Cooking Interventions for Improving Diet Quality Among Black Americans: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Non-Hispanic Black Americans experience the highest, and most rapidly increasing, rates of obesity. Despite evidence that this is at least somewhat related to poor diet quality, we have yet to identify effective interventions for improving diet quality long-term. Restrictive diets can be ineffective and often harmful. In contrast, there is a well-established connection between home cooking and lower body mass index, better diet quality, and improved health. PURPOSE: The present study applied the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) to examine the effect of an intervention delivering cooking instruction, rather than nutrition information, on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors pertaining to diet quality and cooking among Black adults in the USA. METHODS: An online sample of Black Americans (N = 147), ages 18-76 (M = 30.69, SD = 10.42) were recruited via Prolific and randomized to view either a cooking tutorial video or a "standard of care" control webpage followed by either an implementation intentions (II) writing activity or a "freestyle" control writing activity. Cognitions and behavior related to healthy eating and cooking were measured at baseline, post-intervention, and 1-week follow-up. RESULTS: Results of mixed-effects modeling indicated that participants randomized to the video condition reported significantly greater post-intervention intentions to cook (p < .001), which positively correlated with cooking behavior over the subsequent week (p < .01). There was no effect of the II intervention on subsequent-week behavior (ps > .413). Importantly, 75% (n = 105) indicated experiencing food insecurity at the time of data collection. CONCLUSIONS: These results highlight a promising pathway for improving nutrition and diet-related health outcomes among Black Americans while highlighting that any intervention must account for food insecurity in this population.

Non-Hispanic Black Americans experience the highest, and most rapidly increasing, rates of obesity and diseases attributed at least in part to poor diet quality. In contrast to restrictive diets, which can be ineffective and often harmful, there is a well-established connection between home cooking and lower body mass index, better diet quality, and improved health. The present study examined the effect of an intervention delivering cooking instruction, rather than nutrition information, on beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors pertaining to diet quality and cooking among Black adults in the USA. An online sample of Black Americans (N = 147) was randomized to view either a cooking tutorial video or a "standard of care" control webpage followed by either an implementation intentions writing activity or a "freestyle" control writing activity. Participants in the video condition reported significantly greater post-intervention intentions to cook, which positively correlated with cooking behavior over the subsequent week. There was no observed effect of the writing activity on behavior. Importantly, 75% (n = 105) indicated experiencing food insecurity at the time of data collection. These results highlight a promising pathway for improving nutrition and diet-related health outcomes among Black Americans while highlighting that any intervention must account for food insecurity in this population.

The association among insomnia symptom severity, comorbid symptoms, and suicidal ideation in two veteran cohorts meeting diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Examine the association between insomnia symptom severity and suicidal ideation (SI), after adjusting for clinical comorbidity in veterans meeting diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder. METHODS: Secondary data analyses of psychometrically validated baseline assessments of depression, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and anxiety symptoms from two online insomnia intervention randomized clinical trials (n = 232; n = 80) were conducted. Multiple linear regression was used to determine the association between insomnia symptom severity and SI, after controlling for clinical comorbidity and demographics. RESULTS: Insomnia symptom severity was significantly correlated with comorbid depression, PTSD, and anxiety symptoms in both cohorts and significantly correlated with SI in one. After controlling for demographics and clinical comorbidity, insomnia symptom severity was not significantly associated with SI in linear regression models. CONCLUSION: Findings extend insomnia-suicide research by providing evidence that insomnia symptom severity may not confer a unique risk for SI above comorbid mental health symptoms in veterans meeting diagnostic criteria for insomnia disorder.

Theory of Planned Behavior Analysis of Social Distancing During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Focusing on the Intention-Behavior Gap.

