Yoga and Mental Well-being: A Qualitative Exploration of the Lived Experiences of Yoga Practitioners.

Context: Participation in yoga has increased dramatically amongst all demographic groups in recent decades. While studies have explored the physical and mental benefits of yoga, few have focused on the lived experiences of those practicing yoga and why they continue their involvement.

Aims: The purpose of this study was to assess practitioners' views about the impact of yoga on mental well-being and explore how these benefits may support their continued practice.

Testing the Efficacy of a Scalable Telephone-Delivered Guided Imagery Tobacco Cessation Treatment: Protocol for a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Background: Tobacco use continues to be a leading preventable cause of death and disease in the United States, accounting for >480,000 deaths each year. Although treatments for tobacco use are effective for many, there is substantial variability in outcomes, and these approaches are not effective for all individuals seeking to quit smoking cigarettes. New, effective therapeutic approaches are needed to meet the preferences of people who want to stop smoking.

Physical Activity Assessment and Promotion in Clinical Settings in the United States: A Scoping Review.

Objective: The purpose of this scoping review was to systematically examine interventions that focused on physical activity assessment and promotion in clinical settings in the United States.

Data Sources: A literature search was performed in 6 major databases to extract published peer-reviewed studies from 2008 to 2019.

Inclusion And Exclusion Criteria: Interventions with practicing health professionals in the United States who performed physical activity assessment and promotion with adult patients 18 years of age and older.

Maximizing the Potential of Mini-Grants to Promote Policy, Systems, and Environmental Changes: Outcomes and Challenges.

Purpose And Objectives: This article describes the implementation and evaluation of a chronic disease mini-grant initiative, coordinated by a state health department in collaboration with multiple stakeholders. Braided funding from federal and state sources was used to build and implement the initiative.

Intervention Approach: Mini-grants, facilitated by five different facilitating organizations, were funded to promote implementation of policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) changes at the local level.

Feasibility and Acceptability of Guided Imagery to Sequentially Address Multiple Health Behaviors During Pregnancy.

Introduction: Pregnancy presents health challenges related to well-being, physical activity, dietary regulation, and body image. There is evidence to support the use of guided imagery to address these concerns during pregnancy. The purpose of this study was to analyze the use and short-term outcomes of a multiple-behavior guided imagery intervention delivered through a mobile health (mHealth) application for pregnant women.

Usability testing of an electronic health application for patient activation on weight management.

Background: Obesity is a leading public health concern in the United States. One promising method for enhancing patient activation to engage in health promoting behaviors is with technology in the primary care setting. The primary purpose of this study was to test the usability of a patient activation tool, called mWRAPPED, for weight management during primary care wait times.

Developing a Guided Imagery Telephone-Based Tobacco Cessation Program for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background/aims: Guided imagery is an evidence-based, multi-sensory, cognitive process that can be used to increase motivation and achieve a desired behavior. Quitlines are effective, standard care approaches for tobacco cessation; however, utilization of quitlines is low. Using guided imagery-based interventions for smoking cessation may appeal to smokers who do not utilize traditional quitline services.

A telephone-based guided imagery tobacco cessation intervention: results of a randomized feasibility trial.

Background: Evidence supports the use of guided imagery for smoking cessation; however, scalable delivery methods are needed to make it a viable approach. Telephone-based tobacco quitlines are a standard of care, but reach is limited. Adding guided imagery to quitline services might increase reach by offering an alternative approach.

Deep learning for biological age estimation.

Modern machine learning techniques (such as deep learning) offer immense opportunities in the field of human biological aging research. Aging is a complex process, experienced by all living organisms. While traditional machine learning and data mining approaches are still popular in aging research, they typically need feature engineering or feature extraction for robust performance.

A Scoping Review of Sport-Based Health Promotion Interventions With Youth in Africa.

Africa has the highest rates of child mortality and diseases in the world. Research suggests that sport can be an effective way to enhance health knowledge and behaviors among at-risk youth in Africa. Scoping reviews explore both the breadth and depth of a research topic, which allows researchers to conduct a detailed analysis and synthesis of studies to understand how, why, and under what circumstances sport-based interventions are effective.

Testing the feasibility of a guided imagery tobacco cessation intervention delivered by a telephone quitline: Study protocol for a randomized controlled feasibility trial.

Background: Guided imagery (GI) is an evidence-based method that uses the imagination to practice and achieve a desired outcome. Little research has focused on how GI can be delivered to smokers using remote or virtual methods, such as a telephone-based intervention. Telephone-based services for tobacco cessation (quitlines) have emerged as standard of care for tobacco cessation.

