RESUMO
BACKGROUND: In recent years, obesity has become a serious public health crisis in the United States. Although the problem of obesity is being addressed through a variety of strategies, the use of mobile apps is a relatively new development that could prove useful in helping people to develop healthy dietary habits. Though such apps might lead to health behavior change, especially when relevant behavior change theory constructs are integrated into them, the mechanisms by which these apps facilitate behavior change are largely unknown. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to identify which behavior change mechanisms are associated with the use of diet- and nutrition-related health apps and whether the use of diet- and nutrition-related apps is associated with health behavior change. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was administered to a total of 217 participants. Participants responded to questions on demographics, use of diet and nutrition apps in the past 6 months, engagement and likability of apps, and changes in the participant's dietary behaviors. Regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with reported changes in theory and separately for reported changes in actual behavior, after controlling for potential confounding variables. RESULTS: The majority of study participants agreed or strongly agreed with statements regarding app use increasing their motivation to eat a healthy diet, improving their self-efficacy, and increasing their desire to set and achieve health diet goals. Additionally, majority of participants strongly agreed that using diet/nutrition apps led to changes in their behavior, namely increases in actual goal setting to eat a healthy diet (58.5%, 127/217), increases in their frequency of eating healthy foods (57.6%, 125/217), and increases in their consistency of eating healthy foods (54.4%, 118/217). Participants also responded favorably to questions related to engagement and likability of diet/nutrition apps. A number of predictors were also positively associated with diet-related behavior change. Theory (P<.001), app engagement (P<.001), app use (P<.003), and education (P<.010) were all positively associated with behavior change. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings indicate that the use of diet/nutrition apps is associated with diet-related behavior change. Hence, diet- and nutrition-related apps that focus on improving motivation, desire, self-efficacy, attitudes, knowledge, and goal setting may be particularly useful. As the number of diet- and nutrition-related apps continues to grow, developers should consider integrating appropriate theoretical constructs for health behavior change into the newly developed mobile apps.
RESUMO
OBJECTIVE: To assess patterns of HIV-related mortality by period, gender and age group in Canada from 1987 to 2008. METHODS: We applied standard demographic techniques to assess changes in HIV/AIDS mortality over five time periods: 1987-1991, 1992-1996, 1997-2001, 2002-2006, and 2007-2008. HIV/AIDS-related mortality was based on deaths in which HIV infection or AIDS was reported as the underlying cause of death. Population figures were obtained from annual estimates. Age-, sex- and province-specific crude and standardized HIV/AIDS mortality rates and ratios were used to examine changes in mortality. RESULTS: In the period from 1987 to 2008, there were 17,287 HIV/AIDS-related deaths; of these, 15,587 (90.2%) occurred among men and 1,700 (9.8%) among women. Standardized and age-specific death rates were generally higher in men than women. Among men, rates of mortality were highest in Quebec and British Columbia; and among women, rates increased over time in British Columbia and the Prairies and decreased in Quebec. In general, rates of death were highest in 1992-1996 and lowest in the latest period. CONCLUSION: We observed a sharp decline in mortality rates with the introduction of HAART; however, the rates were higher among men in Quebec and British Columbia and among women in British Columbia, Quebec and the Prairies.