BACKGROUND: As COVID-19 continues to spread globally, it is important to understand psychological factors that may influence compliance with social distancing. PURPOSE: The present study examined whether Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) constructs were associated with social distancing, with a focus on exploring moderators of the intention-behavior relationship. METHODS: Using a longitudinal design, U.S. adults (N = 507) self-reported TPB constructs and social distancing behavior at baseline and 3 months later. Participants were from 48 U.S. States and the District of Columbia and were on average 50.39 years old (SD = 15.32, range = 18-80). The majority were Non-Hispanic White (71.6%), had a bachelor's degree or higher (55.3%), and resided in suburban areas (55.8%). RESULTS: While positive attitudes toward social distancing increased over time (p = .002), subjective norms weakened (p < .001) and perceived behavioral control (PBC) remained stable (p = .22). Interestingly, despite an increase in intentions from baseline to follow-up (p < .001), there was a significant decrease in social distancing behavior over time (p < .001). Consistent with the TPB, baseline attitudes (p < .001), subjective norms (p < .001), and PBC (p < .001) for social distancing were all associated with baseline intentions to social distance. In turn, baseline intentions were significantly associated with social distancing behavior at follow-up (p < .001). Younger adults (p < .001) and non-White participants (p = .002) displayed a greater intention-behavior gap relative to older and White participants. In contrast, participants with more stable intentions over time displayed a stronger intention-behavior relationship (p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Targeting individuals' attitudes, norms, and PBC may effectively promote protective behaviors intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and similar viral outbreaks. Future research should examine effective strategies for translating social distancing intentions into actions.

Retrograde transfer RNA nuclear import provides a new level of tRNA quality control in Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

In eukaryotes, transfer RNAs (tRNAs) are transcribed in the nucleus yet function in the cytoplasm; thus, tRNA movement within the cell was believed to be unidirectional--from the nucleus to the cytoplasm. It is now known that mature tRNAs also move in a retrograde direction from the cytoplasm to the nucleus via retrograde tRNA nuclear import, a process that is conserved from yeast to vertebrates. The biological significance of this tRNA nuclear import is not entirely clear. We hypothesized that retrograde tRNA nuclear import might function in proofreading tRNAs to ensure that only proper tRNAs reside in the cytoplasm and interact with the translational machinery. Here we identify two major types of aberrant tRNAs in yeast: a 5', 3' end-extended, spliced tRNA and hypomodified tRNAs. We show that both types of aberrant tRNAs accumulate in mutant cells that are defective in tRNA nuclear traffic, suggesting that they are normally imported into the nucleus and are repaired or degraded. The retrograde pathway functions in parallel with the cytoplasmic rapid tRNA decay pathway previously demonstrated to monitor tRNA quality, and cells are not viable if they lack both pathways. Our data support the hypothesis that the retrograde process provides a newly discovered level of tRNA quality control as a pathway that monitors both end processing of pre-tRNAs and the modification state of mature tRNAs.

Reducing anti-fat bias toward the self and others: a randomized controlled trial.

Despite strong evidence linking anti-fat bias directed toward others with markers of self-directed anti-fat bias, there is a dearth of theory-based research examining the cognitive pathways underlying this relationship, and existing bias-reduction intervention efforts have thus far been conducted with exclusive focus on one domain or the other. Cognitive dissonance (CD)-based interventions have been identified as viable for reducing anti-fat bias directed toward the self and others. However, no study has yet examined whether the effects of these domain-specific interventions (e.g., anti-fat bias towards the self) extend to anti-fat bias in the non-targeted domain (e.g., anti-fat bias towards others). The present study aimed to address these gaps in the literature by comparing effects of brief CD-based interventions targeting anti-fat bias directed toward either the self or others on measures of anti-fat bias. Participants (N = 197, female-identifying undergraduates) were randomized to a writing activity prompting cognitive dissonance about either self-directed or other-directed anti-fat bias, or a bias-consistent control condition. Results indicated that participants in the CD intervention conditions showed significantly greater reductions in both explicit self- and other-directed anti-fat biases than those in the control condition, but results did not significantly differ across CD conditions. This supports the potential utility of interventions simultaneously targeting anti-fat bias in both domains and provides insight into the cognitive pathways underlying these related forms of bias.