Association between birth weight and childhood cardiovascular disease risk factors in West Virginia.

The reported associations between birth weight and childhood cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors have been inconsistent. In this study, we investigated the relationship between birth weight and CVD risk factors at 11 years of age. This study used longitudinally linked data from three cross-sectional datasets (N = 22,136) in West Virginia; analysis was restricted to children born full-term (N = 19,583).

Association Between Breastfeeding and Childhood Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factors.

Introduction The immediate benefits of breastfeeding are well-established but the long-term health benefits are less well-known. West Virginia (WV) has a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and lower breastfeeding rates compared to national averages. There is a paucity of research examining the relationship between breastfeeding and subsequent childhood CVD risk factors, an issue of particular relevance in WV.

Mobile Health (mHealth) Use or Non-Use by Residents of West Virginia.

Objective: To compare mobile health (mHealth) usage by residents of West Virginia with national estimates.

Methods: Pew Research Center data from its Internet and American Life Project were accessed for secondary data analysis. These data, available to the public, are a probability sample of Internet use in the United States, differences in use based on selected variables (eg, education, household income), and how usage affects the lives of Americans.

A Scoping Review of Health Outcomes Examined in Randomized Controlled Trials Using Guided Imagery.

Introduction: Guided imagery involves the controlled visualization of detailed mental images. This integrative health technique is used for healing, health maintenance, or the treatment of specific conditions. Guided imagery is an integral part of mindfulness meditation, hypnosis, and various relaxation exercises.

Recruiting Women to a Mobile Health Smoking Cessation Trial: Low- and No-Cost Strategies.

Background: Successful recruitment of participants to mobile health (mHealth) studies presents unique challenges over in-person studies. It is important to identify recruitment strategies that maximize the limited recruitment resources available to researchers.

Objective: The objective of this study was to describe a case study of a unique recruitment process used in a recent mHealth software app designed to increase smoking cessation among weight-concerned women smokers.

Comparison of Biological Screening and Diagnostic Indicators to Detect In Utero Opiate and Cocaine Exposure Among Mother-Infant Dyads.

Background: Opioid and cocaine antenatal substance use can result in significant obstetric and pediatric health implications. Accurate detection of in utero-exposed neonates can improve patient care and health outcomes. Therefore, the effectiveness of mother-infant biological and diagnostic indicators collected at labor and delivery to provide accurate detection of in utero opiate and cocaine exposure was assessed.

Childhood obesity and adult cardiovascular disease risk factors: a systematic review with meta-analysis.

Background: Overweight and obesity is a major public health concern that includes associations with the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors during childhood and adolescence as well as premature mortality in adults. Despite the high prevalence of childhood and adolescent obesity as well as adult CVD, individual studies as well as previous systematic reviews examining the relationship between childhood obesity and adult CVD have yielded conflicting results. The purpose of this study was to use the aggregate data meta-analytic approach to address this gap.

Guided imagery targeting exercise, food cravings, and stress: a multi-modal randomized feasibility trial.

The purpose of this randomized wait-list controlled trial was to test the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a guided imagery based multi-behavior intervention intended to address psychological stress, food cravings, and physical activity. Personalized guided imagery scripts were created and participants were instructed to practice guided imagery every day for 35 consecutive days. Of 48 women who enrolled, we report comparisons between 16 randomized to treatment with 19 who were wait-listed (overall M = 45.

Development and evaluation of the See Me Smoke-Free multi-behavioral mHealth app for women smokers.

Women face particular challenges when quitting smoking, especially those with weight concerns. A multi-behavioral smoking cessation intervention addressing these concerns and incorporating guided imagery may assist women to engage in healthy lifestyle behaviors. An mHealth app can easily disseminate such an intervention.

Development of a Multi-Behavioral mHealth App for Women Smokers.

This article describes the development of the See Me Smoke-Free™ (SMSF) mobile health application, which uses guided imagery to support women in smoking cessation, eating a healthy diet, and increasing physical activity. Focus group discussions, with member checks, were conducted to refine the intervention content and app user interface. Data related to the context of app deployment were collected via user testing sessions and internal quality control testing, which identified and addressed functionality issues, content problems, and bugs.

Theoretical, Critical, and Practical Reflections on the Long-Term Maintenance of Health Behavior Change.

This commentary is in response to Joseph, Daniel, Thind, Benitez and Pekmezi (2014). They reviewed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that included long-term follow-up assessments at least 6 months post-intervention. Their main purpose was to understand which theory or model used by researchers could help explain the long-term maintenance of health behaviors once the intervention was withdrawn in trials focused on physical activity, dietary behavior, and excessive alcohol consumption.