Effects of an after-school care-administered physical activity and nutrition protocol on body mass index, fitness levels, and targeted psychological factors in 5- to 8-year-olds
Abstract
Over one third of U.S. youth are overweight or obese. Treatments typically have had unreliable effects, inconsistently incorporating behavior-change theory. After-school care might be a viable setting for health behavior-change programs. We evaluated effects of two consecutive 12-week segments of a revised self-efficacy/social cognitive theory-based physical activity and nutrition treatment on fitness levels, body mass index (BMI), and targeted psychosocial factors in after-school care participants, ages 5–8 years. Changes in physiological measures, exercise self-efficacy (ESE), and physical s...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - December 9, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
A randomized preference trial to inform personalization of a parent training program implemented in community mental health clinics
We describe the rationale for a preference-based approach to the personalization of community-based interventions. Compensating for the limitations of traditional randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and partially randomized preference trials (PRPTs), we employed a doubly randomized preference trial in the present study. Families (N = 129) presenting to community mental health clinics for child conduct problems were randomized to choice or no-choice conditions. Within each condition, parents were again randomized, or offered choices between home- and clinic-based, individual and group versions of a parent training progr...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - December 3, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Simplified Novel Application (SNApp) framework: a guide to developing and implementing second-generation mobile applications for behavioral health research
Abstract
Advances in mobile technology and mobile applications (apps) have opened up an exciting new frontier for behavioral health researchers, with a “second generation” of apps allowing for the simultaneous collection of multiple streams of data in real time. With this comes a host of technical decisions and ethical considerations unique to this evolving approach to research. Drawing on our experience developing a second-generation app for the simultaneous collection of text message, voice, and self-report data, we provide a framework for researchers interested in developing and using second-genera...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - December 2, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Online tobacco websites and online communities—who uses them and do users quit smoking? The quit-primo and national dental practice-based research network Hi-Quit studies
Abstract
Online tobacco cessation communities are beneficial but underused. Our study examined whether, among smokers participating in a web-assisted tobacco intervention (Decide2quit.org), specific characteristics were associated with navigating to BecomeAnEx.org, an online cessation community, and with subsequent quit rates. Among smokers (N = 759) registered with Decide2quit.org, we identified visitors to BecomeAnEx.org, examining associations between smoker characteristics and likelihood of visiting. We then tested for associations between visits and 6-month cessation (point prevalence). We also t...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - December 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Chronic pain assessment from bench to bedside: lessons along the translation continuum
Abstract
The first step to providing effective healthcare is accurate assessment and diagnosis. The importance of accurate assessment is particularly important for chronic pain, given its subjective and multidimensional nature. The purpose of the current review is to discuss the dilemma of chronic pain assessment within a translational framework. First, assessment issues specific to chronic pain will be introduced along the entire continuum of translational activities. Important barriers along the continuum include inconsistent measurement of pain, possibly inaccurate preclinical models, and other practic...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - December 1, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Uptake of evidence-based physical activity programs: comparing perceptions of adopters and nonadopters
This study explored health educator perceptions of two evidence-based, physical activity programs—one was developed through an integrated research-practice partnership approach (FitEx) and the other was research-developed, Active Living Every Day (ALED). Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 health educators who were trained on either ALED (n = 6) or FitEx (n = 6) and had either delivered (n = 6) or did not deliver (n = 6) the intervention. Program adopters identified with program characteristics, materials, processes, implementation, fit within system, and collaborations as more positive fact...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 30, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Characterising smoking cessation smartphone applications in terms of behaviour change techniques, engagement and ease-of-use features
Abstract
The aim of this study was to assess whether or not behaviour change techniques (BCTs) as well as engagement and ease-of-use features used in smartphone applications (apps) to aid smoking cessation can be identified reliably. Apps were coded for presence of potentially effective BCTs, and engagement and ease-of-use features. Inter-rater reliability for this coding was assessed. Inter-rater agreement for identifying presence of potentially effective BCTs ranged from 66.8 to 95.1 % with ‘prevalence and bias adjusted kappas’ (PABAK) ranging from 0.35 to 0.90 (p < 0.001). The intra-class c...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 23, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) position statement: SBM supports the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s (NCCRT) call to action to reach 80 % colorectal cancer screening rates by 2018
Abstract
The Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) urges stakeholders to support the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable’s (NCCRT) initiative 80 % by 2018. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is largely preventable with early detection of pre-cancerous polyps but CRC screening is underutilized, especially among the underserved. In response to low screening rates, this initiative sets an important goal of a population screening rate of 80 % in adults ages 50 and older by the year 2018. It is estimated that this screening rate could prevent more than 20,000 CRC deaths per year within 15 years. The initiative take...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 23, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Impact of research investment on scientific productivity of junior researchers
Abstract
There is a demand for providing evidence on the effectiveness of research investments on the promotion of novice researchers’ scientific productivity and production of research with new initiatives and innovations. We used a mixed method approach to evaluate the funding effect of the New Investigator Fund (NIF) by comparing scientific productivity between award recipients and non-recipients. We reviewed NIF grant applications submitted from 2004 to 2013. Scientific productivity was assessed by confirming the publication of the NIF-submitted application. Online databases were searched, independe...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 20, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Financing prevention: opportunities for economic analysis across the translational research cycle
Abstract
Prevention advocates often make the case that preventive intervention not only improves public health and welfare but also can save public resources. Increasingly, evidence-based policy efforts considering prevention are focusing on how programs can save taxpayer resources from reduced burden on health, criminal justice, and social service systems. Evidence of prevention’s return has begun to draw substantial investments from the public and private sector. Yet, translating prevention effectiveness into economic impact requires specific economic analyses to be employed across the stages of trans...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 18, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
A translational neuroscience perspective on mindfulness meditation as a prevention strategy
Abstract
Mindfulness meditation research mainly focuses on psychological outcomes such as behavioral, cognitive, and emotional functioning. However, the neuroscience literature on mindfulness meditation has grown in recent years. This paper provides an overview of relevant neuroscience and psychological research on the effects of mindfulness meditation. We propose a translational prevention framework of mindfulness and its effects. Drawing upon the principles of prevention science, this framework integrates neuroscience and prevention research and postulates underlying brain regulatory mechanisms that exp...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 13, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Illustrating idiographic methods for translation research: moderation effects, natural clinical experiments, and complex treatment-by-subgroup interactions
Abstract
A critical juncture in translation research involves the preliminary studies of intervention tools, provider training programs, policies, and other mechanisms used to leverage knowledge garnered at one translation stage into another stage. Potentially useful for such studies are rigorous techniques for conducting within-subject clinical trials, which have advanced incrementally over the last decade. However, these methods have largely not been utilized within prevention or translation contexts. The purpose of this manuscript is to demonstrate the flexibility, wide applicability, and rigor of idio...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 12, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
The weight loss blogosphere: an online survey of weight loss bloggers
We examined characteristics of weight loss bloggers and their blogs, including blogging habits, reasons for blogging, like and dislikes of blogging, and associations between blogging activity and weight loss. Participants (N = 194, 92.3 % female, mean age = 35) were recruited from Twitter and Facebook to complete an online survey. Participants reported an average weight loss of 42.3 pounds since starting to blog about their weight loss attempt. Blogging duration significantly predicted greater weight loss during blogging (β = −3.65, t(185) = −2.97, p = .003). Findings suggest that bloggers are gen...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 11, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
BeWell24 : development and process evaluation of a smartphone “app” to improve sleep, sedentary, and active behaviors in US Veterans with increased metabolic risk
We describe the development and process evaluation of BeWell24, a multicomponent smartphone application (or “app”) that targets behavior change in these interdependent behaviors. A community-embedded iterative design framework was used to develop the app. An 8-week multiphase optimization strategy design study was used to test the initial efficacy of the sleep, sedentary, and exercise components of the app. Process evaluation outcomes included objectively measured app usage statistics (e.g., minutes of usage, self-monitoring patterns), user experience interviews, and satisfaction ratings. Participants (N = 26) logg...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 9, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
Development of a dynamic computational model of social cognitive theory
Abstract
Social cognitive theory (SCT) is among the most influential theories of behavior change and has been used as the conceptual basis of health behavior interventions for smoking cessation, weight management, and other health behaviors. SCT and other behavior theories were developed primarily to explain differences between individuals, but explanatory theories of within-person behavioral variability are increasingly needed as new technologies allow for intensive longitudinal measures and interventions adapted from these inputs. These within-person explanatory theoretical applications can be modeled a...
Source: Translational Behavioral Medicine - November 9, 2015 Category: Global & Universal Source Type: research
