CALL FOR ABSTRACTS — APHA 2024 Annual Meeting and Expo
Food and Nutrition
Meeting theme: "Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science"
Submission Deadline: Friday, March 29, 2024
The APHA Food & Nutrition Section (FN) invites abstracts and full session proposals for the 2024 APHA Annual Meeting, which will feature the theme of “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science” on October 27-30, 2024, in Minneapolis, MN. At this time, we are planning for an in-person meeting. Individual abstracts and full session proposals, along with all abstracts in the proposal, must be submitted byMarch 29, 2024.
We are accepting submissions representing a wide range of food and nutrition topics. In recognition of the 2024 APHA Annual Meeting theme, we are particularly interested in submissions that highlight the processes or outcomes of “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science” with communities and populations as related to food and nutrition. We are also interested in proposals that challenge the status quo in nutrition-related research, policies, and programs.
We welcome abstracts on research, policies, theoretical ideas, or evidence-based practice, in the public or private sectors, with a national or international focus that examines subjects such as:
Engaging Communities in Food and Nutrition
Food Safety Practices
Global, Federal, and Local Food and Nutrition Programs
Indigenous Food Systems and Nutrition
Intersection of Food Systems, Nutrition, Climate, and the Environment
National, State, and Local Nutrition Recommendations and Policy
Nutrition Behavior and Nutrition Communication across the Lifespan
Nutritional Epidemiology, Measurement, and Technology
Policies, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) Change Approaches to Improving Nutrition and Food Systems
Social, Cultural, and Political Factors Affecting Food and Nutrition
Transparency in Research and Practice
Plans for the Food and Nutrition (FN) Sessions
The final program will consist of a combination 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 and collaborative sessions on important topics identified by section leadership.
Abstracts that combine food and nutrition with other disciplines, member sections, forums, or caucuses, such as indigenous health, community health, physical activity, maternal and child health, oral health, disability, environment, One Health, occupational health and safety, built environments, statistics, law, ethics, and/or other disciplines are of particular interest.
Student abstracts are strongly encouraged. The FN Section will present an award to the highest-scoring student abstract at the section awards ceremony in Minneapolis, MN.
PRESENTER AND PRESENTATION REQUIREMENTS
All persons making a presentation at the Annual Meeting & Exposition (including presenting an abstract) must become individual members of APHA, must register for the annual meeting, and pay a registration fee in order to participate in the program and 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 PRESENTATION/ABSTRACT 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
Individual abstract contributions are welcome. Program planners will combine accepted individual abstracts into 90 minute oral sessions (4-5 individual abstracts of 15-20 minute oral presentations) and poster sessions (sets of 10 posters organized and presented together within a 60 minute session). Program planners might also elect to organize a 90 minute roundtable session encompassing up to 10 individual abstracts for a topic.
Please indicate in your submission the preferred type of presentation (oral only, poster, or no preference). Your indication of no preference will allow your abstract to be considered for a greater number of session types. Program planners will make every effort to honor your presentation preference.
Please indicate in the comment box the type of abstract you are submitting (Research/Theoretical Idea 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 requires 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 3rd.
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.
Persons submitting full session proposals must send a session overview to the FN Section Program Planning Chair (contact information is provided below) AND submit all individual abstracts for each speaker online by the above-mentioned deadline.
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, and 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 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.
The overview document for all full panel session proposals - as outlined above - must be submitted by email to the FN Program Chair by the abstract submission deadline. The overview documents are not submitted through the online system. See below for the email address.
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 March 29. 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 speakers/panelists for full panel sessions submit their abstracts online, they should write in the comment box "I am an invited panel member for a full-session proposal." 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 FN Section Program Planning Chair. This ensures that all panelists in the full 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 a 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 FN Section Program Planning Committee. Acceptance notices will be sent to full session organizers no later than June 1, 2024. Please consider that proposals are competitive. If accepted, organizers and presenters will be requested to complete a conflict of interest disclosure.
