Course Details
About the Program
Originally titled, Systems Approaches to Support Improvements in Lifestyle and Detect, Treat and Prevent Chronic Disease at the Population Level, this course was initially developed for the Curriculum in 2019. The course explored the steps involved for health systems to integrate lifestyle interventions to address and prevent chronic disease. In accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM), courses offered as enduring material must be reviewed and re-released every three years to ensure the content is up-to-date and accurate. To meet the standards set forth by ACCME, this course has been revised in 2023 to incorporate up-to-date evidence-based information, references, data, graphics, language, and case studies.This revitalized course will provide an overview of lifestyle medicine and its application in preventing, detecting, treating, and reversing chronic disease. In Lifestyle Medicine, physicians work closely with patients to identify unhealthy behaviors and to develop personalized strategies for implementing sustainable lifestyle changes. The goal is to empower individuals to adopt and sustain lifestyles that can improve their overall health and well-being, often reducing the need for more traditional medical treatments like pharmaceuticals or surgical procedures. This field often integrates a multi-disciplinary approach that may include input from dietitians, psychologists, exercise physiologists, and other healthcare professionals. The primary objective of this course is to address the root causes of chronic diseases, many of which are believed to be lifestyle-related, rather than simply treating symptoms with medications or surgeries. Lifestyle Medicine is supported by a growing body of scientific evidence demonstrating that lifestyle factors like poor diet, lack of exercise, and stress are significant contributors to chronic conditions such as inflammation, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity. By modifying these risk factors, it's possible to prevent, manage, and reverse these conditions more effectively.
The American College of Preventive Medicine (ACPM) defines health systems transformation as: ‘systems-based approaches to improving population, community, and individual health by incorporating and addressing the social determinants of health and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of healthcare’.
The American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) advocates for clinicians to be trained and certified in Lifestyle Medicine to ensure that they are adequately prepared to guide patients through the complexities of lifestyle change and its impact on health.