Cognitive dissonance (CD)-based interventions have been shown to reduce anti-fat bias directed toward the self and others separately; however, no study has yet examined whether the effects of these domain-specific interventions extend to anti-fat bias in the non-targeted domain. This study aimed to address these gaps in the literature by comparing effects of brief CD-based writing task interventions targeting anti-fat bias directed toward either the self or others on a host of anti-fat bias measures. Results indicated that participants in both CD intervention conditions showed significantly greater reductions in both explicit self- and other-directed anti-fat biases than those in the control condition, which supports a potential utility of hybrid interventions simultaneously targeting anti-fat bias in both domains and provides insight into the cognitive pathways underlying these related forms of bias.

Investigating the Relationship Between Cannabis Expectancies and Anxiety, Depression, and Pain Responses After Acute Flower and Edible Cannabis Use.

Objective: Cannabis has been touted for a host of pharmacological and therapeutic effects and users commonly report reduced symptoms of physical and mental health conditions, including anxiety, depression, and chronic pain. While there is existing empirical evidence supporting these effects of cannabis use, little is known about the extent to which these effects result from pharmacological versus expectancy factors. We evaluated the associations between participants' cannabis expectancies and their acute self-reported reactions after using legal market forms of cannabis with varying levels of cannabidiol (CBD) and Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in three domains: anxiety, depression, and pain. Methods: Fifty-five flower and 101 edible cannabis users were randomly assigned and asked to purchase at a local dispensary one of three products containing varying levels of CBD and THC. Participants completed a baseline assessment where they reported expectancies about general health effects of cannabis use and an experimental mobile laboratory assessment where they administered their assigned products. Edible users also reported their domain-specific expectancies about cannabis use in improving anxiety, depression, and pain. Following administration, participants completed acute indicators of anxiety, depression, and pain operationalized through subjective acute tension, elation, and a single-item measure of pain. Results: Among flower users, more positive expectancies for cannabis to improve general health were correlated with greater reductions in tension at acute post-use. This finding was replicated among edible users. Unlike flower users, more positive expectancies for cannabis to improve general health were also correlated with greater increases in elation and greater reductions in pain among edible users. More positive expectancies for cannabis to improve depression and pain were also correlated with greater increases in elation and greater reductions in pain, respectively, among edible users. Conclusions: Cannabis users' expectancies significantly impacted some of the acute subjective effects of legal market cannabis products. Among both flower and edible users, consistent, significant expectancy effects were found. Results were consistent with prior findings and demonstrate the need to measure and control pre-existing expectancies in future research that involves cannabis administration. Clinical trial registration number: NCT03522103.

Gay community involvement and the sexual health behaviours of sexual minority men: a systematic review and directions for future research.

Considerable research has examined how involvement in gay-affiliated communities is associated with sexual health behaviours in sexual minority men (i.e., gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men), yet findings in this domain are often contradictory and inconclusive. This systematic review aimed to (a) synthesise the related empirical literature, and (b) identify potential factors driving inconsistent findings. Peer-reviewed publications were included if they contained quantitative data and at least one measure of the statistical association between gay community involvement and sexual health behaviour. The search strategy was implemented in six databases and returned 6,409 articles, of which 86 met the inclusion criteria. There was considerable heterogeneity in how gay community involvement was assessed across studies. Although gay community involvement was consistently associated with greater engagement in protective behaviours across studies, the association between gay community involvement and risk behaviours appeared to depend on how gay community involvement was conceptualised and measured (e.g., nightlife involvement vs. political activism). Findings emphasise a need for studies that employ validated measures that reflect the multidimensional nature of gay community involvement, as well as research designs better suited to address the causal effects of community involvement on HIV/STI transmission and prevention.

