CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2021 Annual Meeting and Expo
Public Health Education and Health Promotion
Meeting theme: "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness"
Submission Deadline: Sunday, March 28, 2021
PHEHP invites abstract and session proposal submissions that address this year’s APHA theme, "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness"as well as those addressing the current and relevant health education, promotion, and communication themes noted below. Descriptions are provided to assist you in determining the best assignment for your abstract submission.
To submit an abstract for the PHEHP Student Award Contest and for instructions, please use the following link:
Addressing Health Disparities through Health Promotion Initiatives Seeking abstracts of programs that address the preventable differences in the burden of disease, injury, violence, or opportunities to achieve optimal health that are experienced by socially disadvantaged populations.
Aging Population and Baby Boomers Health (organized jointly with the Aging section) The growing prevalence of chronic illness and comorbidity among older adults calls for increasing the capacities of the public health system to provide integrated medical and social services to this population, as well as to diverse subgroups. Chronic illness affects older adults disproportionately and contributes to disability, diminished quality of life, and increased healthcare and long-term care costs. Increased life expectancy reflects in part the success of public health interventions, but public health programs must now respond to the challenges posed by vast unmet needs of both older adults and their caregivers. Abstracts that address the complexity of these challenges across multiple domains (i.e. medical, social and economic) and propose innovation in public health policy and/or programs to improve older adults health and well-being are invited.
Built Environment, Community Design, and Public Health The built environment affects the health of communities in multiple ways. Designing and building places that promote healthful behaviors involves the efforts of coalitions, agencies, and communities as they attempt to change the local environment to create daily opportunities for healthy living. Such changes include increasing access to healthy food options, decreasing access to unhealthy food options, creating physical activity-friendly neighborhoods and communities, building exercise facilities, and engaging in community planning to design health into everyday life. Abstracts submissions of successful programs/initiatives that improve opportunities for healthy living within their communities through improvements to the built environment and/or community design are encouraged. There is special interest in abstracts that involve community design/city planning.
Cancer Communication, Prevention, and Survivorship (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on communication programs and initiatives that span the cancer care continuum from screening to diagnosis, treatment, relapse, survivorship, and end-of-life care.
Child and Adolescent Health Disparities and Social Determinants of Child and Adolescent Health The health status of children and adolescents is influenced by a myriad of biological, physiological, psychological, and behavioral factors undergirded by numerous social factors that interact at the personal, familial, community, and national levels. Health disparities are thought to have origins in early childhood and persist over time and are more likely to occur among children and adolescents in communities with a high prevalence of poverty, environmental stressors, and financially challenged schools. We are seeking abstracts pertaining to the social determinants of child and adolescent health disparities.
Chronic Disease Screening and Prevention Chronic disease includes, but is not limited to obesity, heart disease, stroke, diabetes, hypertension, cancer, arthritis, asthma, and depression. Chronic disease remains a major public health issue, namely in high risk populations where disparity gaps exist and in some cases are increasing. Abstracts describing innovative and successful screening and prevention approaches that effectively access high risk populations will be given priority. Abstracts of high interest include those related to the conference theme, Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness.
College Health Initiatives Seeking abstracts that demonstrate novel scientific approaches to encourage health promoting behaviors, disease prevention, and/or risk reduction among college students.
Communication to Reduce Health Disparities and Inequalities (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on programs and initiatives aimed at reducing health disparities and inequalities in health status or health-care access across social characteristics such as race, ethnicity, sex, or socioeconomic status.
Community Health Workers in Public Health Education and Health Promotion (organized jointly with the Community Health Worker section) PHEHP and CHW sections are seeking abstracts related to interdisciplinary approaches among CHWs and public health entities to promote healthy lifestyle behaviors and chronic disease self-management. Priority will be given to abstracts focused on: (1) the 2020 theme, "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness."; (2) models/frameworks of successful collaborations between CHWs and public health or medical professionals; and/or (3) the role of CHWs in the delivery/maintenance of clinical care and chronic disease self-management. Abstracts will be reviewed by both the CHW and PHEHP sections.
