Chronic Disease Prevention

Postpartum Care Visits Underdeliver on Heart Health Counseling

July 27, 2023 - Many new mothers are being left vulnerable to poor heart health. A Northwestern Medicine study revealed that despite being at risk for heart disease, a mere 60 percent of new mothers are receiving heart health counseling as part of their postpartum care. Maternal mortality, defined as deaths during childbirth or within one year postpartum, has...

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Produce Prescription Programs Could Cut $40B in Healthcare Spending 

by Sara Heath

Produce prescription programs would be a best buy healthcare intervention, with a new study from the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy showing such programs could cut...

Leading Types of Food Is Medicine Programs, Interventions

by Sara Heath

Food is medicine is an emerging philosophy in healthcare that acknowledges the link between diet, food security, and disease. Defined by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics Foundation, food is medicine “is a reaffirmation that...

How One Medical Delivers Culturally Competent Chronic Disease Management

by Sara Heath

When Cy Villaflores heard she was at high risk for developing diabetes, a signal from her family health history, she wasn’t quite sure what she should do next. Sure, her doctors all advised weight loss, but there wasn’t any...

How Food Swamps, Food Security Led to Chronic Disease, Obesity

by Sara Heath

New data from the Urban Institute corroborates the link between food swamps—a caveat to food security—and chronic disease, particularly obesity. The study specifically showed that areas...

NAM Pitches HHS, VA Collaboration for Whole Health, Patient-Centered Care

by Sara Heath

Should the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) collaborate with the Department of Veterans Affairs on a nationwide effort to promote patient-centered care? That’s the conclusion of a...

Key Traits of Successful Pediatric Obesity Prevention Programs

by Sara Heath

The most successful pediatric obesity prevention programs take place over a stretch of time and seek to promote both access to more nutritious foods and more exercise, findings that researchers from...

Racial Disparities Apparent in Benefits to Walkability, Neighborhood SDOH

by Sara Heath

Neighborhood walkability has the potential to boost physical activity and improve BMI, two key factors for addressing obesity. But neighborhood conditions like safety, another key element of...

Do Patients Get Enough Patient Education About Their Blood Pressure?

by Sara Heath

Taking blood pressure is standard procedure for nearly any healthcare encounter, but it might be lulling some patients into a sense of false confidence about when to access care, according to a new...

HHS Issues $139M in Funding to Support Chronic Disease Prevention

by Sarai Rodriguez

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Indian Health Service (IHS), has awarded $139 million in grant funding to address diabetes disparities through chronic disease prevention...

Rural-Urban Health Disparities Persist with Higher Risk of Heart Failure

by Sara Heath

New National Institutes of Health data adds to the literature documenting rural-urban health disparities, with this newest study finding that those living in rural regions are 19 percent more likely to...

Health Coaching for Family Caregivers Improves Patient Activation

by Sarai Rodriguez

Offering health coaching to family caregivers might be key to improving patient activation and chronic disease management for patients with diabetes, according to a new study published in JAMA Network...

Boosting Preventive Care Access in Immigrant Patient Populations

by Sara Heath

For the mostly immigrant population Silvia Posada sees at her organization, Essen Health Care, patient access to care—particularly preventive care and chronic disease management—isn’t...

Patient Communication Strategies for Chronic Disease Prevention

by Sara Heath

Chronic disease prevention is a critical aspect of patient care at all risk levels, but becomes particularly important when a patient moves into rising risk. When that happens, clinicians need to...

SNAP Benefits Insufficient to Address Food Insecurity, SDOH

by Jill McKeon

Providing an additional $40 per month to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) beneficiaries for the purchase of fruits and vegetables was associated with healthier eating habits and a...

4 Patient Engagement Strategies to Close Patient Care Gaps

by Sara Heath

Regular preventive care and screenings, along with strong care management plans, are essential to a good population health strategy. But as healthcare experts observe wide patient care gaps, they need...

Preventive Care Access, Health Disparities Require Second Look

by Sara Heath

The medical industry needs a concerted push toward more and better research regarding the relationship between the social determinants of health, health disparities, and patient access to preventive...

Why Patient Behavior Change Is Key for Chronic Disease Management

by Sara Heath

Chronic disease management may rank as one of the key priorities in the healthcare industry right now. With a multi-billion-dollar price tag, ensuring patients know how to manage their illnesses and...