Effectiveness of Interventions for Changing More Than One Behavior at a Time to Manage Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Health behaviors play a significant role in chronic disease management. Rather than being independent of one another, health behaviors often co-occur, suggesting that targeting more than one health behavior in an intervention has the potential to be more effective in promoting better health outcomes. PURPOSE: We aimed to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials of interventions that target more than one behavior to examine the effectiveness of multiple health behavior change interventions in patients with chronic conditions. METHODS: Five electronic databases (Web of Science, PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, and Cochrane) were systematically searched in November 2023, and studies included in previous reviews were also consulted. We included randomized trials of interventions aiming to change more than one health behavior in individuals with chronic conditions. Two independent reviewers screened and extracted data, and used Cochrane's Risk of Bias 2 tool. Meta-analyses were conducted to estimate the effects of interventions on change in health behaviors. Results were presented as Cohen's d for continuous data, and risk ratio for dichotomous data. RESULTS: Sixty-one studies were included spanning a range of chronic diseases: cardiovascular (k = 25), type 2 diabetes (k = 15), hypertension (k = 10), cancer (k = 7), one or more chronic conditions (k = 3), and multiple conditions (k = 1). Most interventions aimed to change more than one behavior simultaneously (rather than in sequence) and most targeted three particular behaviors at once: "physical activity, diet and smoking" (k = 20). Meta-analysis of 43 eligible studies showed for continuous data (k = 29) a small to substantial positive effect on behavior change for all health behaviors (d = 0.081-2.003) except for smoking (d = -0.019). For dichotomous data (k = 23) all analyses showed positive effects of targeting more than one behavior on all behaviors (RR = 1.026-2.247). CONCLUSIONS: Targeting more than one behavior at a time is effective in chronic disease management and more research should be directed into developing the science of multiple behavior change.

Many recommendations suggest engaging in more than one health behavior to manage a chronic disease; however, most research trying to understand or support health behavior tends to focus on only one behavior. We wanted to clarify if interventions aiming to support people in changing more than one health behavior are effective and promote better health outcomes. We aimed to conduct a systematic review to summarize the effects of studies reporting randomized trials of interventions that target more than one behavior in people with a chronic condition. We found and analyzed 61 studies published up to November 2023 covering people with a variety of chronic diseases: cardiovascular conditions, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, cancer, and, in some studies, people with multiple conditions. Most interventions tried to change three particular behaviors at once (physical activity, diet, and smoking) and, overall, interventions that tried to change more than one behavior had positive effects on diet, physical activity, medication adherence, and alcohol consumption, but not smoking cessation. Findings highlight the benefits of targeting more than one behavior in health behavior change interventions. Future research could seek to identify if findings are similar across settings and populations and how they can inform routine healthcare and self-management interventions.

Using an intersectionality lens to explore barriers and enablers to hepatitis C point-of-care testing: a qualitative study among people who inject drugs and service providers.

BACKGROUND: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection is a significant global health burden, particularly among people who inject drugs. Rapid point-of-care HCV testing has emerged as a promising approach to improve HCV detection and linkage to care in harm reduction organizations such as needle and syringe programs. The objective of this study was to use an intersectionality lens to explore the barriers and enablers to point-of-care HCV testing in a needle and syringe program. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with clients (people who inject drugs) and service providers in a large community organization focused on the prevention of sexually transmitted and blood borne infections and harm reduction in Montreal, Canada. An intersectionality lens was used alongside the Theoretical Domains Framework to guide the formulation of research questions as well as data collection, analysis, and interpretation. RESULTS: We interviewed 27 participants (15 clients, 12 providers). For clients, four themes emerged: (1) understanding and perceptions of HCV testing, (2) the role of an accessible and inclusive environment, (3) the interplay of emotions and motivations in decision-making, and (4) the impact of intersectional stigma related to HCV, behaviors, and identities. For providers, five themes emerged: (1) knowledge, skills, and confidence for HCV testing, (2) professional roles and their intersection with identity and lived experience, (3) resources and integration of services, (4) social and emotional factors, and (5) behavioral regulation and incentives for HCV testing. Intersectional stigma amplified access, emotional and informational barriers to HCV care for clients. In contrast, identity and lived experience acted as powerful enablers for providers in the provision of HCV care. CONCLUSION: The application of an intersectionality lens provides a nuanced understanding of multilevel barriers and enablers to point-of-care HCV testing. Findings underscore the need for tailored strategies that address stigma, improve provider roles and communication, and foster an inclusive environment for equitable HCV care. Using an intersectionality lens in implementation research can offer valuable insights, guiding the design of equity-focused implementation strategies.

