American College of Preventive Medicine

Prevention Practice Committee Report

November 2003

Chair: David Katz, MD, MPH, FACPM                                          Staff: Jennifer Bretsch

Since its report to the Board in February 2003, the Prevention Practice Committee (PPC) has focused on: (1) identifying writing teams for four priority position statements; and (2) developing position statements, practice and public policy statements, and patient education statements.  Current activities in these areas are outlined below.

Position Statements

Earlier this year the PPC identified four priority topics for position statements and agreed to also develop a statement on addressing vaccine shortages at the request of the AJPM staff. A writing team was assembled during the summer for each position statement. They are as follows:

• Counseling Children/Adolescents about Obesity (Rachel Rodin, Jim Guillory, Miriam Alexander)

• Obesity and the Prevention of Diabetes (Suchita Lorick, Clyde Schechter, Miriam Alexander)

• HRT/ERT (Rich Dressler, Steve Teutsch, Miriam Alexander)

• Physical Activity (Dawn Jacobson, Mike Compton)

• Addressing Vaccine Shortages (Seira Kurian, Debra Blog, Kevin Sherin)

In August the PPC reviewed a draft of the position statement, ‘Addressing Vaccine Shortages.’ They offered constructive feedback on incorporating the new IOM report on vaccines and refining the recommendations. The authors are revising the paper. The PPC and Board of Regents will vote on the statement in November. A spring 2004 publication date is expected.

Each of the writing teams for the four priority topics met via conference call with David Katz and ACPM staff this Fall to discuss the development of each paper. Each author is researching the literature and putting together a content outline before writing the paper. First drafts are expected in the next 2 months.

Practice Policy and Patient Education Statements

Two new statements are currently being drafted on asthma prevention measures in children. Several researchers from the University of California, San Francisco are developing the statements on behalf of the College. CDC’s Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR) is supporting the work through a cooperative agreement with ACPM as part of the College’s environmental health activities. The PPC will review the statements and oversee their development.

The first statement is a practice policy statement tentatively titled "Asthma Prevention Measures in Children." The statement is intended to provide physicians and other providers with guidelines and recommendations for optimal asthma education and management in children, with an emphasis on effective prevention measures. The paper will assess the effectiveness of different prevention strategies based on recent and ongoing clinical trials worldwide. 

The second statement is a patient education statement and will include: a consumer-oriented explanation of asthma, a summary of effective preventive measures, recommended guidelines for clinical management, and the expected goals of treatment. The statement will not be a complete self-management reference, but rather serve as a useful guide for parents and families in achieving optimal clinical and preventive asthma care for children. This will be developed following the completion of the practice policy statement.

Completed Statements

AJPM in its August 2003 issue published ACPM’s practice policy statement, Childhood Immunizations, authored by Yemisi Adetunji, MD, MPH, Daniel Macklin, MD, MPH, Rita Patel, MD, MPH, and Linda Kinsinger, MD, MPH, of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  ACPM distributed a press release on the statement, which was picked up by several national science and medicine press outlets.

Statements in Development

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

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

Practice Policies
Asthma Prevention Measures in Children                                        Novotny, Nunez, Kennedy
Counseling Children/Adolescents for Osteoporosis Prevention             Fleming, Almeida, Patrick
Varicella Vaccination                                                                  Nawaz

Public Policies
Adolescent Sexuality Education in Schools                                     Masui

Patient Education Statements
Asthma Education                                                                     Novotny, Nunez, Kennedy
Type II Diabetes                                                                       Benoit, Zisook