White House Conference Research Articles

Abstract 21: Examining the Impact of Food as Medicine on Heart Health

Introduction: The recent White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in October 2022 made it a national priority to address food and nutrition insecurity and reduce inequities in nutrition-related chronic conditions such as heart diease. ‘Food as Medicine’ is increasing implemented to address the dual challenge of food/nutrition insecurity and chronic disease. Food as Medicine refers to integration of food-based nutrition interventions into healthcare to prevent and treat disease. However, there is limited rigorous evidence of the impact of Food as Medicine on heart health. Methods: We examined the effectiveness of Recipe4Health, a Food as Medicine program, for improving food insecurity and indicators of heart health among patients who accessed care in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs). Recipe4Health was implemented in 4 FQHCs and included a ‘Food Farmacy’ that provided 16 weekly deliveries of produce with or without a ‘Behavioral Pharmacy’ which was 16 weekly group medical visits. We examined pre/post changes over 4 months in outcomes assessed by surveys (e.g., produce intake, physical activity, food insecurity). We also compared outcomes (e.g., lipids, Body Mass Index [BMI], blood pressure [BP], HbA1c) in the Electronic Health Record (EHR) between Recipe4Health patients and controls over 12 months. Control patients were identified using propensity score matching with patients from similar clinics that had not implemented Recipe4Health. We used linear mixed effects models with repeated measures, adjusting for baseline of each outcome. Results: Study participants (n=5,286) were middle-aged (mean age 51.2 SD [13.9]) primarily women (68%), and from diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds with 51% Latinx, 21% Black, and 8% Asian American/Pacific Islander. Based on pre/post surveys, Recipe4Health participants significantly increased their produce consumption (0.41 servings [0.11, 0.72], p=007) and physical activity (41.98 minutes/week [22.33, 61.63], p<.001). Recipe4Health participants also experienced statistically significant improvements in food insecurity with 59% reporting food insecurity at baseline and 48% reporting food security at follow-up (p<.001). Based on EHR data, Recipe4Health participants significantly decreased their non-HDL cholesterol (-17.1 [-26.9, -7.2], p<.001) and HbA1c (-0.37%, 95% CI [-0.65, -0.08]; p=0.01) compared to propensity score-matched controls at 12 months. There were no notable differences between participants and controls with respect to BMI or BP. Conclusion: This analysis from participants in the R4H program adds important data to the literature regarding Food as Medicine. Recipe4Health, a Food as Medicine program, was effective for improving some indicators of heart health including produce consumption, physical activity, non-HDL cholesterol, and HbA1c.

Culinary Medicine: Needs and Strategies for Incorporating Nutrition into Medical Education in the United States.

In the past decade, medical education has increasingly incorporated evidence-based lifestyle interventions as primary strategies for preventing and managing noncommunicable diseases. This shift embraces the growing recognition of the significant impact of lifestyle on health outcomes, driving diseases including obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. Now deemed "food is medicine" (FIM), diet-related interventions witnessed integration into healthcare systems and recognition in the United States' White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health in 2023. As FIM gains traction, investigating optimal strategies for team-based education becomes essential. Healthcare teams need the necessary knowledge and tools to effectively administer FIM services and collaborate across disciplines, ultimately enhancing disease prevention, chronic disease management, health quality, value, and overall wellness. Culinary medicine (CM), a vital component of FIM, bridges nutrition education, pragmatic culinary skills, and conventional strategies to improve chronic disease management. CM involves experiential learning, imparts practical skills, and encourages behavior change by addressing food-related determinants of health and promoting equitable access. Teaching kitchens serve as physical or virtual learning spaces and as a didactic and experiential method (skills lab), playing a crucial role by integrating culinary, lifestyle, integrative, and conventional medicine. A growing number of medical schools in the United States and globally offer CM education via diverse methods including interest groups, electives, and specialty tracks, encompassing didactic sessions, hands-on kitchen education, and virtual teaching methods. Given the rising demand for CM programs, this article aims to describe, map, and compare existing CM education types in medical education. It provides actionable recommendations for medical schools to establish and expand CM programs by fostering service-learning partnerships, clinical innovation, and interdisciplinary research. As FIM gains prominence, cultivating a robust foundation of educational strategies is vital to ensure seamless integration into both medical education and collaborative medical practice.

AGING EDUCATION IN THE UNITED STATES: WHERE WE ARE AND HOW DID WE GET HERE?

