A randomized controlled trial of directive and nondirective smoking cessation coaching through an employee quitline.

BACKGROUND: Telephone quitlines can help employees quit smoking. Quitlines typically use directive coaching, but nondirective, flexible coaching is an alternative. Call-2-Quit used a worksite-sponsored quitline to compare directive and nondirective coaching modes, and evaluated employee race and income as potential moderators. METHODS: An unblinded randomized controlled trial compared directive and nondirective telephone coaching by trained laypersons. Participants were smoking employees and spouses recruited through workplace smoking cessation campaigns in a hospital system and affiliated medical school. Coaches were four non-medical women trained to use both coaching modes. Participants were randomized by family to coaching mode. Participants received up to 7 calls from coaches who used computer assisted telephone interview software to track topics and time. Outcomes were reported smoking abstinence for 7 days at last contact, 6 or 12 months after coaching began. Both worksites implemented new tobacco control policies during the study. RESULTS: Most participants responded to an insurance incentive introduced at the hospital. Call-2-Quit coached 518 participants: 22 % were African-American; 45 % had incomes below $30,000. Income, race, and intervention did not affect coaching completion rates. Cessation rates were comparable with directive and nondirective coaching (26 % versus 30 % quit, NS). A full factorial logistic regression model identified above median income (odds ratio = 1.8, p = 0.02), especially among African Americans (p = 0.04), and recent quit attempts (OR = 1.6, p = 0.03) as predictors of cessation. Nondirective coaching was associated with high cessation rates among subgroups of smokers reporting income above the median, recent quit attempts, or use of alternative therapies. Waiting up to 4 weeks to start coaching did not affect cessation. Of 41 highly addicted or depressed smokers who had never quit more than 30 days, none quit. CONCLUSION: Nondirective coaching improved cessation rates for selected smoking employees, but less expensive directive coaching helped most smokers equally well, regardless of enrollment incentives and delays in receiving coaching. Some subgroups had very low cessation rates with either mode of quitline support. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT02730260 , Registered March 31, 2016.

Worksite Opportunities for Wellness (WOW): effects on cardiovascular disease risk factors after 1 year.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of a worksite health promotion program on improving cardiovascular disease risk factors. METHODS: In St Louis, Missouri from 2005 to 2006, 151 employees (134 F, 17 M, 81% overweight/obese) participated in a cohort-randomized trial comparing assessments + intervention (worksite A) with assessments only (worksite B) for 1 year. All participants received personal health reports containing their assessment results. The intervention was designed to promote physical activity and favorable dietary patterns using pedometers, healthy snack cart, WeightWatchers(R) meetings, group exercise classes, seminars, team competitions, and participation rewards. Outcomes included BMI, body composition, blood pressure, fitness, lipids, and Framingham 10-year coronary heart disease risk. RESULTS: 123 participants, aged 45+/-9 yr, with BMI 32.9+/-8.8 kg/m(2) completed 1 year. Improvements (P< or =0.05) were observed at both worksites for fitness, blood pressure, and total-, HDL-, and LDL-cholesterol. Additional improvements occurred at worksite A in BMI, fat mass, Framingham risk score, and prevalence of the metabolic syndrome; only the changes in BMI and fat mass were different between worksites. CONCLUSION: A multi-faceted worksite intervention promoted favorable changes in cardiovascular disease risk factors, but many of the improvements were achieved with worksite health assessments and personalized health reports in the absence of an intervention.

Changes in weight and health behaviors from freshman through senior year of college.

OBJECTIVE: To assess weight changes, exercise and diet behaviors among college students from the beginning of freshman year until the end of senior year. DESIGN: Longitudinal observational study. SETTING: Private university in St. Louis, Missouri. PARTICIPANTS: College students (138 females, 66 males). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Weight and height were measured, body mass index (BMI) was calculated, and exercise and dietary behaviors were assessed by questionnaire. ANALYSIS: Changes in weight, BMI, exercise, and dietary patterns from the beginning of freshman year to the end of senior year. RESULTS: Females gained 1.7 +/- 4.5 kg (3.75 +/- 9.92 lb) [mean +/- SD] from freshman to senior year, and males gained 4.2 +/- 6.4 kg (9.26 +/- 14.11 lb) (both P < .001). Weight changes were highly variable between students, however, ranging from -13.2 kg to +20.9 kg (-29.10 to +46.08 lb). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: Weight gain was common but variable among college students. Importantly, exercise and dietary patterns did not meet the recommended guidelines for many college students, which may have long-term health implications.

