Digit Health
June 2023
Most Americans take dietary supplements (DSs) and use is even higher among cancer survivors. This secondary analysis seeks to identify types, reasons, and costs of supplements used by 367 older cancer survivors enrolled in the Harvest for Health vegetable gardening trial and evaluate associations between supplement intake and medical/socio-demographic factors. Descriptive statistics were used to identify supplement type and reasons for use.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe authors would like to correct errors in their prior publication [...
View Article and Find Full Text PDFComplement Ther Clin Pract
November 2022
Background: Mindfulness interventions can improve psychological distress and quality of life (QoL) in cancer survivors. Few mindfulness programs for cancer recovery exist in Southeastern U.S.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF(1) Background: Anthropometric and physical performance testing is commonly done in lifestyle research and is traditionally performed in-person. To expand the scalability of lifestyle interventions among cancer survivors, in-person assessments were adapted to remote means and evaluated for feasibility, safety, validity, and reliability. (2) Methods: Cancer survivors and supportive partners were approached to participate in three anthropometric and physical performance testing sessions (two remote/one in-person).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground During the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person research assessments needed to be adapted to ensure safety of participants and staff. Participants' willingness to participate in research activities, how to prepare assessors to ensure data integrity, and the feasibility of modified protocols, were unknown. Within the AMPLIFI randomized clinical trial (RCT) for cancer survivors, we elicited participants' preferences and willingness to participate in Clinic, Home, or Virtual assessments, prepared assessors for, and implemented virtual assessments.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFScalable, effective interventions are needed to address poor diet, insufficient physical activity, and obesity amongst rising numbers of cancer survivors. Interventions targeting survivors and their friends and family may promote both tertiary and primary prevention. The design, rationale, and enrollment of an ongoing randomized controlled trial (RCT) (NCT04132219) to test a web-based lifestyle intervention for cancer survivors and their supportive partners are described, along with the characteristics of the sample recruited.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: To compare response rates to business letter versus greeting card invitations used to recruit older cancer survivors to a randomized controlled clinical trial of a lifestyle intervention METHODS: Capitalizing upon recruitment efforts for a lifestyle intervention trial among older cancer survivors, we explored response rates to study invitations formatted as greeting cards versus standard business letters. Survivors were identified from cancer registries and medical records and randomly assigned with strata defined by gender and racial/ethnicity to one-of-the-two invitations. Both groups received telephone follow-up.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPrevious studies have identified catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), as a key enzyme influencing sympathetic function. Although the SNP rs4680 and rs4818, are well-studied, little is known about their influence on cancer-related fatigue (CrF) and placebo response. In this study, we examined whether genetic variation in , at the functional SNP rs4680 and linked rs4818, influenced open-label placebo (OLP) responses found in cancer survivors reporting moderate to severe CrF.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHigher prevalence of cancer-related risk factors, for example, tobacco use, obesity, poor diet, and physical inactivity, is observed in the U.S. Deep South and likely contributes to its increased cancer burden.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe purpose of this 21-day assessor blinded, randomized-controlled trial was to compare an open-label placebo (OLP) to treatment as usual (TAU) for cancer survivors with fatigue. This was followed by an exploratory 21-day study in which TAU participants received OLPs while OLP participants in the main study were followed after discontinuing placebos. Cancer survivors (N = 74) who completed cancer treatment 6 months to 10 years prior to enrollment reporting at least moderate fatigue (i.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFResearch participants randomized to placebo-control conditions often report improved outcomes and can manifest physiologic responses that mirror those of participants who received the bioactive compound. Recent studies show that placebos can have beneficial effects even when the individual is aware that he/she is receiving a placebo, suggesting that the therapeutic context in which a placebo is delivered can be powerful. This context includes environmental and psychosocial factors, such as information disclosure, expectations, conditioning and empathy, embedded within research and clinical encounters that may influence outcomes.
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