRODUCTION
The APHA Food & Nutrition Section (FN) invites abstracts and full session proposals for the 2020 APHA Annual Meeting, which will feature the theme of “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence” on October 24 - October 28, 2020 in San Francisco, CA.
We are accepting submissions representing a wide range of food and nutrition topics. In recognition of the 2020 APHA Annual Meeting theme, we are particularly interested in submissions that highlight socio-cultural, political, and contextual factors (e.g., violence, discrimination, political views, etc.) and their impact on food and nutrition. We are also interested in proposals that apply an equity lens to nutrition-related research, policies, and programming. We welcome abstracts on research or practice, in the public or private sectors, examining subjects such as:
Plans for the Food and Nutrition (FN) Sessions
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, trends and solutions in public health nutrition.
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.
INDIVIDUAL ABSTRACT CONTRIBUTIONS
To review examples of accepted abstracts from past meetings, click on the following link:
https://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual/past-and-future-annual-meetings
FULL PANEL SESSION PROPOSALS
Persons submitting full session proposals must send a session overview to the FN Section Program Planning Chair AND submit all individual abstracts for each speaker online by the 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 individual abstract submission numbers. DO NOT SUBMIT INDIVIDUAL ABSTRACT TEXT.
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.
Due to the large number of abstracts the FN section receives each year, failure to follow this format and adhere to the 2-page maximum will result in your proposal not being considered for inclusion in the program.
Full panel session overviews should be sent to:
Chelsea R. Singleton, PhD, MPH
2020 Food & Nutrition Section Program Chair
Email: apha.fnprogram@gmail.com
TOPICS OF INTEREST
All applicants are encouraged to consider an abstract relevant to the 2020 Annual Meeting theme, “Creating the Healthiest Nation: Preventing Violence.” 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.
Research Presentations
Abstracts must include the following four elements (please include these section headings in your abstract text):
1) Introduction – purpose and background/context and purpose of topic/issue investigation;
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
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.
All Abstracts will be Evaluated Using the Following Review Criteria
Abstract Content – specific to presenting topic, must be of sound science, evidence-based practice and serve to maintain, develop or increase the knowledge, skills and competence of the health professional. Content must be objective, free from bias and promotion, no use of commercial entities, products, services, logos, or brand names.
Learning Outcomes – at least one measurable learning outcome that reflects what the learner will be able to do as a result of participating in this educational activity (no compound outcomes - list each outcome separately)
GAP addressed – Were gaps addressed? Was it based on sound science, evidence-based (promising practice) that identified the change in skills, knowledge, and/or the opportunity for improvement?
Competency - Did the abstract address a core competency in public health, nursing, medicine or health education? (Additional information on core competencies located here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B4zH9LQJ_JHAWGhSeDdpZDdNTk0/view?usp=sharing)
Quality of Written Abstract – Was the abstract coherent? Did the abstract clearly state the purpose and/or relevance?
Relevance to Public Health Nutrition - For example, is this timely from a policy or science perspective? Is there potential for large-scale impact?
Importance of Topic - How important is this topic to the field? Does the research appear to be of high quality? OR, is the policy/program aligned with upcoming policy discourse?
Qualification Statement – Did the presenter clearly describe his/her qualification and areas of expertise? Example: 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.
Adherence to instruction for submission and formatting - NOTE: *Abstracts that do not follow directions will receive lower scores*
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 must provide:
1) An abstract free of trade and/or commercial product names.
2) At least one MEASURABLE outcome.
Use ONLY the following verbs: Explain, Demonstrate, Analyze, Formulate, Discuss, Compare, Differentiate, Describe, Name, Assess, Evaluate, Identify, Design, Define or List.
Do NOT use “to understand” or “to learn” (as they are not measurable outcomes); and do not submit compound outcomes.
3) A signed Conflict of Interest (Disclosure) form with a relevant Qualification Statement. See an example of an acceptable Qualification Statement on the online Disclosure form.
Example of Acceptable Biographical Qualification Statement:
Good Example: I am qualified because I have conducted research in the area of maternal and child health for the past 20 years and have given multiple presentations on this subject.
Bad Example: I am qualified because I am a professor at XYZ University.
Contact Mighty Fine at Mighty.Fine@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, contact the program planner listed below.
Ready?
Chelsea Singleton, PhD, MPH
Department of Kinesiology and Community Health
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
2017 Khan Annex, Huff Hall, MC-588
1206 S Fourth Street
Champaign, IL 61820
Phone: 217-300-8139
csingle1@illinois.edu
and
Mary Larson, PhD, MPH, RD, CHES
Department of Public Health
North Dakota State University
Department 2662
PO Box 6050
Fargo, ND 58108-6050
Phone: 701-231-8603
mary.larson2@ndsu.edu