Since its report to the Board in February 2003, the Prevention Practice Committee (PPC) has focused on: (1) generating a list of and prioritizing topics for ACPM position statements; (2) identifying writing teams for five priority topics; and (3) developing position statements, practice and public policies, and patient education statements. Current activities in these areas are outlined below.

The Prevention Practice Committee generated a list of twenty topics to consider for the development of ACPM position statements. The list is based on topics the USPSTF and/or Task Force on Community Preventive Services addressed recently or will address in the near future. The PPC developed a list of criteria for prioritizing the topics, which included factors such as the relevance and timeliness of the topic, the ability of ACPM to address gaps in the literature, the potential for ACPM’s statement to guide clinical or public health practice, the topic’s priority relative to the other topics, and the likely interest in the topic by AJPM readers.

Using the criteria, the PPC ranked the topics. The following four topics were selected for development this year based on their rankings:

• Counseling Children/Adolescents about Obesity
• Obesity and the Prevention of Diabetes
• HRT/ERT
• Physical Activity

Additionally, AJPM Editor Kevin Patrick suggested the PPC draft a position statement on the impact of vaccine shortages on immunization programs and providers. AJPM would consider publishing the position statement in the January 2003 issue to complement research articles on similar topics.

ACPM staff have identified preventive medicine residents/faculty mentors to draft papers on each of the priority topics. Staff will also identify PPC members to collaborate with each writing team.

AJPM in its April 2003 issue published ACPM’s practice policy statement, Screening for Chlamydia Trachomatis, authored by Katerina Hollblad-Fadiman, MD, MPH, and Samuel M. Goldman, MD, MPH. ACPM distributed a press release on the statement, which was picked up by several national science and medicine press outlets.

The following outlines all position statements, practice and public policies, and patient education statements currently in the pipeline.

Position Statements

Vaccine Shortages                                                                                       PPC
Counseling Children/Adolescents about Obesity                                           PPC
Obesity and the Prevention of Diabetes                                                        PPC
HRT/ERT                                                                                                   PPC
Physical Activity                                                                                          PPC

Counseling Children/Adolescents for Osteoporosis Prevention                     Fleming, Almeida, Patrick
Varicella Vaccination                                                                                  Nawaz
Adult Immunizations                                                                                    Fingar, Francis*
Childhood Immunizations                                                                            Adetunji, Macklin, Kinsinger*

Public Policies

Adolescent Sexuality Education in Schools                                                   Mansui
Domestic Violence                                                                                      Seid

Patient Education Statements

Diabetes Type II                                                                                         Benoit, Zisook

*In Final AJPM Peer Review Phase