Spotlight

There is abundant evidence that good nutrition is imperative to overall physical health, supports disease prevention, and offers cognitive benefits too. But when it comes to our overall mental and emotional health or our sense of well-being, what specific outcomes can we expect from good nutrition? And what negative effects can we expect from inadequate nutrition? These questions are just a few of many being asked by the Food and Mood Project — an initiative led by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS).

Last month I was honored to deliver the keynote address to the American Public Health Association 2023 Annual Meeting held in Atlanta, Georgia. I spoke about an important initiative that we are continuing to develop and the need to take the social determinants of health “to the next level.” To reach the broadest possible audience, I am sharing my remarks from that meeting.

We’re excited to announce that MyHealthfinder now features 2 resources on anxiety disorder in adults. The new anxiety resources align with a final recommendation from the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) showing that adults age 64 years and younger can benefit from screening to help identify anxiety disorders — so they can get the treatment they need.

It’s my pleasure to introduce another entry in our quarterly vlog series, where we engage with partners in the public and private sectors to discuss the ways in which we can collaborate to advance our collective mission to promote greater health equity and well-being for all people. As part of our November observance of Veterans Day,  I joined Dr. Ernest Moy, Executive Director of the Office of Health Equity at the Veterans Health Administration, to discuss the unique health challenges and disparities that our Veterans population faces, and what is being done to address them.