The 24-hour food frequency assessment screening tool (FAST24): Development and evaluation of a novel dietary screener to identify foods associated with weight change.

Background & Aims: Brief screening questionnaires can identify 'at risk' behaviors in clinical settings. However, there is currently no screener for dietary intake specifically developed using foods associated with body weight change and increased risk for multiple chronic conditions and diseases.

Methods: We developed a novel brief dietary screener, the 24-Hour Food Frequency Assessment Screening Tool Questionnaire (FAST24), to identify intake of foods associated with weight change.

Examining the Utility of a Telehealth Warm Handoff in Integrated Primary Care for Improving Patient Engagement in Mental Health Treatment: Randomized Video Vignette Study.

Background: A warm handoff from a physician to a mental health provider is often patients' first contact with psychological services and provides a unique opportunity for improving treatment engagement in integrated primary care (IPC) settings.

Objective: In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, this study sought to examine the impact of different types of telehealth mental health referrals on both the anticipated likelihood of accepting treatment services and anticipated likelihood of continued treatment engagement.

Methods: A convenience sample of young adults (N=560) was randomized to view 1 of 3 video vignettes: warm handoff in IPC, referral as usual (RAU) in IPC, or RAU in standard primary care.

Efficacy of a Commercial Weight Management Program Compared With a Do-It-Yourself Approach: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Given the prevalence of obesity, accessible and effective treatment options are needed to manage obesity and its comorbid conditions. Commercial weight management programs are a potential solution to the lack of available treatment, providing greater access at lower cost than clinic-based approaches, but few commercial programs have been rigorously evaluated.

Objective: To compare the differences in weight change between individuals randomly assigned to a commercial weight management program and those randomly assigned to a do-it-yourself (DIY) approach.

Persistence of Depressive Symptoms and Risk of Incident Cardiovascular Disease With and Without Diabetes: Results from the REGARDS Study.

Background: Baseline depressive symptoms are associated with subsequent adverse cardiovascular (CV) events in subjects with and without diabetes but the impact of persistent symptoms vs. improvement remains controversial.

Objective: Examine long-term changes in depressive symptoms in individuals with and without diabetes and the associated risk for adverse CV events.

The influence of sex and maturation on carotid and vertebral artery hemodynamics and associations with free-living (in)activity in 6-17-year-olds.

We explored the influence of sex and maturation on resting cervical artery hemodynamics (common carotid artery, CCA; internal carotid artery, ICA; and vertebral artery, VA), free-living physical activity, and sedentary behavior in children 6-17 yr of age. In addition, we investigated the relationship between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and cervical artery hemodynamics. Seventy-eight children and adolescents, girls ( = 42; mean age, 11.

The Role of Tailored Public Health Messaging to Young Adults during COVID-19: "There's a lot of ambiguity around what it means to be safe".

The COVID-19 global incidence rate among young adults (age 19-40) drastically increased since summer 2020, and young adults were often portrayed by popular media as the "main spreader" of the pandemic. However, young adults faced unique challenges during the pandemic due to working in high-risk, low-paying essential service occupations, as well as having higher levels of financial insecurity and mental burden. This qualitative study aims to examine the attitudes and perceptions of health orders of young adults to better inform public health messaging to reach this demographic and increase compliance to public health orders.

The Effect of Aerobic Training and Increasing Nonexercise Physical Activity on Cardiometabolic Risk Factors.

Purpose: Epidemiological studies suggest that sedentary behavior is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular mortality independent of meeting physical activity guidelines. However, limited evidence of this relationship is available from prospective interventions. The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the combined effect of aerobic training and increasing nonexercise physical activity on body composition and cardiometabolic risk factors.

Examination of a partial dietary self-monitoring approach for behavioral weight management.

Introduction: Dietary self-monitoring in behavioral weight loss programmes traditionally involves keeping track of all foods and beverages to achieve a calorie deficit. While effective, adherence declines over time. WW™ (formerly Weight Watchers), a widely available commercial weight management programme, sought to pilot an approach that permitted participants to consume over 200 foods without monitoring them.

A Tailored Cognitive-Behavioural Intervention Produces Comparable Reductions in Regimen-Related Distress in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes Regardless of Insulin Use: 12-Month Outcomes From the COMRADE Trial.