Clustering of Health Behaviors in Canadians: A Multiple Behavior Analysis of Data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND: Health behaviors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, smoking tobacco, and alcohol use are each leading risk factors for non-communicable chronic disease. Better understanding which behaviors tend to co-occur (i.e., cluster together) and co-vary (i.e., are correlated) may provide novel opportunities to develop more comprehensive interventions to promote multiple health behavior change. However, whether co-occurrence or co-variation-based approaches are better suited for this task remains relatively unknown. PURPOSE: To compare the utility of co-occurrence vs. co-variation-based approaches for understanding the interconnectedness between multiple health-impacting behaviors. METHODS: Using baseline and follow-up data (N = 40,268) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, we examined the co-occurrence and co-variation of health behaviors. We used cluster analysis to group individuals based on their behavioral tendencies across multiple behaviors and to examine how these clusters are associated with demographic characteristics and health indicators. We compared outputs from cluster analysis to behavioral correlations and compared regression analyses of clusters and individual behaviors predicting future health outcomes. RESULTS: Seven clusters were identified, with clusters differentiated by six of the seven health behaviors included in the analysis. Sociodemographic characteristics varied across several clusters. Correlations between behaviors were generally small. In regression analyses individual behaviors accounted for more variance in health outcomes than clusters. CONCLUSIONS: Co-occurrence-based approaches may be more suitable for identifying sub-groups for intervention targeting while co-variation approaches are more suitable for building an understanding of the relationships between health behaviors.

Health behaviors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, smoking tobacco, and alcohol use are each leading risk factors for non-communicable chronic disease. A better understanding of which behavioral combinations people engage in, and which behaviors are associated with each other, may provide new insights to support the development of interventions to promote multiple health behavior change. Using data with two time points (N = 40,268) from the Canadian Longitudinal Study of Aging, we grouped people into clusters based on their health behaviors and examined how these clusters are associated with demographic characteristics and health indicators. Seven clusters were identified with sociodemographic patterns evident across several clusters. Correlations between behaviors were generally small. We compared whether individual health behaviors, or groupings of people based on their health behaviors, were better predictors of future health outcomes. Individual behaviors were slightly better predictors of future health outcomes than clusters.

Barriers to and enablers of attendance at diabetic retinopathy screening experienced by immigrants to Canada from multiple cultural and linguistic minority groups.

AIM: To identify barriers to/enablers of attendance at eye screening among three groups of immigrantsto Canada from cultural/linguistic minority groups living with diabetes. METHODS: Using a patient-oriented research approach leveraging Diabetes Action Canada's patient engagement platform, we interviewed a purposeful sample of people with type 2 diabetes who had immigrated to Canada from: Pakistan (interviews in Urdu), China (interviews in Mandarin) and French-speaking African and Caribbean nations (interviews in French). We collected and analysed data based on the Theoretical Domains Framework covering key modifiable factors that may operate as barriers to or enablers of attending eye screening. We used directed content analysis to code barrier/enabler domains. Barriers/enablers were mapped to behaviour change techniques to inform future intervention development. RESULTS: We interviewed 39 people (13 per group). Many barriers/enablers were consistent across groups, including views about harms caused by screening itself, practical appointment issues including forgetting, screening costs, wait times and making/getting to an appointment, lack of awareness about retinopathy screening, language barriers, and family and clinical support. Group-specific barriers/enablers included a preference to return to one's country of birth for screening, the impact of winter, and preferences for alternative medicine. CONCLUSION: Our results can inform linguistic and culturally competent interventions to support immigrants living with diabetes in attending eye screening to prevent avoidable blindness.

