Is the internet a sufficient source of information on sarcoidosis?

Introduction: Many patients use the internet as a source of health information. Sarcoidosis is a complex disease, and internet resources have not yet been analyzed for reliability and content on sarcoidosis.

Aims: Our study aimed to investigate the content and the quality of information on sarcoidosis provided by internet resources.

How Informed Are German Patients with Pulmonary Sarcoidosis about Their Disease?

Background: Sarcoidosis is a multisystemic disease with a heterogenous course of disease. Comprehensive information about the complexity and treatment indications is essential for improving patient knowledge and adhering to therapy.

Objectives: The aim of our study was to investigate the level and resources of information in patients with sarcoidosis and to analyze differences in patient subgroups including age and gender.

Immunomodulatory treatment in unclassifiable interstitial lung disease: A retrospective study of treatment response.

Background And Objective: The optimal management of unclassifiable Interstitial lung disease (ILD) remains a challenge. The aim of this study was to describe pulmonary function trajectories for patients treated with immunomodulatory therapy and for untreated patients.

Methods: Clinical information and treatment data were obtained retrospectively at two ILD centres.

YouTube-videos for patient education in lymphangioleiomyomatosis?

Background: The Internet is commonly used by patients to acquire health information. To date, no studies have evaluated the quality of information available on YouTube regarding lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Our aim was to determine the quality and content of YouTube videos regarding LAM and to compare the information provided with current knowledge and guidelines about the disease.

Fully Automated Segmentation of Pulmonary Fibrosis Using Different Software Tools.

Objective: Evaluation of software tools for segmentation, quantification, and characterization of fibrotic pulmonary parenchyma changes will strengthen the role of CT as biomarkers of disease extent, evolution, and response to therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) patients.

Methods: 418 nonenhanced thin-section MDCTs of 127 IPF patients and 78 MDCTs of 78 healthy individuals were analyzed through 3 fully automated, completely different software tools: YACTA, LUFIT, and IMBIO. The agreement between YACTA and LUFIT on segmented lung volume and 80th (reflecting fibrosis) and 40th (reflecting ground-glass opacity) percentile of the lung density histogram was analyzed using Bland-Altman plots.

Identification of starting points to promote health and wellbeing at the community level - a qualitative study.

Background: As health is influenced by the social, economic and environmental conditions in which individuals live, local communities are an ideal setting to promote health and wellbeing. However, up to now various health promotion interventions at the community level have had limited success, perhaps related to an incomplete understanding of local contexts and priorities. We therefore aimed to develop a broader and deeper understanding of topics or issues that were most salient to residents of a South-West German community by exploring their perceptions of needs, challenges, barriers and existing resources related to health and well-being.

Student obesity prevalence and behavioral outcomes for the massachusetts childhood obesity research demonstration project.

Objective: To examine changes in prevalence of obesity and target health behaviors (fruit, vegetable, and beverage consumption; physical activity; screen time; sleep duration) among students from communities that participated in the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) project compared to controls.

Methods: MA-CORD was implemented in two low-income communities. School-level prevalence of obesity among students in first, fourth, and seventh grades was calculated for the intervention communities and nine matched control communities pre and post intervention.

Lessons Learned by Community Stakeholders in the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Project, 2013-2014.

Introduction: Childhood obesity is a multifaceted disease that requires sustainable, multidimensional approaches that support change at the individual, community, and systems levels. The Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project addressed this need by using clinical and public health evidence-based methods to prevent childhood obesity. To date, little information is known about successes and lessons learned from implementing such large-scale interventions.

Using School Staff Members to Implement a Childhood Obesity Prevention Intervention in Low-Income School Districts: the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD Project), 2012-2014.

Introduction: Although evidence-based interventions to prevent childhood obesity in school settings exist, few studies have identified factors that enhance school districts' capacity to undertake such efforts. We describe the implementation of a school-based intervention using classroom lessons based on existing "Eat Well and Keep Moving" and "Planet Health" behavior change interventions and schoolwide activities to target 5,144 children in 4th through 7th grade in 2 low-income school districts.

Methods: The intervention was part of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) project, a multisector community-based intervention implemented from 2012 through 2014.

Fathers' Representation in Observational Studies on Parenting and Childhood Obesity: A Systematic Review and Content Analysis.

Background: The involvement of fathers in caregiving has increased substantially over the past 30 years. Yet in child and adolescent psychopathology, few studies include fathers as research participants and few present results for fathers separate from those for mothers. We test for the first time whether a similar pattern exists in research on parenting and childhood obesity.

A systematic review of media parenting in the context of childhood obesity research.

Background: We conducted a systematic review to obtain studies on childhood obesity and parenting published between 2009 and 2015, and draw out those studies with a particular focus on media parenting. Our analysis addresses two major aims: 1) to describe how media use and media-related parenting practices and skills are operationalized in studies and 2) to explore whether studies measured ecological factors (e.g.