Objectives: Our aim in this study was to determine whether a cognitive-behavioural therapy plus small changes lifestyle intervention can produce comparable improvements in insulin users vs patients not using insulin with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) and comorbid depressive or regimen-related distress (RRD) symptoms.

Methods: This study is a secondary analysis of Collaborative Care Management for Distress and Depression in Rural Diabetes Study, a randomized, controlled trial of a 16-session, severity-tailored cognitive-behavioural therapy plus small changes lifestyle intervention compared with usual care. Outcomes included glycated hemoglobin (A1C), regimen-related distress, depression, medication adherence and diabetes self-care.

Does Happiness Improve Health? Evidence From a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Happier people are healthier, but does becoming happier lead to better health? In the current study, we deployed a comprehensive, 3-month positive psychological intervention as an experimental tool to examine the effects of increasing subjective well-being on physical health in a nonclinical population. In a 6-month randomized controlled trial with 155 community adults, we found effects of treatment on self-reported physical health-the number of days in the previous month that participants felt healthy or sick, as assessed by questions from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Questionnaire. In a subsample of 100 participants, we also found evidence that improvements in subjective well-being over the course of the program predicted subsequent decreases in the number of sick days.

ENHANCE: Evidence for the efficacy of a comprehensive intervention program to promote subjective well-being.

Building from the growing empirical science of happiness, or subjective well-being (SWB), we have developed a 12-week comprehensive intervention program-Enduring Happiness and Continued Self-Enhancement (ENHANCE)-to increase SWB and enable a thorough examination of the mechanistic processes of program content and administrative structure for SWB change over time. In a randomized controlled trial, participants (N = 155; 55 using the in-person format, 100 online format) were randomly assigned to participate in ENHANCE or to a waitlist control condition. All participants completed assessments of SWB, including non-self-report measures, and process variables at baseline, posttest, and follow-up (3 months).

Evaluation of an Internet-based intervention for ICD patients with elevated symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder.

Background: To date, treatment to reduce posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms in implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients has been limited by lack of symptom recognition, lack of provider referrals, barriers to treatment access, and inadequate evidence base of treatment effectiveness in this population.

Methods: Participants were 46 patients with ICDs (17 paired) with elevated PTSD symptoms who were recruited in electrophysiology clinics at community and university hospitals as well as ICD support forums. Participants were provided the Web-based, brief psychosocial intervention, which was tailored to ICD patients and contained elements of evidence-based cognitive-behavioral protocols for PTSD.

Randomized Trial of a Tailored Cognitive Behavioral Intervention in Type 2 Diabetes With Comorbid Depressive and/or Regimen-Related Distress Symptoms: 12-Month Outcomes From COMRADE.

Objective: This study evaluated the effect of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) plus lifestyle counseling in primary care on hemoglobin A (HbA) in rural adult patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and comorbid depressive or regimen-related distress (RRD) symptoms.

Research Design And Methods: This study was a randomized controlled trial of a 16-session severity-tailored CBT plus lifestyle counseling intervention compared with usual care. Outcomes included changes in HbA, RRD, depressive symptoms, self-care behaviors, and medication adherence across 12 months.

Self-Concept in the Context of Diabetes Prevention: Development of the Lifestyle Health-Related Self-Concept Questionnaire.

Purpose: Understanding psychosocial factors in the context of lifestyle change is important to recognize distinctions in type 2 diabetes prevention behaviors. A relatively stable psychosocial feature, such as health-related self-concept (HRSC), may indicate factors that promote or repress positive health behaviors. The present study created a questionnaire specific to lifestyle change activities by modifying the Generalized Health-Related Self-Concept Questionnaire (G-HRSC).

COMRADE: A randomized trial of an individually tailored integrated care intervention for uncontrolled type 2 diabetes with depression and/or distress in the rural southeastern US.

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that people living with Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) are also at greater risk for depression and distress. If left untreated, these comorbid mental health concerns can have long-lasting impacts on medical and physical health outcomes.

Design: This prospective trial randomized rural men and women with uncontrolled T2D (HbA1c ≥ 7.

Weight Loss Strategies Utilized in a Men's Weight Loss Intervention.

Men are underrepresented in weight loss programs and little is currently known about the weight loss strategies men prefer. This study describes the weight loss strategies used by men during a men-only weight loss program. At baseline, 3 months, and 6 months, participants reported how frequently they used 45 weight loss strategies including strategies frequently recommended by the program (i.