Efficacy of an Internet-Delivered Intervention for Improving Insomnia Severity and Functioning in Veterans: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Despite a growing evidence base that internet-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (iCBT-I) is associated with decreased insomnia severity, its efficacy has been minimally examined in veterans. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of an unguided iCBT-I (Sleep Healthy Using the Internet [SHUTi]) among veterans. METHODS: We conducted a single-blind, randomized controlled trial in Operation Enduring Freedom, Operation Iraqi Freedom, and Operation New Dawn veterans eligible for Veterans Health Administration care. Participants were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive SHUTi (a self-guided and interactive program) or an Insomnia Education Website (IEW) that provided nontailored and fixed insomnia information. Web-based assessments were administered at baseline, postintervention, 6 months postintervention, and 1 year postintervention. The primary outcome was self-reported insomnia severity (Insomnia Severity Index [ISI]). Secondary outcomes were self-reported mental and physical health functioning (Veterans RAND 36-item Health Survey). Exploratory outcomes comprised sleep diary parameters. RESULTS: Of the 231 randomized participants (mean age 39.3, SD 7.8 years; 170/231, 73.5% male sex; 26/231, 11.3% Black; 172/231, 74.5% White; 10/231, 4.3% multiracial; and 17/231, 7.4% other; 36/231, 15.6% Hispanic) randomized between April 2018 and January 2019, a total of 116 (50.2%) were randomly assigned to SHUTi and 115 (49.8%) to the IEW. In intent-to-treat analyses, SHUTi participants experienced significantly larger ISI decreases compared with IEW participants at all time points (generalized η2 values of 0.13, 0.12, and 0.10, respectively; all P<.0001). These corresponded to estimated larger differences in changes of -3.47 (95% CI -4.78 to -2.16), -3.80 (95% CI -5.34 to -2.27), and -3.42 (95% CI -4.97 to 1.88) points on the ISI for the SHUTi group. SHUTi participants experienced significant improvements in physical (6-month generalized η2=0.04; P=.004) and mental health functioning (6-month and 1-year generalized η2=0.04; P=.009 and P=.005, respectively). Significant sleep parameter improvements were noted for SHUTi (all P<.05), though the pattern and magnitude of these reductions varied by parameter. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: Self-administered iCBT-I was associated with immediate and long-term improvements in insomnia severity. Findings suggest that leveraging technology to meet insomnia treatment demands among veterans may be a promising approach. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03366870; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03366870.

A comprehensive analysis of translational missense errors in the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae.

The process of protein synthesis must be sufficiently rapid and sufficiently accurate to support continued cellular growth. Failure in speed or accuracy can have dire consequences, including disease in humans. Most estimates of the accuracy come from studies of bacterial systems, principally Escherichia coli, and have involved incomplete analysis of possible errors. We recently used a highly quantitative system to measure the frequency of all types of misreading errors by a single tRNA in E. coli. That study found a wide variation in error frequencies among codons; a major factor causing that variation is competition between the correct (cognate) and incorrect (near-cognate) aminoacyl-tRNAs for the mutant codon. Here we extend that analysis to measure the frequency of missense errors by two tRNAs in a eukaryote, the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae. The data show that in yeast errors vary by codon from a low of 4 x 10(-5) to a high of 6.9 x 10(-4) per codon and that error frequency is in general about threefold lower than in E. coli, which may suggest that yeast has additional mechanisms that reduce missense errors. Error rate again is strongly influenced by tRNA competition. Surprisingly, missense errors involving wobble position mispairing were much less frequent in S. cerevisiae than in E. coli. Furthermore, the error-inducing aminoglycoside antibiotic, paromomycin, which stimulates errors on all error-prone codons in E. coli, has a more codon-specific effect in yeast.

