Addressing rural health disparities by optimizing "high-touch" intervention components in digital obesity treatment: The iREACH Rural study.

Background: Rural residents are more impacted by obesity and related comorbidities than their urban counterparts. Digital weight management interventions may produce meaningful weight loss among rural residents.

Objectives: The iREACH Rural Study aims to identify "high-touch" component(s) that contribute to meaningful weight loss (≥1.

'I Don't Know How to Live Real Life Sober'-Identifying Needed Supports Through the Voices of Pregnant and Parenting People Seeking Recovery.

Pregnant and parenting people (PPP) experience complex challenges when seeking recovery from substance use disorders (SUD). Using a community-based participatory research approach, researchers partnered with PPP seeking recovery from SUD to explore supports needed in their communities. Findings are reported in adherence with the consolidated criteria for reporting qualitative research.

A focus group study among insufficiently physically active African American adults regarding technology-delivered team-based gamification for physical activity promotion.

Background: Gamification represents a promising approach for facilitating positive social interactions among groups of individuals and is increasingly being leveraged in physical activity (PA) interventions to promote enhanced intervention engagement and PA outcomes. Although African American (AA) adults experience disparities associated with health conditions that can be ameliorated with increased PA, little is known about how best to culturally target PA gamification strategies for this population. The purpose of this study was to gather perspectives from AA adults residing in the Southeast United States and subsequently identify themes to help inform the cultural adaptation of an existing electronic and mobile health (e/mHealth) gamification- and theory-based PA intervention for teams of insufficiently active AA adults.

Leveraging Digital Technology to Support Pregnant and Early Parenting Women in Recovery from Addictive Substances: A Scoping Review.

Unlabelled: Little is known about digital health interventions used to support treatment for pregnant and early parenting women (PEPW) with substance use disorders (SUD).

Methods: Guided by the Arksey and O'Malley's Scoping Review Framework, empirical studies were identified within the CINAHL, PsycInfo, PubMed, and ProQuest databases using subject headings and free-text keywords. Studies were selected based on a priori inclusion/exclusion criteria, and data extraction and descriptive analysis were performed.

Effects of meeting steps-based and minutes-based physical activity goals on weight loss in online behavioral weight control: seemingly unrelated regression analysis.

Background: Behavioral weight loss programs often prescribe physical activity (PA) goals in terms of minutes/week of moderate-to-vigorous PA (MVPA) and steps/day. However, the impact of meeting each type of goal prescription on weight loss is unclear, particularly in digitally-based (eHealth/mHealth) programs. This secondary analysis of a randomized trial examined the effects of meeting steps-based and minutes-based goals on weight loss in an eHealth behavioral weight control program.

Examining weekly facilitated group sessions and counselor-crafted self-monitoring feedback on treatment outcome in digital weight control: A pilot factorial study.

Objective: Weight control programs that incorporate group sessions produce greater weight losses, but this has not been explored in the context of online programs. Further, counselor-crafted self-monitoring feedback is a core element of lifestyle interventions, although pre-scripted, modular feedback which does not require detailed counselor review may adequately promote weight loss. The current study explored the weight losses achieved in an online program that included facilitated group sessions, as well as outcomes when counselor-crafted self-monitoring feedback was provided.

Expert opinions on reducing dietary self-monitoring burden and maintaining efficacy in weight loss programs: A Delphi study.

Objective: Dietary self-monitoring is consistently related to both short- and long-term weight loss, but typically declines over time. Adopting an abbreviated approach to self-monitoring might reduce burden and potentially increase engagement while maintaining efficacy.

Methods: Using a Delphi-type study, experts were queried about abbreviated self-monitoring approaches that might best balance efficacy and burden and asked to identify when these approaches might best be implemented within a behavioral weight loss program.

Perspectives on the Form, Magnitude, Certainty, Target, and Frequency of Financial Incentives in a Weight Loss Program.

Purpose: Financial incentives are a promising approach to enhance weight loss outcomes; however, little guidance exists on the optimal incentive structure.

Design: Mixed methods.

Setting: An online weight management trial, combining outcome (i.

Rationale and study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to determine the effectiveness of a culturally relevant, stress management enhanced behavioral weight loss intervention on weight loss outcomes of black women.

Background: Obesity is a persistent public health concern and a risk factor for many chronic diseases including at least 13 different cancers. Adult Black females have the highest prevalence of obesity (57%) compared to other racial/gender groups in the U.S.

Describing Transitions in Adherence to Physical Activity Self-monitoring and Goal Attainment in an Online Behavioral Weight Loss Program: Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Standard behavioral weight loss interventions often set uniform physical activity (PA) goals and promote PA self-monitoring; however, adherence remains a challenge, and recommendations may not accommodate all individuals. Identifying patterns of PA goal attainment and self-monitoring behavior will offer a deeper understanding of how individuals adhere to different types of commonly prescribed PA recommendations (ie, minutes of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity [MVPA] and daily steps) and guide future recommendations for improved intervention effectiveness.

Objective: This study examined weekly patterns of adherence to step-based and minute-based PA goals and self-monitoring behavior during a 6-month online behavioral weight loss intervention.

Distinguishing early patterns of physical activity goal attainment and weight loss in online behavioral obesity treatment using latent class analysis.

Physical activity (PA) goal adherence is consistently associated with greater weight loss during behavioral obesity treatment, and early weight loss response predicts future weight loss success. However, it remains unclear which behaviors during the initial weeks of treatment distinguish responders from nonresponders and might be effective targets for improving treatment outcomes. To characterize subgroups with distinct patterns of PA goal adherence during the initial 2 months of an online, group-based weight control program and determine associations between these patterns and 6-month weight loss.

