Latin America and the Caribbean Code Against Cancer 1st edition: Formative research on the comprehension and persuasiveness of the recommendations by the general population.

BACKGROUND: Cancer prevention is the most efficient and cost-effective strategy in cancer control. One prevention strategy is giving credible, clear, and evidence-based recommendations to the individual; however, it is key that these messages are accepted and understood properly by the public. This study aimed to pilot the draft recommendations developed as part of the Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) Code Against Cancer 1st edition, in terms of comprehension and persuasion of each message. METHODS: A mixed method two-wave study, in which two versions of the messages were presented to the general population in five LAC countries. We used an ad-hoc questionnaire and interviews that followed the cognitive-pretesting methodology. RESULTS: Findings suggest that the messages were generally well understood, especially in Spanish speaking countries, and that the messages were generally more understandable than persuasive. We adapted and revised the recommendations based on the findings of the first Wave and held a second iteration in the Spanish speaking countries. We observed a better understanding of most messages in Wave 2. CONCLUSION: The LAC Code Against Cancer is a valuable tool of well understood messages for the public, with concrete actions everyone can take to prevent cancer. Further research should assess particularities of the region for further efficient dissemination of these important health messages, identify key messages for certain population groups and future interventions that strengthen health literacy in rural and less educated populations to increase behavior change.

Addressing psychosocial work-related stress interventions: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Work-related stress can be defined as an individual's reactions to work characteristics and indicates a poor relationship between coping abilities and work environment. If unmanaged, stress can impact mental and physical health (e.g., causing depression and cardiovascular disease). Many individuals use maladaptive stress-coping strategies, such as sedentary activities, unhealthy eating behaviors, and alcohol consumption, which do not contribute to long-term stress management. In contrast, stress reduction programs can help people manage and effectively reduce stress in the long term. OBJECTIVE: To gather the state of the art of work-related stress interventions, their efficacy and applications. METHOD: The PsycINFO and EBSCOHost databases were used. The search was carried out between January 28 and March 30, 2019. Inclusion criteria were full text available, text in English or Spanish and a study population comprising workers. RESULTS: Twenty-nine articles that included interventions involving aromatherapy, bibliotherapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, exercise, alternative medicine, mindfulness, technology, stress management and sensory intervention were analyzed. The interventions showed significant reductions in stress, anxiety, depression and burnout; however, most of the studies were not based on specific stress models, and control groups often received no intervention whatsoever. As a result, it is challenging to draw conclusions regarding the success of the interventions, especially if they are novel. CONCLUSION: The results suggest that there is a broad portfolio of successful interventions regarding work-related stress. Most of the successful interventions were based on mindfulness; however, aerobic exercise and bibliotherapy may also be successful. The structure and level of evidence appear to be very relevant to the development of a successful intervention.

Cognitive behavioral therapy reduces illness perceptions and anxiety symptoms in patients with unruptured intracranial aneurysm.

The main purpose of this study was to assess the relation between cognitive behavioral therapy and possible changes in illness perceptions and anxiety in patients diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysm. An observational study of an intervention with 67 patients with an unruptured intracranial aneurysm from two medical centers in a Colombian city (n = 35 on the intervention group) was carried out. To assess changes, measurements were taken at baseline and at one-year follow-up with the Beck Anxiety Inventory and the Illness Perception Questionnaire, brief version, taking into account the importance of perceptions in the process of adjusting to illness and acquiring healthy life habits. Hypotheses were tested by a structural model. The results obtained from this study showed that illness perceptions were related to anxiety levels at both time points; however, the relations were stronger before cognitive behavioral therapy (ßt0 = 0.61, p < 0.01; ßt1 = 0.37, p < 0.01). Cognitive behavioral therapy was found to be a moderator of changes in both illness perceptions and anxiety at the time of follow-up (ß = -0.31, p < 0.01; ß = -0.26, p < 0.01). The structural model suggests that cognitive behavioral therapy is associated with less anxiety (ß = -0.17, p < 0.05) and better illness perceptions (ß = -0.35, p < 0.01) in patients diagnosed with unruptured intracranial aneurysms.