Skin Cancer and UV Exposure-Related Behaviors Among Appalachian and Non-Appalachian Adults.

Introduction: Appalachian communities experience elevated rates of cancer incidence and mortality relative to other regions in the U.S. Specifically, melanoma mortality rates are higher in Appalachia compared to the national average, despite comparable incidence rates.

The effect of varenicline on mood and cognition in smokers with HIV.

Rationale: Barriers to smoking cessation, including negative affect and cognitive dysfunction, may contribute to high smoking rates among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH). Varenicline may help PLWH quit smoking by improving mood and cognition, yet this has not been explored.

Objectives: The goal of this study was to evaluate the effect of varenicline on mood and cognition among PLWH enrolled in a smoking cessation clinical trial.

Placebo-controlled randomized clinical trial testing the efficacy and safety of varenicline for smokers with HIV.

Background: People living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) smoke tobacco at higher rates and have more difficulty quitting than the general population, which contributes to significant life-years lost. The effectiveness of varenicline, one of the most effective tobacco dependence treatments, is understudied in HIV. We evaluated the safety and efficacy of varenicline for smoking cessation among PLWH.

Brief Report: Rate of Nicotine Metabolism and Tobacco Use Among Persons With HIV: Implications for Treatment and Research.

Background: The nicotine metabolite ratio (NMR) is a biomarker that represents individual variation in the speed that nicotine is metabolized. The rate of nicotine metabolism alters smoking behavior (eg, amount) and has been validated for personalizing tobacco dependence medication selection to increase treatment efficacy and reduce treatment side effects in the general population of smokers. Although smoking rates are extremely high among those with HIV, the NMR has not been evaluated in this underserved population.

The science of team science: A review of the empirical evidence and research gaps on collaboration in science.

Collaborations among researchers and across disciplinary, organizational, and cultural boundaries are vital to address increasingly complex challenges and opportunities in science and society. In addition, unprecedented technological advances create new opportunities to capitalize on a broader range of expertise and information in scientific collaborations. Yet rapid increases in the demand for scientific collaborations have outpaced changes in the factors needed to support teams in science, such as institutional structures and policies, scientific culture, and funding opportunities.

Beliefs About Behavioral Determinants of Obesity in Appalachia, 2011-2014.

The populations of many Appalachian communities have high rates of unhealthy body weight. This study aimed to identify differences in beliefs about obesity between Appalachians and non-Appalachians. Our analyses explored health beliefs and behaviors among US adults aged ≥18 (n = 14 451) who responded to the Health Information National Trends Survey (2011-2014), of whom 1015 (8%) resided within the 420 counties recognized as Appalachian by the Appalachian Regional Commission.

Perceptions of Food Advertising and Association With Consumption of Energy-Dense Nutrient-Poor Foods Among Adolescents in the United States: Results From a National Survey.

The advertising and marketing of energy-dense, nutrient-poor (EDNP) food and drink has been cited as one contributor to unhealthy eating behaviors in adolescents. The present study examines perceptions about and trust in food advertising and their association with consumption of EDNP foods and drinks among adolescents in the United States. Data (n = 1,384) come from the U.

Characterizing user engagement with health app data: a data mining approach.

The use of mobile health applications (apps) especially in the area of lifestyle behaviors has increased, thus providing unprecedented opportunities to develop health programs that can engage people in real-time and in the real-world. Yet, relatively little is known about which factors relate to the engagement of commercially available apps for health behaviors. This exploratory study examined behavioral engagement with a weight loss app, Lose It! and characterized higher versus lower engaged groups.

Public use of electronic personal health information: Measuring progress of the Healthy People 2020 Objectives.

Use of the internet for seeking and managing health information in the U.S., Europe, and emerging and developing nations is growing.

Progress on Broadband Access to the Internet and Use of Mobile Devices in the United States.

Healthy People 2020 (HP2020) aims to improve population health outcomes through several objectives, including health communication and health information technology. We used 7 administrations of the Health Information National Trends Survey to examine HP2020 goals toward access to the Internet through broadband and mobile devices (N = 34 080). We conducted descriptive analyses and obtained predicted marginals, also known as model-adjusted risks, to estimate the association between demographic characteristics and use of mobile devices.

Advancing Cancer Prevention and Behavior Theory in the Era of Big Data.

The era of "Big Data" presents opportunities to substantively address cancer prevention and control issues by improving health behaviors and refining theoretical models designed to understand and intervene in those behaviors. Yet, the terms "model" and "Big Data" have been used rather loosely, and clarification of these terms is required to advance the science in this area. The objectives of this paper are to discuss conceptual definitions of the terms "model" and "Big Data", as well as examine the promises and challenges of Big Data to advance cancer prevention and control research using behavioral theories.

Mining Health App Data to Find More and Less Successful Weight Loss Subgroups.

Background: More than half of all smartphone app downloads involve weight, diet, and exercise. If successful, these lifestyle apps may have far-reaching effects for disease prevention and health cost-savings, but few researchers have analyzed data from these apps.

Objective: The purposes of this study were to analyze data from a commercial health app (Lose It!) in order to identify successful weight loss subgroups via exploratory analyses and to verify the stability of the results.

Willingness to Exchange Health Information via Mobile Devices: Findings From a Population-Based Survey.

Purpose: The rapid proliferation of mobile devices offers unprecedented opportunities for patients and health care professionals to exchange health information electronically, but little is known about patients' willingness to exchange various types of health information using these devices. We examined willingness to exchange different types of health information via mobile devices, and assessed whether sociodemographic characteristics and trust in clinicians were associated with willingness in a nationally representative sample.

Methods: We analyzed data for 3,165 patients captured in the 2013 Health Information National Trends Survey.

Mobile and Wireless Technologies in Health Behavior and the Potential for Intensively Adaptive Interventions.

Recent advances in mobile and wireless technologies have made real-time assessments of health behaviors and their influences possible with minimal respondent burden. These tech-enabled real-time assessments provide the basis for intensively adaptive interventions (IAIs). Evidence of such studies that adjust interventions based on real-time inputs is beginning to emerge.