Altarum’s Work to be Featured at 2024 American Public Health Association (APHA) Annual Meeting

Are you attending APHA 2024? The American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting this year will take place in Minneapolis, Minnesota from October 27th through 30th. Learn more about our work and reach out to schedule a meeting with the Altarum team during the event.

Our experts and partners will be presenting in multiple sessions on military and veterans health and food and nutrition. Learn more about our sessions below.

Engaging Communities in Food and Nutrition 

Good Food at Home: An online ordering/delivery fresh produce incentive program for families with lower incomes 

Sunday, October 27, 2024 | 3:30pm - 3:50pm

Grocery online ordering/delivery access is growing for families with lower incomes, including incorporation into federal nutrition programs; however more evaluation of these efforts is needed. Therefore, the purpose of this project, conducted by Partnership for a Healthier America and Altarum, was to implement and evaluate a three-month fresh produce incentive offered through a national online ordering platform to families with lower incomes.  

Participants were recruited from four U.S. cities through community partners and received $60 each month for three months to purchase fresh produce through an online ordering platform. Participants who opted to participate in the evaluation were sent online surveys at baseline and post and gave permission to access sales data through the online ordering platform. This program improved nutrition security among families with lower incomes and contributed knowledge to the field on purchasing patterns and user preferences concerning grocery online ordering/delivery. As these platforms become more accessible to families with lower incomes, it is important to consider preferences and usability in both program and policy implications. 

Mental Health – Mental Health of Active-Duty Service Members 

Mental Health and Barriers to Treatment Among Active-duty Service Members (ADSMs) 

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 5:00pm - 5:15pm

Active-duty Service members have reported a decline in mental health quality over the past two decades. As the (DoD) and the Military Health System (MHS) work to reverse this trend, DoD and MHS leadership prioritizes research that investigates the source of Service member’s distress and their barriers to accessing care. As part of these efforts, the 2023 HCSDB survey included questions assessing factors associated with mental health quality to identify actionable policy interventions. 

Food and Nutrition – Food Insecurity Among Active-Duty Service Members and Their Families 

Characteristics associated with food insecurity among active-duty service members and their families 

Tuesday, October 29, 2024 | 2:30pm - 3:30pm

Since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Department of Defense (DoD) has expanded efforts to address reports of food insecurity among active-duty Service members and their families. In 2022, RAND found that approximately 26% of active-duty personnel are classified as having low or very low food insecurity by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) food insecurity assessment. The current analyses expand upon RAND’s initial findings based on the study’s recommendations for future research. 

Connect with the Altarum Team

Interested in learning more? Read more about Altarum’s work in military and veterans health and food and nutrition. To connect directly with our team during the event, reach out to info@altarum.org to schedule a meeting with one of our experts to learn more about our work.