{"title":"Sleep Regularity and Caregiver-Reported Fasting and Meal Skipping Behavior Among U.S. Adolescents: Findings from a National Sample.","authors":"Adam P Knowlden, Kara Christensen Pacella","doi":"10.1177/15598276261493422","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1177/15598276261493422","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The purpose of this study was to examine associations of bedtime consistency and sleep duration with caregiver-reported fasting and meal skipping among U.S. adolescents. Data were drawn from the 2024 National Survey of Children's Health (N = 20,774 adolescents aged 12-17 years). Complex-samples logistic regression adjusted for age, demographic characteristics, family context, and sugary-drink intake. Predicted probabilities, interaction tests, and expanded covariate models were examined. Inconsistent bedtime was associated with higher odds of caregiver-reported fasting and meal skipping (aOR = 2.45, 95% CI: 2.00-3.00, <i>P</i> < .001). Short sleep was not independently associated after age adjustment (aOR = 1.16, 95% CI: 0.97-1.39, <i>P</i> = .111). Adjusted predicted probabilities ranged from 10.9% for consistent bedtimes and adequate sleep to 25.2% for inconsistent bedtimes and short sleep. The bedtime consistency × sleep-duration interaction was not significant. The association with inconsistent bedtime persisted in expanded models. Inconsistent bedtime was associated with caregiver-reported fasting and meal skipping, whereas short sleep was not independently associated after age adjustment. The outcome does not indicate eating-disorder diagnosis or severity. The cross-sectional design cannot establish directionality or demonstrate that changing bedtime consistency would alter eating behavior.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261493422"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13627454/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149116293","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Artificial Intelligence in Lifestyle Medicine: Advancing Clinical Practice, Education, and Whole-Person Care With Responsible Innovation.","authors":"Liana Lianov","doi":"10.1177/15598276261493054","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261493054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Artificial intelligence (AI) is rapidly transforming health care, offering new opportunities to enhance education, clinical care, and system-level integration. Lifestyle medicine (LM), with its emphasis on behavior change and whole-person care is particularly well positioned to benefit from these advances. This perspective provides an overview of emerging and potential applications of AI across the field, including clinician training and self-directed learning, AI-augmented clinical supervision, patient-facing tools for health behavior change, mental health and emotional well-being, real-time access to scientific evidence, clinical reasoning support, and system-level planning to connect with community resources that address social determinants of health. While these tools offer significant promise to improve scalability, consistency, and personalization of care, they also introduce risks related to data privacy, bias, and overreliance on automated recommendations. Acknowledging recent controversies about AI risks and the rapid evolution of this technology, we propose practical guardrails for clinicians and highlight the importance of leadership engagement to ensure that AI development and its use in the field aligns with the principles of LM and whole-person care. Thoughtful integration of AI with human agency that propels critical thinking has the potential to strengthen, rather than diminish, the human-centered foundations of whole-person care.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261493054"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13616028/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149070403","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Authors' Response: Implications of Conflicting Definitions of the Term Plant-Based.","authors":"Shannon Menhardt, Anna Herby, Neal Barnard","doi":"10.1177/15598276261493123","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261493123","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261493123"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13615180/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065131","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Fiber First Approach: A Culinary Medicine Strategy for Metabolic Stability.","authors":"Amy Hanus","doi":"10.1177/15598276261488277","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261488277","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261488277"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13615191/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065073","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Improving Flourishing Through Utilization of Group Dynamics and Lifestyle Education: A Case Study.","authors":"Anna Dysart, Minu Sara Thomas","doi":"10.1177/15598276261491713","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261491713","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Healthcare workers show higher rates of burnout and lower rates of flourishing (overall well-being). Many interventions target healthcare workers already in the field or graduate students. This group-dynamics based intervention targeted undergraduate healthcare students to promote flourishing. The intervention targeted physical activity, mindfulness, nutrition, and self-care as foundational ways to support overall flourishing. Participants were recruited from an undergraduate population to attend 4 educational and activity sessions. Surveys were completed pre-, post- and 6-months post intervention. Surveys included the validated Standford Leisure-Time Activity Categorical Item (L-Cat) to measure physical activity, the Short Healthy Eating Index Survey (sHEI) to measure healthy eating, and Secure Flourishing Index (SFI) to measure flourishing. During the 4 weekly intervention meetings, participants learned about ways to promote health and flourishing and participated in hands-on activities and active discussions. There was no statistical improvement in physical activity or healthy eating, but flourishing was statistically improved post-intervention (<i>P</i> < .001). Additional participant feedback noted enjoying the group, improved cooking skills, and learning new mindfulness skills. Limitations to this case study include the small participant group size (n = 8). More research is needed on group-dynamics interventions to promote flourishing in larger and more diverse college groups.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261491713"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-25","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13615187/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Food is Medicine as Health Prevention and Medicine: Reflections on the Aspen Health Strategy Group Meeting.","authors":"Ron Stout, Janet Calhoun","doi":"10.1177/15598276261469007","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261469007","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>The Aspen Health Strategy Group's 2026 meeting, cosponsored by Ardmore Institute of Health, focused on Food and Health, including the issue of food is medicine. This commentary argues that the field's promise is greatest when framed more broadly as Food as Health, Prevention, and Medicine. Food is not only a therapeutic intervention after diagnosis, but a daily determinant of whole-person health, community well-being, and chronic disease prevention. Advancing this vision requires clinical, policy, cultural, and community-based strategies that make healthy food accessible and meaningful.