Use of the transtheoretical model to enhance resources and supports for diabetes self management: lessons from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Diabetes Initiative.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this article is to describe how Resources and Supports for Self Management (RSSM) and strategies of the transtheoretical model (TTM) intersect to produce a comprehensive approach resulting in cutting-edge diabetes programs. METHODS: Specific components of RSSM, especially individualized assessment, collaborative goal setting, and enhancing skills, are reviewed in terms of contributions to the TTM. RESULTS: Specific examples from the Diabetes Initiative of using TTM constructs from 5 projects are shown to illustrate the first 3 RSSM constructs: individualized assessment, collaborative goal setting, and skill building. CONCLUSION: Diabetes Initiative grantees have demonstrated that the TTM enhances RSSM and facilitates the adoption of good diabetes self-management behaviors.

Weight changes, exercise, and dietary patterns during freshman and sophomore years of college.

Weight gain and behavioral patterns during college may contribute to overweight and obesity in adulthood. The aims of this study were to assess weight, exercise, and dietary patterns of 764 college students (53% women, 47% men) during freshman and sophomore years. Students had their weight and height measured and completed questionnaires about their recent exercise and dietary patterns. At the beginning of freshman year, 29% of students reported not exercising, 70% ate fewer than 5 fruits and vegetables daily, and more than 50% ate fried or high-fat fast foods at least 3 times during the previous week. By the end of their sophomore year, 70% of the 290 students who were reassessed had gained weight (4.1+/-3.6 kg, p < .001), but there was no apparent association with exercise or dietary patterns. Future research is needed to assess the contributions of fat, muscle, and bone mass to observed weight gain and to determine the health implications of these findings.

A randomized controlled evaluation of the effect of community health workers on hospitalization for asthma: the asthma coach.

OBJECTIVE: To test whether community health workers are able to reach low-income parents of African American children hospitalized for asthma and to reduce rehospitalization among them. DESIGN: A randomized controlled evaluation of usual care vs 2-year asthma coach intervention. SETTING: An urban children's hospital and the surrounding community. PARTICIPANTS: A population-based sample of 306 children hospitalized for asthma met the inclusion criteria of being 2 to 8 years of age, of African American ethnicity, and having Medicaid coverage. Of these, 200 were contacted and 191 recruited with commitment to evaluation activities but, in order to assess reach, no commitment to participating in intervention. INTERVENTIONS: Coaches reinforced basic asthma education and encouraged key management behaviors through home visits and phone calls tailored to parent's readiness to adopt management practices and emphasizing a nondirective supportive style (cooperative and accepting of feelings and choices). OUTCOME MEASURES: The reach of intervention to parents, contacts with coaches, and rehospitalization over 2 years based on hospital records. RESULTS: Within 3 months of randomization to the asthma coach group, 89.6% of parents had at least 1 substantive contact with the coach, with an average of 21.1 contacts per parent over the 24-month intervention. The proportion of children rehospitalized was 35 of 96 (36.5%) in the asthma coach group and 55 of 93 (59.1%) in the usual care group (P < .01), controlling for parental education and child age, sex, and hospitalization in the year prior to the index hospitalization. In surveys, parents indicated the importance of the nondirective approach to support. CONCLUSIONS: An asthma coach can reach low-income parents of African American children hospitalized for asthma and reduce rehospitalization among the children.

Home use of albuterol for asthma exacerbations.

BACKGROUND: To reduce symptoms and emergency department (ED) visits, the National Asthma Education and Prevention Program (NAEPP) guidelines recommend early treatment of acute asthma symptoms with albuterol and oral corticosteroids. Yet, ED visits for asthma are frequent and often occur several days after onset of increased symptoms, particularly for children from low-income, urban neighborhoods. OBJECTIVES: To describe home use of albuterol and identify factors associated with appropriate albuterol use. METHODS: A total of 114 caregivers in the intervention group of a randomized trial to reduce emergent care for low-income, urban children completed a structured telephone interview with an asthma nurse to evaluate home management of their child's acute asthma symptoms. Interviews lasted approximately 20 minutes and were conducted from November 5, 2003, through September 30, 2005. Albuterol use as reported by caregivers was categorized as appropriate or inappropriate based on NAEPP recommendations. RESULTS: Albuterol use for worsening asthma symptoms was categorized as appropriate for only 68% of caregivers and was more likely if the children had an ED visit or hospitalization for asthma in the prior year. The remaining 32% of caregivers used albuterol inappropriately (overtreatment or undertreatment). Appropriate albuterol use was not associated with caregiver report of having an asthma action plan (AAP) or a recent primary care physician visit to discuss asthma maintenance care. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers reported that they would use albuterol to treat their child's worsening asthma symptoms, but many described inappropriate use. Detailed evaluation of proper albuterol use at home may provide insight into how health care professionals can better educate and support parents in their management of acute exacerbations and more effective use of AAPs.

