Agriculture is the Solution
Now more than ever,
Americans are facing a multitude of health issues such as obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease and food insecurity. Additionally, the past three years have underscored major challenges for our food systems that have been bubbling beneath the surface for some time.
At the Texas A&M AgriLife Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture, IHA, we believe agriculture is the solution – the solution to human health, economic prosperity and environmental sustainability. The IHA is the world’s first academic institute to bring together precision nutrition, responsive agriculture, and social and behavioral healthy living research to reduce diet-related chronic disease and lower health care costs in a way that supports producers and the environment.
Three Focus Areas
Composed of three focus areas, the IHA will bring together experts across many disciplines,
including agriculture; nutrition; behavioral, social and life sciences; engineering; data and computation science; and economics.
The Challenge
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that six in 10 Americans have a chronic health condition and four in 10 Americans have two or more chronic health conditions. Today, half of all American adults suffer from diabetes or pre-diabetes, and 122 million Americans have cardiovascular disease, which alone results in around 840,000 deaths each year.
At the same time, food insecurity is a major issue that has worsened as a result of the pandemic. Before the COVID-19 pandemic, one in eight Americans faced food insecurity, and now, high rates of unemployment driven by the coronavirus are expected to leave another 18 million U.S. children food insecure. These numbers add up to 40% of U.S. youth being or soon becoming food-insecure. Learn more about how Texas A&M AgriLife is taking this challenge head-on.
News
IHA leads national conference on agriculture for health
The IHA partnered with the Chicago Council on Global Affairs to host a “Conference on Agriculture for Health: Priority Setting to Solve the Ultimate Grand Challenge.” The event drew experts from higher education, agriculture, government, and the private and nonprofit sectors.
Texas A&M names leading nutrition scientist to Institute for Advancing Health Through Agriculture
Encouraging physical activity to upgrade quality of life
Texas A&M study finds intervention program increases exercise and health outcomes in older adults As we age, strength training and aerobic exercise become increasingly important. Studies have shown strength training may enhance quality of life and…
Improvements and Maintenance of Clinical and Functional Measures Among Rural Women: Strong Hearts, Healthy Communities-2.0 Cluster Randomized Trial
The Science-Backed Strategies that will Actually Help You Eat Better
Aggies tout agricultural research in combating diet-related chronic disease