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261469007"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13615182/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065101","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Implementing a National Lifestyle Medicine Residency Curriculum: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation of Learning, Behavior Change, and Clinical Integration.","authors":"Shanna L Mello","doi":"10.1177/15598276261491654","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261491654","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><b>Purpose:</b> To evaluate the impact of a national lifestyle medicine residency curriculum (LMRC) on resident knowledge, confidence, and clinical behaviors, and to examine factors influencing implementation in real-world training environments. <b>Methods:</b> A convergent mixed-methods design was used. Quantitative analyses included pre- and post-curriculum survey data from 148 residents across multiple specialties, analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with 15 residents and analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings were integrated using a side-by-side comparison approach guided by Kirkpatrick's evaluation model. <b>Results:</b> Residents demonstrated significant improvements in lifestyle medicine knowledge, confidence, and frequency of counseling behaviors across all domains (<i>P</i> < .001), with moderate to large effect sizes. Qualitative findings revealed that residents integrated lifestyle medicine into clinical practice through brief counseling strategies, goal-setting techniques, and the use of practical tools such as electronic health record prompts and patient education resources. Reported facilitators included faculty support and workflow integration, while barriers included time constraints, documentation burden, and variability in local resources. Residents also described early patient-level improvements, including enhanced engagement and clinical indicators. <b>Conclusions:</b> A structured lifestyle medicine curriculum was associated with meaningful improvements in resident competencies and clinical practice behaviors. Successful implementation depended on integration into clinical workflows and supportive training environments. These findings provide actionable insights for scaling lifestyle medicine education across graduate medical education.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261491654"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-24","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13612761/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149065085","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"An Underused Route Into the Coaching Workforce: Undergraduate, NBHWC-Approved Preparation.","authors":"Mark A Arcuri","doi":"10.1177/15598276261491667","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261491667","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Lifestyle medicine depends on helping people change daily behavior and sustain it, and health and wellness coaching is one of the most reliable ways to support that change. Demand for board-certified coaches is rising faster than supply. Most preparation sits at the graduate level, in continuing education, and in private certificate programs. Undergraduate education remains the route the field has used least. This essay argues that placing coach preparation approved by the National Board for Health and Wellness Coaching inside a bachelor's degree can sit alongside established paths, reach students earlier, and widen a constrained pipeline. Drawing on the development of one such program in a fully online setting, the essay describes why undergraduate preparation matters for access, community impact, and professional identity formation; what approval standards ask in instructional hours, live coaching practice, and faculty credentialing; and how those standards were translated into an online course structure built around synchronous practice, deliberate sequencing, and instructor presence. Lessons for other programs address faculty recruitment, documentation, sequencing, and credential language. No students have yet reached the coaching sequence, so this is an account of design rather than outcomes.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261491667"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13593953/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026447","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Neha Pathak, Ali Saad, William T Wong, Gia Merlo, David Donohue, Kathryn J Pollard
{"title":"Lifestyle Medicine for Personal and Planetary Health: A Position Statement From the American College of Lifestyle Medicine.","authors":"Neha Pathak, Ali Saad, William T Wong, Gia Merlo, David Donohue, Kathryn J Pollard","doi":"10.1177/15598276261478587","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261478587","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Built on six core pillars (whole-food, plant-predominant nutrition; physical activity; restorative sleep; stress management; connectedness; and avoidance of toxic substances), lifestyle medicine (LM) addresses root causes of disease to improve population health through evidence-based therapeutic lifestyle interventions. Growing evidence demonstrates that human health and optimal access to these pillars depend on stable planetary systems that provide clean air, water, nutritious food, and the environmental conditions necessary for human well-being. It is the position of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM) that: (1) urgent and coordinated action is required to address the accelerating health impacts of the converging chronic disease and triple planetary crises of biodiversity loss, climate change, and environmental pollution; (2) lifestyle interventions offer reciprocal benefits for individual, community, and planetary well-being; (3) integrating LM into healthcare delivery promotes health, strengthens personal and community resilience, and may reduce the environmental footprint of the healthcare sector; and (4) integrating LM principles into health professional education, clinical care, public health initiatives, and policy frameworks is a critical strategy for advancing equitable, high-quality, and environmentally sustainable healthcare that safeguards both population and planetary health.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261478587"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13593942/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026391","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Are Midlife Australians Ready to Implement Lifestyle Medicine to Improve Their Health and Wellbeing? A Cross-Sectional Online Survey.","authors":"Jennifer Black, Sam Manger, Karen Carlisle","doi":"10.1177/15598276261484859","DOIUrl":"10.1177/15598276261484859","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>This study assessed awareness, acceptability, and readiness to use Lifestyle Medicine (LM) among Australians in midlife (40-65 years). A cross-sectional online survey of Australian adults aged 40-65 years (n = 357) measured awareness and understanding of LM, willingness to use LM for prevention and after diagnosis, barriers to engagement, preferences for support, and readiness to discuss lifestyle change with a health professional. The survey included closed-response items and five open-ended questions. Awareness of the term LM was moderate (56%) and understanding was uneven, with many definitions emphasizing nutrition and exercise. LM was more acceptable for prevention (89.6% agreement) than after a new diagnosis (77%). Most participants supported discussing LM during routine health checks (75%) and valued personalized advice (85%). Readiness to discuss lifestyle change with a health professional was positive for 61%, while 31% were unsure. Qualitative findings highlighted the importance of timing, trust in clinicians, practical constraints, and ongoing support. Overall, midlife Australians reported strong acceptability of LM, particularly for prevention, but variable awareness and common practical barriers indicate a gap between endorsement and intended action. The findings support further evaluation of brief, personalized LM discussions and scalable follow-up pathways in routine care to determine whether these approaches can improve engagement and help close the knowing-to-doing gap.</p>","PeriodicalId":47480,"journal":{"name":"American Journal of Lifestyle Medicine","volume":" ","pages":"15598276261484859"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-09-21","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC13593945/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149026421","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}