Nourishing the Nation’s Health

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) is a trade group representing traditional drug stores, supermarkets, and mass merchants with pharmacies. The association is advancing Food Is Medicine (FIM) efforts through its Nourish My Health (NMH) campaign and the Milken Institute’s FIM care action plan supported by NACDS, which explains and advocates for ways that pharmacies can implement FIM programs to effectively address nutrition, health, and hunger. 

NACDS is included in the Bright Spots series to describe the possible role for pharmacies in the FIM landscape and highlight how associations and other organizations can use public health campaigns to improve consumers’ dietary habits.

Raising Awareness for FIM Interventions

NACDS’ primary objective is to improve the health and wellness of consumers through a variety of campaigns and programs, including FIM initiatives. Following the 2022 White House Conference on Hunger, Nutrition, and Health, NACDS committed to launch NMH, a nationwide public education campaign directed towards Americans at risk for diet-related diseases, including those in rural communities and communities that are underserved. 

Through members and national partners, this campaign emphasizes the importance of preventive screenings and raises nutritional awareness to promote lifestyle changes, improve health outcomes, and mitigate diet-related diseases. Since its launch, NMH has educated millions of people about FIM.  

Helping Pharmacies Promote FIM

NACDS and the Milken Institute collaborated to respond to the White House Challenge to End Hunger and Build Healthy Communities following the 2022 White House Conference. The Milken Institute analyzed data and generated an independent report, supported by NACDS, describing pharmacy-driven actions supporting FIM efforts. 

Released in June 2024, the report, “Catalyzing Action for Pharmacist-Provided Food Is Medicine Care”, provides strategies that pharmacies can use to implement FIM programs, and lists actionable steps for public and private stakeholders to leverage pharmacists’ unique expertise when addressing nutrition, health, and hunger issues experienced by Americans nationwide.

Gathering Data About Nutrition Security

As part of the NMH campaign, NACDS aims to improve understanding about gaps in nutrition security through the Tufts Nutrition Security Survey, which assesses respondents’ access to nutritious foods. NACDS administers the survey through its partnership with Higi, an in-store and online consumer health engagement company. In addition to online, consumers can access the Nutrition Security Survey at approximately 5,030 Higi in-store kiosks, which also capture consumer demographics and biometrics. 

As of May 2024, in-store kiosks located at NACDS member pharmacies recorded over 12,000 nutrition security surveys and over 42,000 biometric sessions. 

NACDS outlines the following call-to-action in the NMH campaign:  

• Ask your pharmacist how to check your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood glucose (blood sugar), and body mass index  
• Use this information to understand your risk for diet-related diseases and other health conditions  
• Work with your health care provider to make a plan to reduce your risk, which may include eating a variety of nutritious foods, improving lifestyle habits, and other recommendations  
• If your baseline numbers are in the healthy range, keep them there by eating a nutritious diet  

NACDS aims to improve access to health care and advance health equity. About 90% of Americans live within 5 miles of a pharmacy, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacies were essential in helping to reach populations that were vulnerable or underserved. 

Recognizing that health disparities and poor health outcomes are related to nutrition insecurity, NACDS implemented the in-person Nutrition Security Survey in areas that are vulnerable to these challenges. Of the 25 Higi kiosks with the highest NMH engagement, 17 are in counties with a high Social Vulnerability Index (SVI) and 6 are in counties with medium-to-high SVI. 

The Survey was recently translated into Spanish, which enabled NACDS to reach even more consumers. Responses to the Survey have enabled NACDS to sharpen the NMH message as the group learns more about consumer habits and barriers to good nutrition.

Members 

NACDS Members promote the NMH campaign in varying ways, including in-store activation of health screenings, promotion of campaign resources and materials through newsletters and circulars, dedicated health and wellness days across the country, and digital and social media promotion. 

Sixteen NACDS member companies are engaged in the NMH campaign. These members work toward a common goal of improving the health and wellness of Americans. NACDS members are a core driver of the NMH campaign success, as these pharmacies represent well-known, trusted messengers across communities. 

National Partners 

The current national partners whose ethos align with NMH’s goals and credibility to deliver trusted messages to the public about health:  

• American Cancer Society  
• American Diabetes Association  
• Food is Medicine Institute at the Tufts University Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy 

These partners provide their expertise and help NACDS broaden the reach of NMH. NACDS reaches partner audiences by including NMH campaign messaging in existing communications, infrastructure, and activities hosted by the partner. For example, the American Diabetes Association promoted the NMH core message at cycling and walking fundraising events known as the Tour de Cure and Step Out Walk to Stop Diabetes during the summer of 2024. 

Pivoting on the Fly

Initial responses from the Nutrition Security Survey revealed that survey respondents lacked a clear definition of healthy food. Respondents believed that healthy food needed to be expensive. However, consumers can also find inexpensive nutritious food, such as canned and frozen food. This data informed NACDS’s messaging for NMH because it helped NACDS understand gaps in consumer understanding about healthy food, thereby enabling NACDS to shift its message on the fly.

Multiple Engagement Channels

NACDS relies on multiple informational outlets to spread awareness about the NMH campaign. In addition to member and partner communication channels, NACDS collaborates with social media influencers to spread the NMH campaign and direct consumers to the NMH website. As of July 2024, the NMH campaign has garnered over 180 million impressions.

Action, not Just Awareness

NACDS believes that awareness must be accompanied by action. In alignment with this belief, NMH promotes nutritional awareness while simultaneously encouraging people to improve their dietary habits and engage in routine health screenings. 

Partners provide value in a variety of ways when launching a FIM initiative. For example, they can offer their unique positions, infrastructure, participation, and audiences to the campaign. These assets offer tremendous value as they enable the new initiative to be inserted into existing activities and quickly reach wide audiences.

• NACDS intends to share the Tufts Nutrition Security survey results in a press release, academic publication, or report as part of its collaboration with the Food is Medicine Institute at Tufts University  
• NACDS plans to complete its analysis of the NMH participants this fall
• To reach more communities, NACDS is seeking additional national partners and expanding NACDS member participation