All applicants are encouraged to consider an abstract relevant to the 2024 Annual Meeting theme, “Rebuilding Trust in Public Health and Science.” Please submit individual abstracts related 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.
Transparency in Research and Practice Examples: Navigating external influences and conflicts of interest in nutrition; Ethics of nutrition research and programs; Collaboration and data-sharing initiatives; Health, food, or financial literacy and communication strategies.
Indigenous Food Systems and Nutrition Examples: Food sovereignty; food security in indigenous communities; The Impact of climate change on indigenous food systems; Dietary diversity and health outcomes; Culinary heritage and revitalization; Integrating traditional knowledge with contemporary nutrition science.
Engaging Communities in Food and Nutrition Examples: Community-based and participatory action research; Youth engagement; Community coalitions addressing obesity, hunger, and health equity; Food policy councils; Programs, interventions, or basic research addressing age, race, gender, income, culture, location, gentrification, and other factors and their intersection with food and nutrition; Innovative solutions to nutrition disparities in underserved populations.
Intersection of Food, Nutrition, Climate, and the Environment Examples: Local, regional, national, or global food systems; Climate change and food security; Sustainable food systems; Land use and planning to support local and regional food systems; Food waste; Ethical challenges with food production and distribution; Agriculture labor and migrant workers; Food costs; Food justice and food sovereignty; Water and food availability.
Food Safety Practices Examples: Safe food handling practices; Consumer food safety; Food safety policies; Food and water-borne illness; Water and food quality; Interventions to secure food and water safety.
Global, Federal, and Local Food and Nutrition Programs Examples: Equitable implementation of and access to federal nutrition assistance programs; Effectiveness of nutrition education; Fruit and vegetable prescription programs; SNAP and emergency food assistance programs; Nutrition assistance programs for older adults; Farm to institution programs; Food assistance reform initiatives.
National, State, and Local Nutrition Recommendations and Policy Examples: 2020-2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Healthy People 2030, the National Prevention Strategy, the Affordable Care Act; National and international non-profit organizations, standards, and programs; Sustainability aspects of large-scale nutrition recommendations and standards and establishing a science basis for supporting recommendations.
Nutrition Behavior and Nutrition Communication across the Lifespan Examples: Nutrition education and behavior across the lifespan; Maternal and neonatal nutrition; Policies and programs that support breastfeeding; Infant and young child feeding; Programs and policies developed under life course framework; Cultural and family influences on nutrition and dietary practices of young and school-age children and adolescents; Considerations for colleges/universities; Social network analysis.
Nutritional Epidemiology, Measurement, and Technology Examples: Best practices in dietary assessment, surveillance, and trend evaluation; Links between dietary behaviors, geography, environment, social-economic factors, and health outcomes; Use of culturally appropriate methodologies when working with ethnic groups or minority/disadvantaged populations; Use and impact of innovative technology on nutrition programming, measurement, and outcomes; Social connectedness.
Policies, Systems, and Environmental (PSE) Change Approaches to Improving Nutrition and Food Systems Examples: Policy, systems, and environmental changes to address food insecurity, obesity, or other diet-related diseases; Focus on employment, housing, education, transportation, or health care policies as they relate to food and nutrition; Evaluation of the impact of food environment changes (e.g., environmental audits, GIS, etc.).
Social, Cultural, and Political Factors Affecting Food and Nutrition Examples: The relationship between structural violence, racism, and community food and nutrition; The intersection of food insecurity and other social determinants of health; Differences in nutrition and nutrition-related behavior by culture, religion, and political affiliation/views; The effect of gentrification on food access, affordability, and quality; The impact of discrimination and stigma on dietary practices; The role of politics in food policy; Description and observation of history of food and nutrition policy and programs.
ABSTRACT SECTIONS AND EVALUATION CRITERIA
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 the 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?
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 their qualifications 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.