Community-Based Physical Activity Interventions (organized jointly with the Physical Activity section) Collaborations with communities, community-based agencies, and organizations are ideal settings to develop and deliver population-based physical activity interventions. Public health experts encourage the application of ecological models and a population approach to enhance program reach, support program sustainability, and improve health outcomes. Submissions should describe community-based physical activity programs that incorporate more than one level of influence.
Community-Based and Community-Engaged Research Seeking abstracts pertaining to community-based and community-engaged research and practice. In particular we encourage submissions that focus on evidence-based practice and/or the translation of evidence-based strategies to real world community settings. We welcome a wide array of topics from community needs assessments and community led interventions to frameworks for engaging communities to be active participants in the planning and research processes. Priority will be given to abstracts that utilize community-based and community-engaged strategies to address health issues related to the conference theme, Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
Cross-Cultural Health Communication (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on health communication across different cultures or how cultural factors influence health communication, including comparative studies.
Department of Health Innovative Practices to Improve Population Health Abstracts from state, local, and territorial health departments that highlight innovative population health promotion programs and practices, the development and use of disease surveillance systems to inform population approaches to improve health, and the use of partnerships and collaborations to increase the reach and improve the health impact and outcomes of health education and health promotion programs. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
Dissemination and Implementation Research According to the National Institutes of Health, dissemination research is a scientific study of targeted distribution of information and intervention materials to a specific public health or clinical practice audience. The intent is to understand how best to spread and sustain knowledge and the associated evidence-based interventions. Implementation research is the scientific study of the use of strategies to adopt and integrate evidence-based health interventions into clinical and community settings in order to improve patient outcomes and benefit population health. Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) Research: Studies typically involve both interdisciplinary cooperation and trans-disciplinary collaboration, utilizing theories, empirical findings, and methods from a variety of fields not traditionally associated with health research. D&I research will often include significant and ongoing collaboration with stakeholders from multiple public health and/or clinical practice settings as well as consumers of services and their families/social networks. In other words, PHEHP is interested in sharing information on how what works gets into practice.
Economic Impact and Return on Investment in Public Health Chronic conditions account for seven in ten deaths among Americans annually and account for nearly 75% of the nation's health spending. Preventing disease and injury is a cost-effective, common-sense way to improve health; however, the healthcare system focuses on treating disease and injury, not preventing disease and injury. For every dollar spent on healthcare in the United States today, only about four cents goes toward public health and prevention. As funding decisions become increasingly bottom-line oriented under economically strained conditions, understanding the financial impact of public health prevention programs that save lives, improve health, and increase productivity are critical. Abstracts with a focus on the economic impact and return on investment of public health education and health promotion prevention programs are encouraged.
Evaluation of Public Health Education and Health Promotion Programs Evaluation is an integral part of planning and implementing public health initiatives. It is, however, often neglected, especially during the initial planning phases, thus limiting its effectiveness of determining an initiative's value. Abstracts are encouraged that focus on evaluation methodologies that have been used to demonstrate the impact and outcomes of public health initiatives. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion, please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
Health Communication and Technology (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on technology-based applications of health communication principles, including the use of technology to improve the use and accessibility of health information, technology facilitating communication between patients, providers, and families, the use of technology in health promotion or clinic-related projects, etc.
Health Communication in Special Populations (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that examine specifically the use of health communication in various populations, including children, adolescents, aging populations, rural or urban populations, people with disabilities, homeless populations, military populations, etc.
Health Impact Assessment (organized jointly with the Environment section) Health Impact Assessment (HIA) is a process to evaluate the potential health effects of a plan, project or policy before it is built or implemented. An HIA can provide recommendations to increase positive public and environmental health outcomes and minimize adverse health outcomes. HIA brings potential public health impacts and considerations to the decision-making process for plans, projects, and policies that may fall outside the traditional public health arenas, such as transportation and land use. Abstracts of completed HIA projects that are related to the conference theme, Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness will be given priority.