A multiple behaviour temporal network analysis for health behaviours during COVID-19.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to examine the temporal dynamics of multiple health behaviours (physical activity, alcohol consumption, healthy eating, cigarette consumption, recreational drug use, vaping), and pandemic-related health behaviours (e.g., hand washing, physical distancing) using network psychometrics. DESIGN: The International COVID-19 Awareness and Responses Evaluation (iCARE) study is an international multi-wave observational cohort study of public awareness, attitudes, and responses to public health policies implemented to reduce the spread of COVID-19 on people around the world. A sub-sample of longitudinal data from Canadians (n = 254) was analysed across four waves (February-July 2020). METHODS: We used temporal network models to fit temporal networks, contemporaneous networks, and between-subject networks from items within the iCARE survey. RESULTS: Positive temporal associations were observed between physical activity and healthy eating, and a bidirectional relationship was evident between outdoor mask use and vaping. A contemporaneous network revealed positive associations between consumption behaviours (vaping, cigarette use, alcohol use, and recreational drug use), and negative associations between physical activity and drug use, and healthy eating and cigarette use. CONCLUSIONS: Health behaviours are interconnected and can be modelled as networks or behavioural systems. The application of temporal network analysis to the study of multiple health behaviours is well suited to address key research questions in the field such as 'how do multiple health behaviours co-vary with one another over time'. Future research using time series data and measuring affective and cognitive mediators of behaviour, in addition to health behaviours, has the potential to contribute valuable hypothesis-generating insights.

Pre-stroke physical activity matters for functional limitations: A longitudinal case-control study of 12,860 participants.

Objective: In the chronic phase after a stroke, limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) and instrumental ADL (IADLs) initially plateau before steadily increasing. The benefits of pre-stroke physical activity on these limitations remain unclear. To clarify this relationship, we examined the effect of physical activity on the long-term evolution of functional limitations in a cohort of stroke survivors and compared it to a cohort of matched stroke-free adults. Methods: Longitudinal data from 2,143 stroke survivors and 10,717 stroke-free adults aged 50 years and older were drawn from a prospective cohort study based on the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004-2022; 8 data collection waves). Physical activity was assessed in the pre-stroke wave. Functional limitations were assessed in the post-stroke waves. Each stroke survivor was matched with 5 stroke-free adults who had similar propensity scores computed on the basis of key covariates, including baseline age, sex, body mass index, limitations in ADL and IADL, chronic conditions and country of residence, before any of the participants from either cohort had experienced a stroke. Results: Results showed an interaction between stroke status and physical activity on ADL limitations (b = -0.076; 95% CI = -0.142 to -0.011), with the effect of physical activity being stronger in stroke survivors (b = -0.345, 95% CI = -0.438 to -0.252) than in stroke-free adults (b = -0.269, 95% CI = -0.269 to -0.241). Conclusion: The beneficial effect of pre-stroke physical activity on ADL limitations after stroke is stronger than its effect in matched stroke-free adults followed for a similar number of years. Impact: Physical activity, an intervention within the physical therapist's scope of practice, is effective in reducing the risk of functional dependence after stroke. Moreover, pre-stroke levels of physical activity can inform the prognosis of functional dependence in stroke survivors.

Components of multiple health behaviour change interventions for patients with chronic conditions: a systematic review and meta-regression of randomized trials.

Interventions addressing more than one health behaviour at a time could be an efficient way of intervening to manage chronic conditions. Within a systematic review of multiple health behaviour change (MBHC) interventions, we identified key components of interventions in patients with chronic conditions, assessed how they are linked to theory, behaviour change techniques implemented, and evaluated their impact on intervention effectiveness. Studies were identified by systematically searching five electronic databases. Subgroup analyses and meta-regressions were conducted to analyse the association between intervention components and behavioural changes. In total, 61 studies were included spanning different chronic conditions (e.g., cardiovascular conditions, type 2 diabetes). Most interventions sought to change behaviours simultaneously (72%), often targeting the 'physical activity, diet and smoking' cluster of behaviours (33%), and were not theory informed (55%). A total of 36 behaviour change techniques were identified, most commonly goal setting behaviour and self-monitoring of behaviour. Subgroup analyses indicated that MHBC interventions delivered entirely face-to-face might not be as effective for physical activity outcomes, and not using goal setting (behaviour) might be more effective for smoking cessation outcomes. Meta-regressions indicated that a longer intervention duration may work best to achieve better physical activity outcomes. This review provides a comprehensive understanding of interventions and contributes to the field of MHBC by facilitating data-driven insights for future optimisation and dissemination.