Abstract Aging education at the precollege level is relatively new in the United States, making its debut in the literature in the 1960s (Myers, 1977). The first White House Conference on Aging (WHCoA) in 1961, centered on the need for aging education and recommended it be integrated into curricula in public schools, higher education institutions, and libraries (McGuire, 2017). At the 1971 WHCoA it was noted that such educational efforts were indeed rare and again recommended that aging and life cycle education be mandatory at all levels of education, programs be developed to train teachers about aging, and older citizens be used as school volunteers (McGuire, 2017). Since then, aging curricula and intergenerational programming have made their way slowly and insufficiently into education at both the pk-12 and college levels. Interestingly, more recently, it seems more for-profit organizations are investing in aging education and training versus educational institutions to educate their workforce to better meet the needs of their older consumer base to increase their profit margins. Beyond profit margins, what is the heuristic value of aging education and why is it increasingly important and needed not only in the United States, but worldwide? This paper will kick off the symposium and set the stage with a retrospective account of what factors have propelled aging education in the United States and what we have learned to move aging education forward at both the pk-12 and higher education levels.

CRITICAL DISCOURSE ANALYSIS: DONALD TRUMP SPEECH BROUGHT THE U.S. TO PANDEMIC PREVENTION FAILURE

This research focuses on Donald trump’s speech on preventing COVID-19 at White House Conference on May 18, 2020. His speech was about the suggestion on taking hydroxychloroquine which known as an anti-malaria. The method used in this research is mix method, as the data displayed using description and numbers and the analysis data of this research uses critical discourse theory by Fairclough, and meta function within systematic functional linguistic proposed as the tool to scrutinized the object of the research through transitivity analysis, modality analysis, and textual analysis. As for the result of the research shown that (1)the most process used by trump is material process; (2)mental process, in which becomes the reason of the audience has unconsciously followed the irresponsible suggestion by Trump; (3)modality analysis shows that Trump rarely used modal verb; (4) textual analysis shows that Donald Trump’s speech has been delivered coherently and transitivity analysis found two the new process forms, both processes are existential process + relational process and relational process + existential process.

Health Systems Need to Transform Data Collection to Advance Health Equity.

Health Systems Need to Transform Data Collection to Advance Health Equity.

Driving Transformative Change to End Hunger and Reduce Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities: The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

Driving Transformative Change to End Hunger and Reduce Diet-Related Diseases and Disparities: The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health

Making History: The Academy and the White House Conference

The conference was moved forward by a bipartisan group led by U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern (Mass.), Sen. Mike Braun (Ind.), Sen. Corey Booker (N.J.) and the late Rep. Jackie Walorski (Ind.). In every session, from speaker after speaker and from conversations I had with other participants, I was so pleased to see a spirit of bipartisanship pervading the conference. It is clear to me that we, the people, can achieve the goals of the conference1The White HouseStatement by White House on National Strategy on Nutrition and Health. 2022.https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/09/27/executive-summary-biden-harris-administration-national-strategy-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/Date accessed: October 23, 2022Google Scholar by the target date of 2030 by working together across party lines. The White House Conference made clear what we Academy members already knew: Hunger has a huge impact on quality of life. Everyone needs to have access to good, healthy food. We cannot overcome this problem in silos; we must work together on everything from the food supply and agriculture to nutrition education of the public – including school meals. It is clear that current levels of reimbursements are not enough, there is not adequate equipment, and there is not enough nutrition education. Every time universal school meals were mentioned at the White House Conference, there was an unbelievable amount of applause from the audience. On the day following the White House Conference, the Academy held an online town meeting to reflect on the conference and update our members on what comes next. I noted the sad fact that the U.S. leads so many nations in cases of chronic disease and that there is a disproportionate number of people from underrepresented groups with preventable chronic conditions. Another takeaway from the White House Conference for me: the need to integrate nutrition and health. We have to connect the path from the doctor’s office to the hospital and to the community. Universal screening for food insecurity is a must: Assess who is the patient/client, what is their level of food security/ insecurity and then connect that prioritize their nutritional health. We can better make connections and serve our customers via increased reimbursement and nutrition counseling for obesity and diet-related diseases. We have been advocating for these services as part of the Treat and Reduce Obesity Act; TROA would “amend the Social Security Act to enable the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to enhance beneficiary access to the most qualified existing Medicare providers of intensive behavioral therapy for obesity, resulting in decreased health care costs and lower obesity rates among older adults.”2Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsTreat and reduce obesity act.https://www.eatrightpro.org/-/media/eatrightpro-files/advocacy/legislation/issue-brief-troa2021_final.pdf?la=en&hash=DA1946BD29FA4E09C0CC8ED42DAF8B50CCCA86EDDate accessed: October 25, 2022Google Scholar So many wonderful ideas were presented at the White House Conference, and we already are seeing great things happen. In the weeks immediately following the Conference, I attended two follow-up meetings: the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Nutrition Security and Healthcare Summit; and the Industry Collective Commitments in Action conference, sponsored by FMI – The Food Industry Association and Tufts University. And groups of Academy members are coming together to see how they can be actively engaged in meeting the White House Conference’s goals. That is so important, because it is now time to take action. The White House asked national organizations to submit commitments to end hunger and increase healthful eating and physical activity by 2030. I am proud that our Academy has made a number of commitments to get it done:1.The Academy will accelerate efforts to diversify the allied health workforce, including the field of nutrition and dietetics.2.By leveraging the role of nutrition and dietetics professionals within different settings to achieve nutrition security, the Academy will advance efforts to bridge gaps in nutrition services from clinical care to the community.3.The Academy will advance efforts to increase access to healthy school meals for all students. Read much more detail about our commitments on eatrightPRO.org.3Academy of Nutrition and DieteticsAcademy Commitment to End Hunger and Improve Health.https://www.eatrightpro.org/news-center/member-updates/white-house-conference-on-hunger-nutrition-and-health/academy-commitment-to-end-hunger-and-improve-healthDate accessed: October 25, 2022Google Scholar My fellow members: The ball is in our court, exactly where it should be. I can’t wait to work together with you to achieve the White House Conference’s goals and the Academy’s commitments!