Development of Stage of Readiness and decisional balance instruments: tools to enhance clinical decision-making for adherence to antiretroviral therapy.

This study presents the development of Stage of Readiness (SOR) and decisional balance instruments based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change (TTM) to improve adherence to antiretroviral therapy (ART). These instruments were tested on HIV positive women who enrolled in an adherence support study at a women's HIV clinic at a mid-western medical school. The decisional balance instrument was analyzed and 8 of 11 items were retained. These items were validated by follow-up administration of the instrument. Baseline stage of change and decisional balance scores prospectively predicted 1-year viral load level, thus identifying participants in need of adherence support interventions. Use of these instruments can give a provider added objective data on which to base a decision to either prescribe ART immediately or to first implement an intervention tailored to enhance this patient's readiness to adhere.

Refinement of an instrument to evaluate parental attitudes about follow-up care after an acute emergency department visit for asthma.

INTRODUCTION: Prompt follow-up after emergency department (ED) care for asthma allows the primary care provider (PCP) and family to review factors that led to the ED visit, update current care plans, and plan for prevention of future exacerbations. METHODS: The Initial Questionnaire to assess parental impressions of Pros and Cons of follow-up was administered to parents who brought their children to the ED for treatment of an acute asthma exacerbation (N = 309). After a planned interim analysis, 19 new items were generated, and this Expanded Questionnaire was given to 198 parents. Principal Component Analysis (PCA) was used to identify well-defined items and discard ambiguous and confusing items. RESULTS: PCA of the Expanded Questionnaire revealed 18 of 43 items related to four dimensions of parents' Pros and Cons for obtaining follow-up care. Four distinct categories were identified: two Pros and two Cons. Pro items related to practical things parents get from a follow-up visit and to positive parental beliefs about follow-up care. Con items emphasized practical considerations that make it difficult to go to a follow-up visit and identified the misconception that follow-up is not necessary for asymptomatic children. In addition, two distinct clusters of parents were identified: those that value and those that do not value follow-up care. CONCLUSION: We developed an 18-item measure that assesses Pros and Cons of follow-up care for asthma following emergency care, which has four reliable factors: Pro Practical, Pro Attitude, Con Practical, and Con Attitude. This questionnaire may help guide interventions to change perceptions of the need for follow-up. Attention to increasing Pros among those who are reluctant to attend follow-up care may be especially effective.

Parental impressions of the benefits (pros) and barriers (cons) of follow-up care after an acute emergency department visit for children with asthma.

OBJECTIVE: Asthma morbidity, with increasing emergency department (ED) visits, is prevalent among low-income, urban children. Follow-up care after ED visits is infrequent. We developed and evaluated an instrument that describes the parental benefits (pros) and barriers (cons) of obtaining follow-up care for interventions to promote follow-up. METHODS: We enrolled a convenience sample of low-income, urban parents who brought their children to the ED for treatment of asthma. These parents rated 41 items about the pros and cons of making a follow-up visit. Principal component analysis was used to identify the underlying structure of the instrument. RESULTS: One hundred forty-seven participants were interviewed in the ED. Principal component analysis retained 24 total items, which were identified by this sample as highly associated with deciding to take their child to a follow-up visit. Two types of pros were identified, informational and attitudinal, including "ask the doctor questions," and " children with asthma are healthier if they see their doctor regularly." Two types of cons were identified, practical and attitudinal, including "I have to find transportation," and "I don't need to see the doctor unless my child is sick." The mean total pro and con scores were 4.05 +/- 0.63 and 1.73 +/- 0.67, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The pros and cons are not unidimensional. Even among those with infrequent follow-up, pros were endorsed more highly than cons. Programs that target these pros and cons may improve adherence to follow-up and regular care for low-income urban children.