A Community Health Worker-Delivered Intervention in African American Women with Type 2 Diabetes: A 12-Month Randomized Trial.

Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a community health worker (CHW)-delivered lifestyle intervention for African American women with type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Participants were randomized to either 16 phone-based lifestyle intervention sessions aimed at making small changes in their diet and activity or 16 educational mailings sent across 12 months. Main outcomes included glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood pressure (BP), and weight (kg) changes.

The effects of a low-dose physical activity intervention on physical activity and body mass index in severely obese adolescents.

Background While severe obesity in childhood poses the greatest long-term health risks, access to treatment is a common barrier. The present pilot study examined the effect of a 7-week low-dose physical activity (PA) intervention on PA and body mass index (BMI) in severe obese adolescents delivered via telephone and mail. Methods Adolescents (n = 64) receiving care from a pediatric obesity medical clinic were randomized to a control (n = 30) or intervention (n = 34) group.

Impact of Distress Reduction on Behavioral Correlates and A1C in African American Women with Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes: Results from EMPOWER.

Objective: Symptoms of emotional distress related to diabetes have been associated with inadequate self-care behaviors, medication non-adherence, and poor glycemic control that may predispose patients to premature death. African American women, in whom diabetes is more common and social support is often insufficient, may be at particularly high risk. The objective of this study was to examine the impact of lowering diabetes-related emotional distress on glycemic control and associated behavioral correlates in rural African American women with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Mental health and behavioral weight loss: 24-month outcomes in Veterans.

Background: Individuals with mental health (MH) disorders have an increased risk of being overweight/obese; however research on behavioral weight loss interventions has been limited. A priori hypothesis was that Veterans with serious mental illness (SMI) and/or affective disorders (AD) would lose significantly less weight and have a different pattern of weight loss than Veterans without these diagnoses.

Methods: Secondary data analysis of ASPIRE-VA study, three-arm randomized, effectiveness weight loss trial among Veterans (n=409) categorized by MH diagnoses: 1) SMI, 2) AD without SMI, or 3) No SMI/No AD.

Behavioral Treatment for Veterans with Obesity: 24-Month Weight Outcomes from the ASPIRE-VA Small Changes Randomized Trial.

Background: Small Changes (SC) is a weight management approach that demonstrated superior 12-month outcomes compared to the existing MOVE! Weight Management Program at two Veterans Affairs (VA) sites. However, approaches are needed to help graduates of treatment continue to lose or maintain their weight over the longer term.

Objective: The purpose of the present study was to examine the effectiveness of a second year of low-intensity SC support compared to support offered by the usual care MOVE! programs.

ENHANCE: Design and rationale of a randomized controlled trial for promoting enduring happiness & well-being.

Individuals who are higher in subjective well-being not only feel happier, they are more likely have fulfilling relationships, increased work performance and income, better physical health, and longer lives. Over the past several decades, the science of subjective well-being has produced insights into these benefits of happiness, and-recognizing their importance-has begun to examine the factors that lead to greater well-being, from cultivating strong relationships to pursuing meaningful goals. However, studies to date have typically focused on improving subjective well-being by intervening with singular constructs, using primarily college student populations, and were short-term in nature.

Development and validation of the ASPIRE-VA coaching fidelity checklist (ACFC): a tool to help ensure delivery of high-quality weight management interventions.

Practical and valid instruments are needed to assess fidelity of coaching for weight loss. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the ASPIRE Coaching Fidelity Checklist (ACFC). Classical test theory guided ACFC development.

Weight loss among women and men in the ASPIRE-VA behavioral weight loss intervention trial.

Objective: Weight loss was examined among women and men veterans in a clinical trial comparing Aspiring for Lifelong Health (ASPIRE), a "small changes" weight loss program using either mixed-sex group-visit or telephone-based coaching, to MOVE!(®) , the usual mixed-sex group-based program.

Methods: Linear mixed-effects models were used to calculate adjusted percent weight change at 12 months by sex and compare outcomes across arms within sex.

Results: Analyses included 72 women (ASPIRE-Phone = 26; ASPIRE-Group = 26; MOVE! = 20) and 409 men (ASPIRE-Phone = 136; ASPIRE-Group = 134; MOVE! = 139).