This module acts as a foundation for the rest of the course, providing an introduction to the principles of lifestyle medicine (LM) and an understanding of LM as an evidence-based practice. You will learn the definition of LM and how LM plays a unique role in the prevention and treatment of non-communicable diseases. By understanding both the health advantages and disadvantages of lifestyle behaviors, you will comprehend primary healthcare's important role in screening, diagnosing, and monitoring lifestyle-related conditions. By the end of this module, you will appreciate that a physician's healthy lifestyle influences a patient's health behavior outcome. You are invited to examine your personal lifestyle and identify a health habit you would like to improve upon (and subsequently maintain) while taking this course.

This module requires you identify a mentor with whom you would like to work.  Your mentor should be someone who has worked as a primary-care physician for five years or more, with a particular interest in LM. Your mentor will serve as your main consultant and educator on new material and will help you understand application of these lessons in clinical practice.

Upon completion of this module, students should be able to perform the following:

• Define lifestyle medicine (LM) and describe the unique role of LM

• Describe the LM core competencies as identified by a national consensus panel

• Cite the scientific evidence that demonstrates the association of risk conditions (from unhealthy behaviors) as key to health outcomes

• Understand the importance of LM in treating the world's lifestyle disease burden

• Cite scientific data supporting that physicians who practice healthy lifestyles are more likely to offer counseling and improve patient outcomes

• Understand environmental lifestyle-related factors and their impact on non-communicable diseases