Geosocial Networking App Use Associated With Sexual Risk Behavior and Pre-exposure Prophylaxis Use Among Gay, Bisexual, and Other Men Who Have Sex With Men: Cross-sectional Web-Based Survey.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, geosocial networking (GSN) apps (ie, mobile dating apps) have become central to dating and sexual interactions in recent years. Among gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men (GBM), these apps play an important role in reducing barriers and facilitating partner seeking. However, despite these benefits, there are concerns that these apps may facilitate risky sexual behavior and transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among GBM. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the association between GSN app use and sexual risk in a US sample of GBM. METHODS: Using a cross-sectional design, respondents (N=223) completed a web-based survey assessing their use of GSN apps, sexual risk and protective behaviors, HIV serostatus, and previous STI diagnoses. RESULTS: Respondents were aged 21-78 (mean 31.90, SD 10.06) years and 69.5% (155/223) were non-Hispanic White. The sample included respondents from 40 states and the District of Columbia. Nearly half (104/223, 47%) of the participants reported using GSN apps. GSN users were more likely to report past-year condomless anal intercourse (P<.001), 3 or more sexual partners in the previous year (P<.001), and a previous STI diagnosis (P=.001) than nonusers. GSN users also reported more frequent use of recreational drugs before sex (P=.001), alcohol use before sex (P<.001), and cannabis use before sex (P=.01). Interestingly, GSN users were also more likely to report having ever taken an HIV test (P<.001) and using pre-exposure prophylaxis (P=.03). The rates of HIV seropositivity did not differ significantly between GSN users and nonusers (P=.53). Among the subset of GSN users, 38 participants reported using only GBM-specific GSN apps (eg, Grindr), whereas 27 participants reported using only sexuality nonspecific GSN apps (eg, Tinder). Exclusive users of GBM-specific apps reported more frequent recreational drug use before sex (P=.01) and were also more likely to report past-year condomless anal intercourse (P<.001), 3 or more sexual partners in the previous year (P=.004), a previous STI diagnosis (P=.002), and HIV testing (P=.003). Alcohol use before sex, cannabis use before sex, pre-exposure prophylaxis use, and HIV rates were similar between both groups (P>.11). CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that GSN apps may be a useful pathway for interventions aimed at reducing STI risk in GBM. Future prospective studies should examine how risk levels change after the initiation of GSN app use.

Use of the acquired capability for suicide scale (ACSS) among United States military and Veteran samples: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Military personnel and Veterans are at increased risk for suicide. Theoretical and conceptual arguments have suggested that elevated levels of acquired capability (AC) could be an explanatory factor accounting for this increased risk. However, empirical research utilizing the Acquired Capability for Suicide Scale (ACSS) in military populations has yielded mixed findings. METHODS: To better ascertain what factors are associated with AC, and whether methodological limitations may be contributing to mixed findings, a systematic review was conducted. RESULTS: A total of 31 articles utilized the ACSS to examine factors associated with AC, including combat history, in United States (U.S.) military personnel and Veterans. Nearly all studies (96.8%) were rated high risk of bias. Use of the ACSS varied, with seven different iterations utilized. Nearly all studies examined correlations between the ACSS and sample characteristics, mental health and clinical factors, Interpersonal Theory of Suicide constructs, and/or suicide-specific variables. Results of higher-level analyses, dominated by cross-sectional designs, often contradicted correlational findings, with inconsistent findings across studies. LIMITATIONS: Included studies were non-representative of all U.S. military and Veteran populations and may only generalize to these populations. CONCLUSIONS: Due to the high risk of bias, inconsistent use of the ACSS, lack of sample heterogeneity, and variability in factors examined, interpretation of current ACSS empirical data is cautioned. Suggestions for future research, contextualized by these limitations, are discussed.

The frequency of translational misreading errors in E. coli is largely determined by tRNA competition.

Estimates of missense error rates (misreading) during protein synthesis vary from 10(-3) to 10(-4) per codon. The experiments reporting these rates have measured several distinct errors using several methods and reporter systems. Variation in reported rates may reflect real differences in rates among the errors tested or in sensitivity of the reporter systems. To develop a more accurate understanding of the range of error rates, we developed a system to quantify the frequency of every possible misreading error at a defined codon in Escherichia coli. This system uses an essential lysine in the active site of firefly luciferase. Mutations in Lys529 result in up to a 1600-fold reduction in activity, but the phenotype varies with amino acid. We hypothesized that residual activity of some of the mutant genes might result from misreading of the mutant codons by tRNA(Lys) (UUUU), the cognate tRNA for the lysine codons, AAA and AAG. Our data validate this hypothesis and reveal details about relative missense error rates of near-cognate codons. The error rates in E. coli do, in fact, vary widely. One source of variation is the effect of competition by cognate tRNAs for the mutant codons; higher error frequencies result from lower competition from low-abundance tRNAs. We also used the system to study the effect of ribosomal protein mutations known to affect error rates and the effect of error-inducing antibiotics, finding that they affect misreading on only a subset of near-cognate codons and that their effect may be less general than previously thought.