"Apparently, you can only be treated once": A qualitative study exploring perceptions of hepatitis C and access to treatment among people who inject drugs visiting a needle and syringe program.

BACKGROUND: Access to hepatitis C care within harm reduction community organizations for people who inject drugs is crucial for achieving hepatitis C elimination. However, there is a lack of data on how perceptions of hepatitis C and treatment have changed among individuals visiting these organizations during the era of direct-acting antivirals (DAAs). This study aimed to explore the perceptions of hepatitis C and treatment access for (re)infection among individuals visiting a needle and syringe program in Canada. METHODS: Eighteen semi-structured interviews were conducted with individuals who recently injected drugs and visited a needle and syringe program. The interviews were guided by the Common-Sense Self-Regulation Model (CS-SRM) and aimed to explore cognitive and emotional representations of hepatitis C, perceptions of treatment, coping strategies and sources of information. Interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, and coded using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Most of the participants identified as male, were of white ethnicity and had a median age of 45. While most underscored the therapeutic advancements and the effectiveness of DAAs, they expressed confusion regarding the mechanisms of access to treatment, especially in cases of reinfection. Perceptions of the controllability of hepatitis C were significantly influenced by the stigmatizing discourse surrounding treatment access, cost, and public coverage. This influence extended to their intentions for seeking treatment. Participants emphasized the social consequences of hepatitis C, including stigma. Emotional representations of hepatitis C evolved along the care cascade, encompassing initial shock at diagnosis and later fear of reinfection following successful treatment. CONCLUSION: Nearly a decade after the advent of DAAs, misinformation about treatment access persists. Findings underscore a nexus of internalized and institutionalized stigma associated with hepatitis C, drug use, and the challenges of cost and access to treatment, pointing to a clear need for education and service delivery optimisation in harm reduction community organizations.

Clustering of Unhealthy Behaviors: Protocol for a Multiple Behavior Analysis of Data From the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging.

BACKGROUND: Health behaviors such as physical inactivity, unhealthy eating, smoking tobacco, and alcohol use are leading risk factors for noncommunicable chronic diseases and play a central role in limiting health and life satisfaction. To date, however, health behaviors tend to be considered separately from one another, resulting in guidelines and interventions for healthy aging siloed by specific behaviors and often focused only on a given health behavior without considering the co-occurrence of family, social, work, and other behaviors of everyday life. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to understand how behaviors cluster and how such clusters are associated with physical and mental health, life satisfaction, and health care utilization may provide opportunities to leverage this co-occurrence to develop and evaluate interventions to promote multiple health behavior changes. METHODS: Using cross-sectional baseline data from the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging, we will perform a predefined set of exploratory and hypothesis-generating analyses to examine the co-occurrence of health and everyday life behaviors. We will use agglomerative hierarchical cluster analysis to cluster individuals based on their behavioral tendencies. Multinomial logistic regression will then be used to model the relationships between clusters and demographic indicators, health care utilization, and general health and life satisfaction, and assess whether sex and age moderate these relationships. In addition, we will conduct network community detection analysis using the clique percolation algorithm to detect overlapping communities of behaviors based on the strength of relationships between variables. RESULTS: Baseline data for the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging were collected from 51,338 participants aged between 45 and 85 years. Data were collected between 2010 and 2015. Secondary data analysis for this project was approved by the Ottawa Health Science Network Research Ethics Board (protocol ID #20190506-01H). CONCLUSIONS: This study will help to inform the development of interventions tailored to subpopulations of adults (eg, physically inactive smokers) defined by the multiple behaviors that describe their everyday life experiences. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/24887.

Identifying Barriers and Enablers to Attending Diabetic Retinopathy Screening in Immigrants to Canada From Ethnocultural Minority Groups: Protocol for a Qualitative Descriptive Study.