An Exploration of Domain-Specific Sedentary Behaviors in College Students by Lifestyle Factors and Sociodemographics.

College students exhibit high levels of sedentary time and/or poor lifestyle factors (e.g., poor sleep, stress, physical inactivity).

Using community-based participatory methods to design a digital intervention for mothers with substance use disorders: Qualitative results from focus group discussions.

Purpose: This community-based participatory research project explored the feasibility of delivering parenting and recovery supports through digital technology for mothers recovering from addictive substances.

Design And Methods: A community advisory board of key stakeholders (n = 7) served as a focus group of advisors to discuss needed supports. Data were analyzed through qualitative descriptive analysis.

A Comparison of Sedentary Behavior as Measured by the Fitbit and ActivPAL in College Students.

Previous studies have examined the ability of the Fitbit to measure physical activity compared to research-grade accelerometers. However, few have examined whether Fitbits accurately measure sedentary behavior. This study examined whether the Fitbit Charge 3 adequately quantifies sedentary behavior compared to the gold standard in objectively measured sedentary behavior assessment, the activPAL.

Evaluating a Technology-Mediated HPV Vaccination Awareness Intervention: A Controlled, Quasi-Experimental, Mixed Methods Study.

College-aged women and men are an important catch-up population for human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination interventions. Limited research has explored technology-mediated HPV vaccination awareness interventions aimed at college students. The purpose was to evaluate a novel, technology-mediated, social media-based intervention to promote HPV vaccination among college students.

Importance of Multiple Reinforcing Comments and Areas for Change in Optimizing Dietary and Exercise Self-Monitoring Feedback in Behavioral Weight Loss Programs: Factorial Design.

Background: Individualized dietary and physical activity self-monitoring feedback is a core element of behavioral weight loss interventions and is associated with clinically significant weight loss. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated individuals' perspectives on the composition of feedback messages or the effect of feedback composition on the motivation to self-monitor.

Objective: This study aims to assess the perceptions of feedback emails as a function of the number of comments that reinforce healthy behavior and the number of areas for change (ie, behavioral changes that the individual might make to have an impact on weight) identified.

Early Physical Activity Adoption Predicts Longer-Term Physical Activity Among Individuals Inactive at Baseline.

Background: To examine the relationship between early physical activity (PA) adoption (2, 3, and 4 mo) and longer-term PA adherence (1 y) among individuals who were inactive at baseline and received a lifestyle intervention.

Methods: Participants (n = 637) received weekly behavioral weight loss sessions, calorie reduction, and PA goals (50-175 min/wk progression). PA was assessed via self-reported measures at baseline, months 2 to 4, and 1 year.

Eating behavior and weight gain during pregnancy.

Objectives: Little is known about the relationship between eating behavior and weight gain during pregnancy.

Purpose: Our objective was to assess the relationship among self-reported cognitive restraint, disinhibition, and hunger, and excessive gestational weight gain (GWG) as defined by the Institute of Medicine's (IOM) 2009 guidelines. Based on previous research examining eating behaviors and weight gain in non-pregnant women, we hypothesized that excessive GWG would be related to higher cognitive restraint, higher disinhibition, and higher perception of hunger.

Enhancing group-based internet obesity treatment: A pilot RCT comparing video and text-based chat.

Objective: Internet delivery of behavioural weight control interventions offers potential for broad geographic reach and accessibility, but weight losses online fall short of those produced with the same programme delivered in-person. This pilot study examined feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a video-based platform for delivering weekly chat as part of a 6-month, 24-session online group behavioural weight control programme compared with the established text-based format, which has produced the best online weight losses to date.

Method: Women with obesity (N = 32) were randomized to either (a) weekly video group chat sessions and provided with a cellular-enabled scale (Video) or (b) Text-based weekly chat sessions and given a digital scale (Text) and followed for 6 months to determine weight loss and treatment engagement.

Weight Status and Sedentary Behavior of Alzheimer's Disease Caregivers.

In this study, we sought to characterize the weight status, sedentary behavior, and physical activity of caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease. In 2014, we surveyed caregivers of individuals with Alzheimer's disease from the South Carolina Alzheimer's Disease Registry (N = 47) about their personal health behaviors. Additionally, a subset of individuals (N = 14) wore an accelerometer for 7 days.

Examining the Role of Twitter in Response and Recovery During and After Historic Flooding in South Carolina.

Context: Social media has played an increasing role in the response to emergency situations through information exchange and efforts to promote recovery. Understanding more about how social media users share and re-share information is particularly important to help emergency response entities determine best strategies for expanding reach and impact through social media in disseminating emergency messages.

Objective: This study examined the role and use of Twitter as a response and recovery strategy before, during, and after historic rainfall and flooding in the Midlands region of the greater Columbia, South Carolina, area in October 2015.

Impact of a 12-month Inflammation Management Intervention on the Dietary Inflammatory Index, inflammation, and lipids.

Background And Aims: The objective of this study was to assess the feasibility (ability to recruit participants and develop the 12-month intervention), acceptability (retention of participants in the intervention), and impact on systemic inflammation and Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII®) scores over a 12-month DII-based intervention.

Methods: Adults were recruited to participate in a self-selection trial (intervention: n = 61, in-person classes; control: n = 34, newsletters). Classes included participatory cooking and dietary recommendations focused on consuming a plant-based diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods (spices, vegetables, etc.