Health Literacy Issues (organized by HCWG) individuals, abstracts investigating the effects of health literacy on health outcomes, implementing health literacy standards, or designing materials accessible to individuals with hearing, visual or cognitive impairments.
Health Promotion and Disease Prevention for People with Disabilities (organized jointly with the Disability section) Among people with disabilities, managing health requires innovative strategies at the policy, group, and individual levels. The question remains, however, as to whether or not intervention strategies should be designed to target people with disabilities OR if people with disabilities should be included within interventions designed for general populations? In either instance, intervention approaches should consider common issues that pose barriers to people’s access to programs which include lack of transportation, inaccessible environments and equipment, and willingness to provide accommodations. This joint session between the Disability and the Public Health and the Health Promotion sections seeks abstracts related to the meeting theme, "Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness." which describe innovative policies, programs, services, and/or evidence-based interventions to improve health and wellness for people with disabilities. Abstracts which offer evidence of or insight to positive outcome.
Innovative Teaching Strategies in Health Communication (organized by HCWG) Abstracts selected for this session should focus on innovative teaching strategies in health communication and health promotion. While preference will be given to abstracts that present evaluation data on their specific teaching strategy, all abstracts which highlight innovative pedagogical approaches will be considered. These can be in any level of classrooms (e.g., high school, undergraduate programs, graduate programs) or formal/informal settings (e.g., academic setting, clinic setting, community setting).
Integrated Health Promotion Strategies for Mental Wellbeing (organized jointly with the Mental Health section) Mental health is increasingly recognized by the public health community as critical to achieving and maintaining optimal health, and social connection plays a critical role in supporting and facilitating mental health and wellbeing. The Public Health Education and Health Promotion and Mental Health sections are seeking abstracts that demonstrate strategies to effectively promote mental wellbeing through integration with public health interventions that facilitate, enhance or build on social connectedness. Extensive evidence exists for associations between mental health, social connection, and wellness, at the individual and community-level. The synergistic integration of mental health and public health activities is more effective than siloed efforts by mental health stakeholders alone, especially in times of limited resources. Integrating mental health and public health programs that address social connectedness is an essential step to protect the overall health of Americans.
Mass Media Influences on Health Behavior (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on how traditional and mass media—television, radio, newspapers, Web sites—influence and affect individuals’ health behaviors.
Men's Health Abstracts related to men’s health, including but not limited to decreasing health disparities among male populations, effective strategies for screening high-risk male populations, and successful intervention strategies to increase the use of preventive health services among men.
Online, Social, and Mobile Media Initiatives (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on the use or evaluation of online, social, and mobile media for promoting healthy behavior or delivering health care.
Patient-Provider Communication and Relationships (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on issues surrounding communication in the patient-provider interaction such as shared decision-making, collaborative goal setting, and patient activation.
Phehp Session Proposal Abstracts If you would like to propose a complete session, consisting of 4-5 abstracts organized on a specific topic, submit each of the individual abstracts HERE (PHEHP Session Proposal Abstracts). Session organizers should follow the specific instructions for session proposals described below. Each individual presenter/author must submit an individual abstract and must submit the abstract HERE.
Population Approaches to Active Living and/or Healthy Eating Behavior Change Abstracts that highlight strategies to promote active living and/or healthy eating at the community, organizational or institutional levels to impact population health behaviors. Priority will be given to abstracts related to the meeting theme Creating the Healthiest Nation: Strengthening Social Connectedness and that discuss outcomes/results.
Preventing Substance Use and Related Harms (organized jointly with the Alcohol, Tobacco, and other Drugs Section) Abstracts related to the role of health education and promotion in the prevention of substance use and use of substances in a way that causes harm from substances such as alcohol, tobacco, cannabis, opioids and other drugs.
Promoting the Health of Women and Families to Create the Healthiest Nation (organized jointly with the Women's Caucus) The health outcomes of women and their families impact the health status of the nation. Health education and promotion play vital roles in establishing health behaviors that can affect health outcomes. This joint session between the Women's Caucus and the Public Health Education and Health Promotion section seeks abstracts that focus on health promotion for women and families across the lifespan.
