Publications by authors named "Garrett Ash"

Psychiatric disorders are influenced by genetic and environmental factors. However, their study is hindered by limitations on precisely characterizing human behavior. New technologies such as wearable sensors show promise in surmounting these limitations in that they measure heterogeneous behavior in a quantitative and unbiased fashion.

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  • Researchers evaluated a digital sleep-alcohol intervention called Call it a Night (CIAN) using natural language processing with young adults who drink heavily (N=120).
  • Most participants preferred coaching from CIAN over control interventions, and while control groups found advice more helpful, overall satisfaction and adherence levels were high across all groups.
  • The study showed that sleep was a bigger motivator for participants than alcohol use, suggesting that improving sleep and wellness could be key factors for young adults in such interventions.
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Background: The study aimed to validate the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure (CRAVE) scale among Chinese adults with different health conditions (healthy control, chronic illnesses, and psychiatric disorders) and skill levels (athletes vs. non-athletes).

Methods: In Study 1, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) using the Maximum Likelihood Method (MLM) was performed on a Chinese sample of emerging adults ( = 481) to evaluate the structural validity of the Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure-Chinese version (CRAVE-C).

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Background: Poor physical fitness, stress, and fatigue are factors impacting military readiness, national security, and economic burden for the United States Department of Defense. Improved accuracy of wearable biosensors and remote field biologic sample collection strategies could make critical contributions to understanding how physical readiness and occupational stressors result in on-the-job and environment-related injury, sleep impairments, diagnosis of mental health disorders, and reductions in performance in war-fighters.

Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of intensive biomarker and biometric data collection to understand physiological and psychological stress in Army Reserved Officer Training Corps cadets before, during, and after a 96-hour field training exercise (FTX).

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  • Psychiatric disorders are influenced by both genetic and environmental factors, but studying them is challenging due to limitations in measuring human behavior; this creates a need for new technologies.* -
  • Wearable devices offer a cost-effective and non-invasive way to track physiological changes over time, and they can help analyze data from adolescents with psychiatric disorders using AI models to classify risks and identify important physiological processes.* -
  • By integrating wearable data with genetic information, researchers found 29 significant genetic loci and 52 psychiatric-associated genes, showing that continuous data from wearables provides a more precise understanding of psychiatric disorders than traditional diagnostic labels.*
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Glucose variability (GV)-the degree of fluctuation in glucose levels over a certain period of time-is emerging as an important parameter of dynamic glycemic control. Repeated glycemic oscillations have been reported to be the link to diabetes complications. This prospective observational study aims to: (1) identify multilevel risk factors (personal and social-built environmental factors) associated with high GV; (2) identify "within-person predictors" of high GV leveraging the intra-person data to inform future personalized diabetes interventions; and (3) examine which lifestyle factors either mediate or moderate the relationship between emotional well-being and GV among diverse adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D).

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  • Positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy is the standard treatment for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), but many patients struggle to consistently use it; understanding their blood oxygen levels may help improve adherence.
  • This study investigates the feasibility and effectiveness of a program (mPAP) that integrates data from consumer wearable devices with PAP usage reports to enhance patient self-management of therapy.
  • The trial will involve 50 veterans with OSA who will be split into intervention and control groups to assess how well wearable device feedback influences their PAP usage over a 28-day period.
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  • Dance is a fun way to exercise that can help people stay active and healthy, and using technology like apps and games can make it even better.
  • The research looked at many studies to see how effective these tech-based dance programs are for different age groups and health conditions.
  • The review found that these dance interventions are generally liked by participants and can lead to positive effects on health and fitness.
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Background: Barriers to moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) for adolescents with type 1 diabetes (T1D) include physiology, transition to autonomy, and diabetes-specific stigma. Opportunities for T1D peer activities with T1D role model support are limited. To address this need, our single-arm pilot study tested the Home-based Virtual Activity Program for Youth with T1D (HAP-V-T1D) for feasibility.

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  • Chinese American immigrants are often underrepresented in health research, particularly due to difficulties in recruitment.
  • This study focused on recruiting and retaining foreign-born Chinese women with a history of gestational diabetes during the COVID-19 pandemic, utilizing tailored strategies like culturally relevant flyers and social media.
  • The study achieved a high retention rate of 96.3%, with successful participant adherence to device wearing and survey completion, demonstrating effective recruitment strategies.
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Evaluating user experiences with digital interventions is critical to increase uptake and adherence, but traditional methods have limitations. We incorporated natural language processing (NLP) with convergent mixed methods to evaluate a personalized feedback and coaching digital sleep intervention for alcohol risk reduction: 'Call it a Night' ( = 120). In this randomized clinical trial with young adults with heavy drinking, control conditions were + : web-based advice + active and passive monitoring; and : advice + passive monitoring.