Health Care as a Partner in Federal Nutrition Programs: Call for Advocacy.

Health Care as a Partner in Federal Nutrition Programs: Call for Advocacy.

As White House conference approaches, now is the time for a national plan to address the link between hunger, nutrition education, and health

As White House conference approaches, now is the time for a national plan to address the link between hunger, nutrition education, and health

Progress, Persistence, and Hope: Building a System of Services for CYSHCN and Their Families.

Progress, Persistence, and Hope: Building a System of Services for CYSHCN and Their Families.

The White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition and Health is an opportunity for transformational change.

In every country, a clear national strategy, goals and metrics are needed to end hunger, improve nutrition, reduce diet-related diseases and create a just, sustainable and equitable food system. We identify six policy domains where real change can be made to deliver this vision in the United States.

Afterword—The Racialized Past is Racist Prologue: The Relevance and Resonance of Historical Novels in the Age of Trump

Abstract Situated adjacent to the essentializing logics and combative rhetorics that have largely defined the Trump administration's “war” on history, specifically regarding initiatives such as the “White House Conference on American History” and the “1776 Commission,” this afterword considers the distinctive significance and ongoing consequence of ethnic American literary engagements with a frequently debated and still unreconciled US past. To illustrate both the relevance and resonance of such literary productions, the afterword accesses Jackson Bliss's short story “Secret Codes & Oppressive Histories” (which is featured in the special issue) and briefly considers William Shakespeare's The Tempest, the source text for the oft-utilized notion that the past functions as prologue. By way of conclusion, the afterword turns to cultural critic Lisa Lowe's evocative articulation of “reckoning” as a productive and liberatory means of “revisit[ing] times of historical contingency and possibility to consider alternatives that may have been unthought in those times.”

Impacts and Echoes: The Lasting Influence of the White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health.

The 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition, and Health had a significant influence on the direction of food and nutrition policy in the United States. The conference produced recommendations leading to federal legislation and programs to alleviate hunger and malnutrition, improve consumers' nutrition knowledge through education and labeling, and monitor the nutritional status of the population. Fifty years later, its legacy was revisited at a conference convened by Harvard University and Tufts University. This article reviews the literature contributing to the first author's keynote speech at the conference, its influencers, and its influences. We focus on the highlights of five domains that set the stage for the conference: the social environment, the food environment, nutrition science, public health data, and policy events. We briefly describe the conference, its proposed directions, and its lasting legacy in these five domains.

The 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health: 50 Years Later.

