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Healthy food options, vaccine awareness, top latest policy updates from AMA

Delegates at this week’s AMA annual meeting in Chicago adopted new policies intended to increase access to healthier food, continue support of vaccine policies, reduce nearsightedness in children, and prevent continued lead exposure, according to a press release.

Healthy food access

According to the release, the policy promotes sustainable sourcing of healthier food options for food banks and food pantries, and supports efforts to disseminate user-friendly resources and educational materials to help promote healthy eating among food banks and food pantries. In addition, the policy also asks the federal government to increase access to healthful foods for recipients of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program by disincentivizing or eliminating unhealthful foods and incentivizing healthful foods. AMA stated it is also calling for the same healthful food options available through the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children to be available through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program.

“We know that food-insecure individuals often face great difficulty meeting the recommended daily amount of certain vital nutrients, putting them at significantly higher risk for nutritional deficits and associated negative health consequences,” Willarda V. Edwards, MD, MBA, AMA board member, said in the release. “We must do everything we can to make sure that all Americans have access to nutritious foods and resources to help them make healthy food choices.”

Vaccine awareness

The new policy supports the process undertaken by the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices and its creation of recommended immunization schedules for the nation, according to the release. The policy also references the evidence that has disproven a link between vaccines and autism, and continues the AMA’s efforts to promote public confidence and understanding in the safety of vaccines in order to prevent resurgence in vaccine-preventable illnesses and death.

“We are [also] deeply concerned that creating a new federal commission on vaccine safety to study the already disproven association between autism and vaccines would cause unnecessary confusion and adversely impact parental decision-making and immunization practices,” William E. Kobler, MD, AMA board member said in the release.

Increasing outdoor activities

This initiative supports efforts aimed at encouraging children to spend more time engaging in outdoor activities and other activities that have been proven to lower the onset of nearsightedness in children, the release stated.

“We know that children today spend an extraordinary amount of time staring at electronic screens, which limits their outdoor activity and adversely affects their eyesight,” Kobler said in the release. “That is why we are supporting efforts to encourage children to unplug and head outside.”

Preventing lead exposure

According to the release, this policy would mandate a complete environmental assessment, including water testing, of residential homes and child care facilities when a child who resides at or frequents these buildings has a confirmed elevated blood lead level.

“We know there is no safe level of lead exposure, yet children living in the U.S. continue to be exposed to unsafe levels of lead in their homes and in the water they drink. In fact, 20% of the lead that is ingested comes from the drinking water flowing through lead plumbing in communities across the nation,” Edwards said in the release. “For pregnant women and children, the dangers of lead exposure are particularly severe. That is why we support changes to laws that would require mandatory environmental assessments of homes and childcare facilities, including testing the water supply, when cases of child lead poisoning have been confirmed.”

AMA stated that this policy builds on existing AMA policy regarding lead poisoning, safe drinking water, and water contamination. – by Janel Miller

Disclosure: Healio Family Medicine was unable to determine relevant financial disclosures prior to publication.