Educational Strategies Drive Adoption of Lifestyle Medicine in Health Systems

Recent research highlights the pivotal role of educational strategies in advancing the integration of lifestyle medicine across healthcare systems. Expanding access to diverse educational opportunities—such as continuing medical education (CME) courses, professional certifications, webinars, mentorship programs, peer-to-peer networks, and conference participation—can significantly promote the adoption of this specialized field. A study published in Translational Behavioral Medicine underscores that intentional educational initiatives are essential for deepening clinicians' knowledge, boosting their confidence, and fostering practice changes needed to prevent, reverse, and treat chronic diseases through lifestyle interventions.

Conducted by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM), the qualitative study involved over 60 interviews with clinicians, administrators, and educators across eight health systems—seven of which are part of ACLM’s Health System Council devoted to accelerating clinical integration of lifestyle medicine. Findings reveal that embedding lifestyle medicine education into organizational culture leads to meaningful shifts in practice and supports ongoing professional development.

Key strategies identified include lifestyle medicine and 'food as medicine' CME courses and webinars, certification programs, grand rounds, in-house training sessions, attendance at ACLM’s annual conference, and fostering peer learning and mentoring. Participants emphasized that these educational efforts translate into organizational culture change, fostering mentoring, peer support, and shared enthusiasm for lifestyle interventions.

Embedding lifestyle medicine into employee wellness initiatives was also shown to be effective. This approach allows clinicians to experience lifestyle interventions firsthand, reinforcing their credibility and confidence when recommending similar strategies to patients. The study’s first author, Meghan Ames, DrPH, MSPH, RDN, notes that delivering lifestyle medicine education to health system staff offers a valuable opportunity for healthcare professionals to learn about the field’s power directly.

Furthermore, the research pinpointed critical educational content areas, including defining lifestyle medicine with a strong evidence base, behavior change counseling, referral pathways, and business skills. Raising awareness of available resources within and outside health systems is crucial for facilitating patient referrals and ensuring consistent application of lifestyle medicine practices.

Overall, these insights provide healthcare leaders with a roadmap for implementing and sustaining lifestyle medicine initiatives, ultimately improving patient outcomes and addressing chronic disease burdens more effectively.

Source: https://medicalxpress.com/news/2025-09-strategies-fuel-lifestyle-medicine-health.html