BACKGROUND: Immigrants to Canada belonging to ethnocultural minority groups are at increased risk of developing diabetes and complications, including diabetic retinopathy, and they are also less likely to be screened and treated. Improved attendance to retinopathy screening (eye tests) has the potential to reduce permanent complications, including blindness. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to identify the barriers and enablers of attending diabetic retinopathy screening among ethnocultural minority immigrants living with diabetes in Quebec and Ontario, Canada, to inform the development of a behavior change intervention to improve diabetic retinopathy screening attendance. METHODS: The research question draws on the needs of patients and clinicians. Using an integrated knowledge translation approach, the research team includes clinicians, researchers, and patient partners who will contribute throughout the study to developing and reviewing materials and procedures, helping to recruit participants, and disseminating findings. Using a convenience snowball strategy, we will recruit participants from three target groups: South Asian and Chinese people, and French-speaking people of African descent. To better facilitate reaching these groups and support participant recruitment, we will partner with community organizations and clinics serving our target populations in Ontario and Quebec. Data will be collected using semistructured interviews, using topic guides developed in English and translated into French, Mandarin, Hindi, and Urdu, and conducted in those languages. Data collection and analysis will be structured according to the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF), which synthesizes predominant theories of behavior change into 14 domains covering key modifiable factors that may operate as barriers or enablers to attending eye screening. We will use directed content analysis to code barriers and enablers to TDF domains, then thematic analysis to define key themes within domains. RESULTS: This study was approved for funding in December 2017, and the research ethics board approved the conduct of the study as of January 13, 2018. Data collection then began in April 2018. As of August 28, 2018, we have recruited 22 participants, and analysis is ongoing, with results expected to be published in 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Findings from this study will inform the codevelopment of theory-informed, culturally- and linguistically-tailored interventions to support patients in attending retinopathy screening. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/15109.

Exploring the experiences and perspectives of substitute decision-makers involved in decisions about deceased organ donation: a qualitative study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: In Canada, deceased organ donation provides over 80% of transplanted organs. At the time of death, families, friends or others assume responsibility as substitute decision-makers (SDMs) to consent to organ donation. Despite their central role in this process, little is known about what barriers, enablers and beliefs influence decision-making among SDMs. This study aims to explore the experiences and perspectives of SDMs involved in making decisions around the withdrawal of life-sustaining therapies, end-of-life care and deceased organ donation. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: SDMs of 60 patients admitted to intensive care units will be enrolled for this study. Ten hospitals across five provinces in Canada in a prospective multicentre qualitative cohort study. We will conduct semistructured telephone interviews in English or French with SDMs between 6 and 8 weeks after the patient's death. Our sampling frame will stratify SDMs into three groups: SDMs who were not approached for organ donation; SDMs who were approached and consented to donate and SDMs who were approached but did not consent to donate. We will use two complementary theoretical frameworks-the Common-Sense Self-Regulation Model and the Theoretical Domains Framework- to inform our interview guide. Interview data will be analysed using deductive directed content analysis and inductive thematic analysis. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: This study has been approved by the Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal Research Ethics Board. The findings from this study will help identify key factors affecting substitute decision-making in deceased organ donation, reasons for non-consent and barriers to achieve congruency between SDM and patient wishes. Ultimately, these data will contribute to the development and evaluation of tools and training for healthcare providers to support SDMs in making decisions about organ donation. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT03850847.

Positive Affect and Cognitive Restoration: Investigating the Role of Valence and Arousal.

Positive moods are thought to restore self-control resources following depletion. However, it is not well understood whether this effect is due to affective valence (pleasantness), arousal (activation), or a combination of both. Across four studies, we set out to investigate the role of positive moods on cognitive and behavioral measures of self-regulation in an ego-depletion paradigm. In studies 1 and 2, we independently manipulated affective valence and arousal and assessed self-regulation with a Stroop task. Results did not suggest a restorative effect of either on cognitive resources. In study 3, we employed both behavioral (the 'handgrip task') and cognitive (Stroop) assessments of self-regulation. Again, no significant effect of mood was observed on the Stroop task. Additionally, participants did not persist significantly longer on the handgrip task following a positive mood induction. Finally, in study 4, high vs. low states of arousal were manipulated and self-regulation was assessed via pre- and post-manipulation Stroop performance. In study 4, Stroop performance improved slightly more across time points for those in the high arousal condition than for those in the low arousal condition. Therefore, across four studies, we failed to find a consistent pattern of results suggesting that positive moods restore cognitive resources.