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:
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 FN section awards ceremony in Washington, DC.
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.
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
Proposals for full panel sessions are welcome. Full panel sessions are comprised of four 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, 4 key presenters, and a discussant or Q&A section.
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, and telephone number (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 28. 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 their abstract number, they 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 3, 2025. 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:
2025 Food & Nutrition Section Program Chair
Rebecca Larson DrPH, MS, MA, RD
Email: larson_rl@mercer.edu
TOPICS OF INTEREST
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.
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 topic, must be of sound science, or evidence-based practice (promising practice) and serve to maintain, develop, or increase the knowledge, skills or competence of the public health professional. Content must be objective, free from bias and promotion, and should not include 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 after participating in this educational activity (no compound outcomes – list outcomes separately).
Gap Addressed – Were gaps identified? Was it based on sound science, evidence-based (promising practice) that identified the change in skills, knowledge, competence 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 to field of public health?
Presentation Potential- Does the abstract have the potential to spark interest and curiosity in the audience? Consider how well the abstract can be transformed into a clear, concise, and visual presentation.
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.
Examples of Acceptable Biographical Qualification Statement on the online Disclosure form:
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.
Natalia Santos, MPH
nsantos@unmc.edu
and
Rebecca Larson, DrPH, MS, MA, RD
rebeccalarson2@gmail.com