A Cascade of Champions: A Qualitative Study about the MA-CORD Media Competition Implementation.

A media competition was part of the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) Study. Criss et al., previously outlined the development and implementation of the competition, including variation in reach and adoption of the intervention across schools and afterschool programs.

Conditioned to eat while watching television? Low-income caregivers' perspectives on the role of snacking and television viewing among pre-schoolers.

Objective: Although television (TV) viewing is frequently paired with snacking among young children, little is known about the environment in which caregivers promote this behaviour. We describe low-income pre-schoolers' snacking and TV viewing habits as reported by their primary caregivers, including social/physical snacking contexts, types of snacks and caregiver rationales for offering snacks. These findings may support the development of effective messages to promote healthy child snacking.

"What do you think of when I say the word 'snack'?" Towards a cohesive definition among low-income caregivers of preschool-age children.

Despite agreement that snacks contribute significant energy to children's diets, evidence of the effects of snacks on health, especially in children, is weak. Some of the lack of consistent evidence may be due to a non-standardized definition of snacks. Understanding how caregivers of preschool-aged children conceptualize and define child snacks could provide valuable insights on epidemiological findings, targets for anticipatory guidance, and prevention efforts.

Community Stakeholders' Perceptions of Major Factors Influencing Childhood Obesity, the Feasibility of Programs Addressing Childhood Obesity, and Persisting Gaps.

Prior research has identified numerous factors contributing to increased rates of childhood obesity. However, few studies have focused explicitly on the experience of community stakeholders in low-income communities. This study sought to capture the perspectives of these on-the-ground experts regarding major factors contributing to childhood obesity as well as gaps in current prevention and control efforts.

Parenting around child snacking: development of a theoretically-guided, empirically informed conceptual model.

Background: Snacking contributes to excessive energy intakes in children. Yet factors shaping child snacking are virtually unstudied. This study examines food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income caregivers.

Community stakeholders' perceptions of barriers to childhood obesity prevention in low-income families, Massachusetts 2012-2013.

Introduction: The etiology of childhood obesity is multidimensional and includes individual, familial, organizational, and societal factors. Policymakers and researchers are promoting social-ecological approaches to obesity prevention that encompass multiple community sectors. Programs that successfully engage low-income families in making healthy choices are greatly needed, yet little is known about the extent to which stakeholders understand the complexity of barriers encountered by families.

Insufficient sleep among elementary and middle school students is linked with elevated soda consumption and other unhealthy dietary behaviors.

Objective: This study examines the extent to which insufficient sleep is associated with diet quality in students taking part in the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration Project.

Methods: Data were collected in Fall 2012 for all 4th and 7th grade children enrolled in public schools in two Massachusetts communities. During annual body mass index (BMI) screening, students completed a survey that assessed diet, physical activity, screen time, and sleep.

Evaluation overview for the Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) project.

Background: The Massachusetts Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (MA-CORD) project is a 2-year, multilevel, multisector community intervention to prevent and control obesity among children 2-12 years of age from two predominantly low-income communities in Massachusetts. MA-CORD includes evidence-based interventions in multiple sectors, including community health centers, early care and education centers, schools, afterschool programs, the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children, and the broader community. Currently, implementation of MA-CORD is complete and the final year of data collection is in progress.

Sleep duration, restfulness, and screens in the sleep environment.

Background And Objective: Associations of inadequate sleep with numerous health outcomes among youth necessitate identifying its modifiable determinants. Television (TV) has been associated with sleep curtailment, but little is known about small screens (eg, smartphones), which can be used in bed and emit notifications. Therefore, we examined associations of different screens in sleep environments with sleep duration and perceived insufficient rest or sleep.

A qualitative study of parents' perceptions and use of portion size strategies for preschool children's snacks.

Objective: Increases in childhood obesity correspond with shifts in children's snacking behaviors and food portion sizes. This study examined parents' conceptualizations of portion size and the strategies they use to portion snacks in the context of preschool-aged children's snacking.

Methods: Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with non-Hispanic white (W), African American (AA), and Hispanic (H) low-income parents (n = 60) of preschool-aged children living in Philadelphia and Boston.

Evaluation protocol to assess an integrated framework for the implementation of the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration project at the California (CA-CORD) and Massachusetts (MA-CORD) sites.

Background: The long-term success of child obesity prevention and control efforts depends not only on the efficacy of the approaches selected, but also on the strategies through which they are implemented and sustained. This study introduces the Multilevel Implementation Framework (MIF), a conceptual model of factors affecting the implementation of multilevel, multisector interventions, and describes its application to the evaluation of two of three state sites (CA and MA) participating in the Childhood Obesity Research Demonstration (CORD) project.

Methods/design: A convergent mixed-methods design is used to document intervention activities and identify determinants of implementation effectiveness at the CA-CORD and MA-CORD sites.