Public Health Leadership and Education Models Abstracts pertaining to training the public health and clinical care (physicians) workforce to meet evolving health needs through prevention and treatment modalities. Abstracts related to the integration of public health and disease prevention into medical school training are welcomed; integrative models and frameworks used for training and educating a myriad of public health and/or medical practitioners; continuing education programs for public health practitioners; etc. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion, please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
School and Community Linkages to Improve Child Health and Safety (organized jointly with the School Health Education and Services section) Social connectedness is significant within health, educational, and social outcomes for youth and schools and is important to discuss during these times. Public health experts encourage the application of ecological models and a population approach to enhance program reach, support program sustainability, and improve health outcomes. Abstracts that report impact and outcome evaluation results of social connectedness programs in schoolswithcommunity or clinical linkages will be given priority. Abstracts will be accepted and reviewed by both the SHES and PHEHP sections to create a collaborative session between section participants and other APHA attendees.
Sexual Risk Reduction Abstracts that focus on interventions that promote behaviors that prevent or reduce the risk of pregnancy, HIV, and other sexually transmitted infections/disease. Priority will be given to abstracts that discuss outcomes/results.
Social Determinants of Health and Health Inequalities Social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age and largely contribute to health inequalities. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels. Abstracts that address social determinants of health through research and link solutions to health outcomes to improve health equality.
Social Marketing and Health Communication Campaigns (organized by HCWG) Abstracts that focus on the design, implementation and/or evaluation of social marketing and health communication campaigns that promote healthy behavior.
Special Session: Strengthening Social Connectedness (organized by HCWG) The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated to healthcare professionals and lay people alike the importance of social connectedness, especially during a time where we often had to remain away or socially distanced from our friends, family, and co-workers. Communication science has long explored the importance of social connectedness, as well as the mechanisms by which connectedness and interaction is initiated, developed, maintained, and in some cases, terminated. Abstracts selected for this session should feature the role of communication research and practice in explaining and promoting healthy social connectedness. *Authors wishing to propose a full panel dedicated to social connectedness around a common theme may do so by contacting the HCWG program planner, Dr. Katy Head (headkj@iupui.edu).*
Theoretical Frameworks for Health Promotion through the Life Course Theories and conceptual frameworks are encouraged in the research and development of health promotion and health education initiatives. Further discussion is needed to better understand the application of these theories and framework to health conditions that affects individuals through their lifespan. Abstract submissions should focus on analysis and applications of theories and frameworks used to assess and explain multiple and complex issues that have an impact on individuals health through their life course. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion, please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
Training Youth to be Leaders in Public Health Youth are the future of our public health workforce. Engaging and training youth to be leaders and advocates for their health, the health of their families and their communities is an important component to the health attainment of youth today and to their health as they grow into adulthood. Abstracts that describe models/frameworks for training and engaging youth in public health, and/or successful practices that demonstrate youth engagement in health education and promotion programs. If you would like your abstract to be considered for an interactive roundtable discussion, please make this indication in the notes section during the submission process.
Worksite Wellness and Health Promotion Worksite policies and programs may help employees reduce health risks and improve their quality of life. Abstracts describing effective employee-health interventions that are delivered at the worksite, other locations, or at other locations through the employee health benefits plan are encouraged.
Other: Health Communication Topics (organized by HCWG) Do you have a health communication abstract that is not addressed by any of the session topics on this list? Then submit it here.
Other: Public Health Education and Health Promotion Topics Do you have a public health education or health promotion abstract that is not addressed by any of the session topics on this list? Then submit it here.
PHEHP Submission Procedures
Part 1. PHEHP Individual Abstract Submission Procedures
Abstracts submitted for consideration should reflect new information. Abstracts are limited to 250 words and should not contain charts, figures, etc. Abstracts should adequately describe the content and focus of the proposed presentation and follow the general outline of background, methods, results, and conclusions.
In addition to your abstract, you will be asked to provide the following information as part of the online submission process:
Learning Objectives: At least two measurable learning objectives are needed as a standing APHA requirement and consideration for MCHES, CHES, CPH, CME, and CNE contact hours (see below). The learning objectives are not included in the word count. Please refer to Part 3 below for instructions to develop acceptable learning objectives.
