The effect of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy on PTSD and depression symptoms in trauma-exposed black adults: Pilot randomized controlled trial results.

Low-income, urban-dwelling Black adults are disproportionately affected by traumatic experiences, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and depression and encounter inequities in treatment access. In addition to the benefits Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) for depression, there is preliminary evidence of successful symptom reduction in PTSD via MBCT across two prior pilot studies in veterans. Studies examining the effects of MBCT among trauma-exposed Black adults remains limited, and examination of effects across specific PTSD clusters is almost nonexistent.

Seeing is believing: How front-of-pack food imagery shapes parents' perceptions of child-oriented snack foods.

Child-oriented snack foods often display front-of-pack images suggesting they are natural or wholesome, yet many of these products are ultra-processed and nutrient poor. This study investigated parent's perceptions in response to common forms of front-of-pack food imagery on child-orientated snacks. An online experiment comprising four between-subjects food image conditions (no image; food photo; food cartoon; cartoon of children gardening) and two within-subjects snack type conditions (fruit; vegetable) was conducted with N = 800 Australian adult parents/guardians of children aged 4-10 years.

Exploring Sugary Drink Consumption and Perceptions among Primary-School-Aged Children and Parents in Australia.

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) account for a significant proportion of sugar in the diet of children and are directly associated with obesity in this group. While there have been many studies on adolescent SSB consumption, few studies have examined the predictors of SSB consumption in primary-school-aged children. The aim of this study was to understand the degree to which a child's consumption across a range of beverages is influenced by their own attitudes and by their parents' attitudes and parents' consumption behaviours.

Ethical, Psychological and Social Un/certainties in the Face of Deemed Consent for Organ Donation in England.

Deemed consent legislation for deceased organ donation was introduced in England in 2020, and is considered a vital part of the new UK NHS Blood and Transplant's 10-year strategy to increase consent for organ donation. Despite the legislation containing safeguards to protect the public, the introduction of deemed consent creates ethical, psychological and social un/certainties for healthcare professionals in their practice. In this paper, we offer insights into healthcare professionals' perspectives on deemed consent, drawn from interview data with 24 healthcare professionals in an NHS Trust in England, prior to the introduction of the legislation.

Effects of marketing claims on toddler food products on parents' product preferences, perceptions and purchasing intentions: an online experiment.

Background: The retail market for toddler-specific packaged foods is growing. Many of these products are ultra-processed and high in nutrients of concern for health, yet marketed in ways that may make them appear wholesome. This study aims to assess parents' responses to claims on unhealthy, ultra-processed toddler food products and test whether removing such claims promotes more accurate product perceptions and healthier product preferences.

Virtue Marketing: Trends in Health-, Eco-, and Cause-Oriented Claims on the Packaging of New Alcohol Products in Australia Between 2013 and 2023.

Objective: Some claims on alcohol labels highlight virtuous aspects of brands or products, including in health-, eco-, and cause-oriented domains (including charity partnerships, or ethical or humanitarian certifications). This virtue marketing may create a "halo" whereby consumers generalize from specific attributes to a more favorable overall appraisal of the product, brand, or even alcohol or the alcohol industry in general. This study aims to describe the prevalence of and trends over time in virtue marketing on the packaging of new alcohol (including lower- and zero-alcohol) products on the Australian market.

Feasibility and acceptability of a virtual mindfulness intervention for Black adults with PTSD and depression: Randomized controlled trial.

Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) offers promise as a group-based intervention to alleviate posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression symptoms in traumatized Black adults. Given the high level of barriers that exist for low-income Black adults, virtual delivery of MBCT may be helpful. This pilot randomized controlled trial assessed feasibility and acceptability of an adapted 8-week virtual MBCT group intervention for Black adults screening positive for PTSD and depression.

PM Is Insufficient to Explain Personal PAH Exposure.

To understand how chemical exposure can impact health, researchers need tools that capture the complexities of personal chemical exposure. In practice, fine particulate matter (PM) air quality index (AQI) data from outdoor stationary monitors and Hazard Mapping System (HMS) smoke density data from satellites are often used as proxies for personal chemical exposure, but do not capture total chemical exposure. Silicone wristbands can quantify more individualized exposure data than stationary air monitors or smoke satellites.

Automated traffic monitoring of neurosurgical operating room.

Background: Operating room (OR) traffic disrupts airflow and increases particle count, which predisposes patients to surgical site infections, particularly in longer surgeries with hardware placement. The aim of this study is to evaluate the rate of traffic during neurosurgical procedures, as well as reasons for and perceptions of OR traffic.

Methods: This is a single-center, multimethod study monitoring neurosurgical OR traffic through direct observation, automated monitoring, and interviews.

Expanding the access of wearable silicone wristbands in community-engaged research through best practices in data analysis and integration.