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Background: Physical activity (PA) is important for the long-term health and weight management of patients who undergo metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS). However, the roles of exercise professionals in MBS settings have not been systematically determined.

Objectives: To investigate: (1) who are the professionals implementing PA programming in MBS clinical settings; and (2) what patient-centric tasks do they perform?

Setting: Clinical and academic exercise settings worldwide.

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Objectives: To synthesize evidence and summarize research findings related to the effectiveness and feasibility of dance movement intervention (DMI) in older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), and dementia; to systemically map existing research gaps and research directions for future practice.

Methods: A systematic search was conducted using six electronic databases: Web of Science, PubMed, PsycINFO, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The methodological quality of included studies was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool for Randomized Trials (RoB 2) and The Risk of Bias in Non-randomized Studies of Interventions (ROBINS-I).

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Objectives: In this review, we aim to highlight the evidence base for the benefits of exercise in relation to the treatment of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), draw on the Health Triangular Policy Framework to outline the principal facilitators and barriers for implementing exercise in health policy, and make concrete suggestions for action.

Methods: Literature review and framework analysis were conducted to deal with the research questions.

Results: Exercise prescription is a safe solution for noncommunicable diseases prevention and treatment that enables physicians to provide and instruct patients how to apply exercise as an important aspect of disease treatment and management.

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Motivation states for physical activity and sedentarism potentially vary from moment to moment. The CRAVE scale (Cravings for Rest and Volitional Energy Expenditure) was developed to assess transient wants and desires to move. Three studies were conducted with the aims of: (1) translating and validating the scale in Brazilian Portuguese, (2) examining changes with exercise, and (3) determining the best single-item for Move and Rest subscales for English and Portuguese.

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  • Physical activity (PA) is essential for the long-term health and weight management of patients after metabolic and bariatric surgery (MBS), but the exact roles of exercise professionals in these settings are unclear.
  • A study identified that exercise physiologists are primarily involved in PA programming in the U.S., while physiotherapists and other professionals participate internationally, focusing on tasks like exercise supervision and fitness testing.
  • Seven key areas of responsibility for exercise professionals were defined, emphasizing the need for clear PA guidelines and the integration of exercise into MBS programs as part of multidisciplinary care.
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Background: Taking part in moderate-to-vigorous exercise in contact sports on a regular basis may be linked to an increase in cerebrovascular injury and head trauma. Validated objective measures are lacking in the initial post-event diagnosis of head injury. The exercise style, duration, and intensity may also confound diagnostic indicators.

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Background: Multiple research strategies are required to recruit and engage a representative cohort of young adults in diabetes research. In this report, we describe an approach for internet-based recruitment for a repeated-measures descriptive study.

Objective: The objective of this cross-sectional study was to determine whether internet-based recruitment through multiple social media platforms, a clinical research platform, and cooperation with community partnerships-College Diabetes Network and Beyond Type 1-would serve as an effective way to recruit a representative sample of young adults aged 18-25 years with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

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Background: The purpose of this scoping review is to stimulate interest and to raise awareness, among researchers, healthcare practitioners, and policymakers regarding the current scientific literature related to exercise prescription for non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Exercise prescription is a safe and cost-effective method that enables physicians to use exercise as a complementary addition to NCDs management and treatment.

Methods: This scoping review followed the PRISMA Extension Guidelines for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): Checklist and Explanation.

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Background: The effects of Anabolic Androgenic Steroids (AAS) are largely illustrated through Androgen Receptor induced gene transcription, yet RNA-Seq has yet to be conducted on human whole blood and skeletal muscle. Investigating the transcriptional signature of AAS in blood may aid AAS detection and in muscle further understanding of AAS induced hypertrophy.

Methods: Males aged 20-42 were recruited and sampled once: sedentary controls (C), resistance trained lifters (RT) and resistance trained current AAS users (RT-AS) who ceased exposure ≤ 2 or ≥ 10 weeks prior to sampling.

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Objective: Pilot-test personalized digital health information to substantiate human-delivered exercise support for adults with type 1 diabetes (T1D).

Design: Single-group, 2-week baseline observation, then 10-week intervention with follow-up observation.

Setting: Community-based sample participating remotely with physician oversight.

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Background: Individuals with later bedtimes have an increased risk of difficulties with mood and substances. To investigate the causes and consequences of late bedtimes and other sleep patterns, researchers are exploring social media as a data source. Pioneering studies inferred sleep patterns directly from social media data.

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