Relevant Keywords: Keywords assist program planners in developing cohesive sessions and in assigning your abstract for blind peer-review. Please select only the keywords that best reflect the primary focus of your abstract submission. If the keyword options in the drop-down menu do not adequately reflect your content, please list your keywords in “Comments to Organizers.”
Preferred Presentation Format: You may select oral, poster, or either. Please note other preferences in the “Comments to Organizers.” Program planners will try to honor, but cannot guarantee, preference requests.
Qualifications Statement: You must include a brief (1 – 3 sentences) statement regarding why you are qualified to present on the content of your abstract. Statements should be tailored to the content, rather than generic statements related to education, training, or employment. An example is found in the “Continuing Education Credit” section below.
Conflict of Interest Disclosure: APHA requires presenters to disclose “any relevant personal financial relationship with a commercial entity that benefits the individual and may ultimately bias the presentation of that content.” The policy may be viewed at http://apha.confex.com/apha/disclosurepolicy.pdf
All abstracts are reviewed using a blind peer-review process. Incomplete abstracts or those failing to meet guidelines established by APHA will not be reviewed. View additional information regarding abstract submission guidelines at https://apha.confex.com/apha/2021/cfp.cgiNOTE: Submission of an abstract implies a commitment to make the presentation at the annual meeting. Presenters of accepted abstracts must be, or become, members of APHA and must be registered by the August early-bird deadline.
Part 2. PHEHP Session Proposal Submission Procedures
A session consists of either four 20-minute presentations or five 15-minute presentations addressing a common theme. Session submissions require:
Individual Abstract Submissions: There is a session slot dedicated to abstracts submitted as part of a session proposal. Each of the four to five presenters must submit her or his abstract individually into this session, following all of the instructions for “Abstract Submissions” provided above. Additionally, each author must put the proposed session title in the “Comments to Organizers.”
Overall Session Proposal: The session organizer should email the following information to Andrea Portillo Medeiros at phehp.planner@gmail.com (please include “session proposal” in the subject line):
Session organizer’s name and contact information
Session title
Session overview: 3 – 4 sentences describing the scope of the session
Session learning objectives: 2 – 3 measurable learning objectives that reflect the scope of the session
APHA-assigned abstract numbers for each of the four to five individual abstract submissions,
Expanded description: No more than one page describing the session in greater detail.
Session proposal reviews will occur after individual abstracts are reviewed. Please note that to provide as comprehensive of a program as possible, PHEHP does NOT generally accept full sessions related to a single project. Sessions with broad appeal or those submitted in collaboration with other sections, SPIGs, caucuses or forums are encouraged (please note collaborations in expanded description). IMPORTANT NOTE: Submission of a session implies a commitment on the part of ALL presenters to make their presentations at the annual meeting. All presenters of accepted sessions must be, or become, members of APHA and must be registered by the August early-bird deadline.
Part 3. Measurable Learning Objectives
Learning objectives must clearly identify the intended outcomes participants will be able to demonstrate as a result of attending/participating in your presentation. Verbs that cannot be clearly demonstrated (understand, learn, etc.) do not meet this criterion. Per APHA, learning objectives MUST include one of the following demonstrable verbs: explain, demonstrate, analyze, formulate, discuss, compare, differentiate, describe, name, assess, evaluate, identify, design, define or list. Each learning objective should be listed separately and numbered sequentially. Compound learning objectives (those containing more than one verb) are not permitted. For more information, please see: http://apha.confex.com/apha/learningobjectives.htm
Part 4. 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 outcome (“to understand” or “to learn” are not measurable outcomes and compound outcomes are not acceptable). Use ONLY the following Measurable Action Verbs:
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.) Please note that I am the Principle Investigator of this study is NOT an acceptable qualification statement.
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 Mighty Fine at mighty.fine@apha.org if you have any questions concerning continuing education. For program questions, contact the program planner listed below.
