Agents of change: how do complementary and alternative medicine providers play a role in health behavior change?

Background: Recent investigations indicate that complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) use may be conducive to health behavior change.

Objective: The goal of this study was to investigate how this change occurs.

Methods: Using Social Cognitive Theory and Self-determination Theory as guiding frameworks, we surveyed a convenience sample of 216 CAM consumers abouttheir CAM therapy and iors and conducted focus groups with 36 CAM consumers.

Development and validation of an instrument to measure resources and support for chronic illness self-management: a model using diabetes.

Purpose: Few comprehensive and practical instruments exist to measure the receipt of self-management support for chronic illness. An instrument was developed to measure resources and support for self-management (RSSM) for the survey component of the evaluation of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Diabetes Initiative. It includes items to measure an ecological range of RSSM.

Health information styles among participants in a prostate cancer screening informed decision-making intervention.

The purpose of this study was to assess the usefulness of a health information styles segmentation strategy in understanding audience subgroups. We examined the health information styles of men participating in a prostate cancer screening informed decision-making (IDM) intervention and assessed intervention effects on men with distinct health information styles. We classified participants into three health information style groups based on their independence in health decision making (independent versus doctor dependent) and engagement in health enhancement (active versus passive): independent active (IA), doctor-dependent active (DDA) and passive.