ABSTRACTThe 1969 White House Conference on Food, Nutrition and Health (WHC) was a landmark conference that influenced the nutrition agenda for decades. This commentary details events that led to moving the WHC recommendations to implementation and action. The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, the National School Lunch Program, and the Dietary Guidelines for Americans are used as examples to illustrate some overarching factors that are critical to unraveling the complex process of science and evidence linked to action.

WHCLIS: Using White House Conference recommendations

WHCLIS: Using White House Conference recommendations

POLICY SERIES: THE HRSA GERIATRICS EDUCATION INITIATIVES: A POLICY AND PROGRAM UPDATE

This session will address the evolving work of Geriatric Workforce Enhancement Programs (GWEP) to educate and train the primary care workforce and partner with community based organizations to address gaps in healthcare. The inaugural GWEP awardees were announced at the 2015 White House Conference on Aging. In November 2018 the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), released the second GWEP Notice of Funding Opportunity (NoFO). The new funding opportunity reflects current policy priorities. In addition, for the first time in 9 years a Notice of Funding Opportunity was released for the Geriatric Academic Career Award (GACA) program. The return of the GACA program indicates the success of advocacy efforts to increase programs to support geriatric training and the development of geriatric academic professionals. Individual symposiums will explore the policy priorities reflected in the GWEP NoFO including the use of technology for training and care delivery, the age-friendly healthcare and dementia-friendly community initiatives, and value-based care including improving partnership with community based organizations. Additionally, an individual symposium will present the GACA program and discuss the advocacy process leading to the reintroduction of this program. During the last congress advocates of the GWEP and GACA programs supported authorization and funding of geriatric programs. Geriatrics programs describing the work of the GWEPs and GACAs were reinserted into the legislative process, although this reauthorization was not completed. This advocacy process garnered strong bipartisan and agency support. The session will describe these efforts and will conclude with an update on current authorization and appropriation status.

The White House Conference of 1969

Johanna Dwyer DSc, RD, is Professor of Medicine and Community Health, Tufts Medical School and adjunct professor at the Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy. She is also Director of the Frances Stern Nutrition Center at Tufts Medical Center and Senior Nutrition Scientist at the Jean Mayer USDA Human Nutrition Research Cwnter on Aging at Tufts. The author declares no conflicts of interest. Correspondence: Johanna Dwyer, DSc, RD ([email protected])

Forming a national information policy: Selections from a White House Conference diary

Forming a national information policy: Selections from a White House Conference diary

The Older Americans Act: An Example of Bipartisan Public Policy

From its conception during the 1961 White House Conference on Aging to its articulation in 1965, through the bipartisan legislative process of reauthorizations, amendments, continuing resolutions, congressional hearings, and public forums, the Older Americans Act (OAA) has remained resilient, buoyed by a national commitment to vulnerable older Americans and their caregivers. However, as national funding priorities shift, can the OAA continue its bipartisan success story? That remains an open question. Many years before the passage of the OAA on July 14, 1965, economic assistance, housing support, and basic health care for aging Americans were slow to emerge from family support and local charities (Achenbaum, 1978). As the first wave of immigrants aged in place after the turn of the twentieth century, they were negatively impacted by the Great Depression, lacking economic security and a health-care safety net. Social reformers and early advocates for vulnerable older adults attracted public attention and helped to influence public policy on behalf of older Americans living in poverty. The passage of the Social Security Act in 1935 represented the first major bipartisan effort to address the needs of vulnerable older Americans on a national level.

"Save 100,000 Babies": The 1918 Children's Year and Its Legacy.

In April 1918, President Woodrow Wilson, alarmed at the high draftee rejection rate, proclaimed the second year of American engagement in World War I as "Children's Year." The motto of the nationwide program was to "Save 100,000 Babies." Children's Year represented a multipronged child welfare campaign aimed at gathering data on best practices regarding maternal and child health promotion, documenting the effects of poverty on ill health, reducing the school drop-out rate, ensuring safe play spaces for children, and addressing the unique needs of targeted populations such as orphans and delinquents. Thousands of communities across the country participated in Children's Year, which was overseen by the Children's Bureau and the Woman's Committee of the Council of National Defense. The 1919 White House Conference on Children's Health synthesized all of the Children's Year findings into concrete recommendations. But in an effort to minimize conflict with organized medicine and those who feared governmental intrusion into family life, stakeholders accepted a series of compromises. By so doing, they inadvertently helped enshrine the means-tested, class-based, fragmented approach to child well-being in the United States that persists to this day.