Wearable silicone wristbands are a rapidly growing exposure assessment technology that offer researchers the ability to study previously inaccessible cohorts and have the potential to provide a more comprehensive picture of chemical exposure within diverse communities. However, there are no established best practices for analyzing the data within a study or across multiple studies, thereby limiting impact and access of these data for larger meta-analyses. We utilize data from three studies, from over 600 wristbands worn by participants in New York City and Eugene, Oregon, to present a first-of-its-kind manuscript detailing wristband data properties.

Socio-Demographic and Disability Disparities in Stroke by Citizenship Status: A Cross-Sectional Analysis.

This study aims to assess relationships between previous stroke diagnosis and demographic or disability status variables, stratified by U.S. citizenship status.

Expanding the access of wearable silicone wristbands in community-engaged research through best practices in data analysis and integration.

Wearable silicone wristbands are a rapidly growing exposure assessment technology that offer researchers the ability to study previously inaccessible cohorts and have the potential to provide a more comprehensive picture of chemical exposure within diverse communities. However, there are no established best practices for analyzing the data within a study or across multiple studies, thereby limiting impact and access of these data for larger meta-analyses. We utilize data from three studies, from over 600 wristbands worn by participants in New York City and Eugene, Oregon, to present a first-of-its-kind manuscript detailing wristband data properties.

Can counter-advertising dilute marketing effects of alcohol sponsorship of elite sport: A field experiment.

Aims: To test whether showing spectators counter-advertisements exposing alcohol harms alone, or exposing alcohol harms and alcohol sponsorship, before watching an alcohol-sponsored sporting event promotes less favourable post-event attitudes and intentions towards alcohol sponsor brands and alcohol in general.

Design: On-line between-subjects experiment.

Setting: Australia.

Mindfulness Between the Sheets: Does a Brief Mindfulness Intervention Improve Community-Dwelling Populations' Sexual Experiences and Motivations, and Are Effects Moderated by Attachment Insecurity?

Research is increasingly linking mindfulness with better relationship outcomes. Less clear is whether these benefits extend to the sexual domain or whether the benefits of mindfulness are moderated by individual characteristics. Accordingly, the current report tested whether a brief online mindfulness intervention improved the cognitive, affective, and behavioral aspects of sexual experiences and whether effects varied by attachment anxiety and avoidance.

Can counter-advertising exposing alcohol sponsorship and harms influence sport spectators' support for alcohol policies? An experimental study.

Background: Exposure to alcohol advertising and sponsorship through elite sport is associated with harmful use of alcohol. Owing to strong financial and cultural ties between alcohol and sport in Australia, policy action to restrict alcohol sport sponsorship is unlikely to occur without strong public support for change. This study tested whether exposure to counter-advertising exposing industry marketing of harmful products-a technique shown to be effective in tobacco control-promotes higher support for policy change and less favourable beliefs about the alcohol industry among sport spectators.

How effective are the alcohol flush and drying cycles of automated endoscope reprocessors? Stripped endoscope model.

Background: Effective drying of the internal channels of endoscopes is essential to prevent the growth of water-borne pathogens and to assure adequate sterilization with vaporized hydrogen peroxide or ethylene oxide. The aim of this study was to evaluate the dryness of endoscopes after a routine disinfection process in an automated endoscope reprocessor.

Methods: Stripped endoscopes (SE) that allow for visual inspection of the inside channels were reprocessed per protocol in a large urban medical center, with a 3-minute or 10-minute air flush following reprocessing.

Food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake: A cross-sectional survey of Australian adolescents.

Background/aims: Discretionary, energy-dense, nutrient-poor food and drinks are heavily marketed and readily available in retail settings frequented by adolescents. This study examines associations between food purchasing practices in various retail settings and dietary intake among Australian adolescents.

Methods: Participants were students in years 8 to 11 (ages 12-17 years) who completed the 2009-10 (n = 13 790), 2012-13 (n = 10 309) or 2018 (n = 9102) National Secondary Students' Diet and Activity (NaSSDA) cross-sectional survey.

Exploring classroom-based assessment for young EFL learners in the Chinese context: Teachers' beliefs and practices.

Classroom-based assessment (CBA) is an approach for learning improvement that has been advocated as having strong potential in enhancing learner autonomy of young language learners (YLLs). This study investigated Chinese primary school English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' beliefs about CBA, their assessment practices, and the relationship between their CBA beliefs and practices. Drawing on data from a survey of 195 Chinese primary school EFL teachers, results showed that the teachers positively believed in the value of various CBA processes, including planning assessment, collecting learning evidence, making professional judgments and providing appropriate feedback, and they also attempted to enact these assessment practices; belief-practice alignment was also identified, showing that teachers' beliefs about CBA were significant predictors of their assessment practices.

Obesity prevention and related public health advertising versus competing commercial advertising expenditure in Australia.

Mass media campaigns can change attitudes and behaviours to improve population health. However, a key challenge is achieving share of voice in a complex and cluttered media environment. The aim of this study was to compare advertising expenditure on public health campaigns for obesity prevention (and related healthy eating and physical activity campaigns) with competing commercial categories of (a) sugary drinks, (b) artificially sweetened drinks and (c) diet/weight loss products and programmes.