Recently, Andy and Sarah had the opportunity to attend the 2026 Annual Meeting of the International Society of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity (ISBNPA) held in Cádiz, Spain from May 27th–30th. ISBNPA is one of the premier international conferences dedicated to advancing research on nutrition and physical activity behavioral health. This year’s gathering brought together leading scholars from around the world to share about recent research and implementation efforts in nutrition and physical activity.
Both Andy and Sarah delivered short presentations at the conference. Andy was able to share on his recent work with the Faith, Activity, and Nutrition (FAN) National Implementation Study led through the USC Prevention Research Center. His presentation focused on how FAN was implemented in 103 churches across the United States and key strategies that led to greater FAN Committee engagement and better FAN implementation in each church. Sarah presented on a recent systematic review focused on how implementation science is being utilized within community-based nutrition and physical activity interventions. A total of 52 articles were included within the review which examined the use of implementation science frameworks and outcomes within these interventions. Key takeaways included the inconsistent use of implementation science frameworks such as RE-AIM and the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR), limited reporting on outcomes like fidelity and implementation costs, and a need for stronger multi-level approaches to standardized outcome measurement going forward. Finally, Andy also presented a poster from a study led by BEACH Lab doctoral student, Farnaz Hesam Shariati, about how the number of parks was associated with greater physical activity and lower obesity levels in communities (census tracts) across South Carolina.
Beyond the conference sessions, Cádiz itself proved to be a memorable destination. As one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, Cádiz is built on a narrow peninsula jutting into the Atlantic and is rich with history at every turn. Most conference attendees took time to explore the magnificent Cádiz Cathedral, including its distinctive golden dome that rises above the old city skyline. There were also great number of restaurants and cafes to visit along some of Cádiz’s winding historic streets. We happened to run into former BEACH Lab member, Gina Besenyi, now an Associate Professor at Kansas State University, at one of those cafes as she was attending ISBNPA to present her own research focused on physical activity interventions with cancer patients.
Attending ISBNPA was a valuable experience for connecting with international colleagues working at the intersection of behavioral science, nutrition, and physical activity research. Having it hosted in Cádiz made it even better!
