Physical Activity Adherence Related to Body Composition and Physical Fitness in Spanish Older Adults: 8 Years-Longitudinal EXERNET-Study.

Introduction: The multiple benefits of physical activity (PA) compared to the current lack of adherence to this behavior in older people makes it necessary to identify the factors related to its long-term dropout, therefore, the aim of this study was: (i) to study the evolution of behavior change for PA through stages of change (SoC) after 8 years and, to identify the associated factors related to the worsening of SoC for PA. Methods: A total of 714 Spanish older adults (>65 years) participated in the Longitudinal elderly EXERNET study 8 years follow-up. SoC for PA from Transtheoretical model of behavior change (TTM), body composition [BMI, fat mass, lean mass, waist circumference (WC), and hip circumference (HC)] and physical fitness (EXERNET battery fitness tests) were recorded. A multivariate binary logistic regression model was used to identify the potential predictive factors of worsening SoC for PA. Results: Three hundred and sixty participants (50.4%) worsening their SoC for PA after 8 years. Predictors factors associated with worsening of SoC were: HC (OR = 1.022; 95% CI: 1.001, 1.044), Lower body strength (OR = 0.940; 95% CI: 0.887, 0.997) and aerobic endurance at the 6 min-walk test (OR = 0.997; 95% CI: 0.995, 0.999). Conclusion: This study highlights that we need to identify adults with high HC, lower body strength and lower aerobic endurance to design a tailored PA program. Identifying the determinants of losing adherence to PA will help in the creation, design, and evaluation of exercise programs with the goal of reducing older adults' drop-outs rates.

Medicina Conductual: Una revisión histórica / Behavioral Medicine: A historical review

RESUMEN La medicina conductual es un campo interdisciplinario que involucra a las ciencias del comportamiento y ciencias biomédicas orientadas al estudio de la conducta, con el objetivo de prevenir y tratar enfermedades físicas, mejorando así la salud del ser humano. En el desarrollo del manuscrito, se precisa la evolución de los conceptos de salud y enfermedad a lo largo del siglo pasado. En este proceso, se mencionan los eventos que contribuyeron al surgimiento de la medicina conductual y posteriormente los que le sucedieron en sus primeros años de consolidación. Se describe y explica su actual desarrollo en entornos físicos y digitales, basados en evidencias, y el interés e importancia de cómo utilizar estas evidencias en la formulación de políticas de salud pública. El propósito de esta revisión es extender los principios y la práctica de la medicina conductual en la comunidad de habla hispana y resaltar la relevancia de esta disciplina en el campo de la salud pública.

SUMMARY Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field that involves behavioral and biomedical sciences towards the study of behavior, with the aim of preventing and treating physical illnesses and improve the human being's health levels. The manuscript examines the evolution of the concepts of health and disease throughout the last century is indicated in principle. In this process, the events that contributed to the emergence of behavioral medicine and those that happened during its first years of consolidation, are mentioned. Its current development, substantiated in evidence-based physical and digital environments, and the interest in and relevance of how to translate this evidence in the formulation of public health policies, are also explained. The purpose of this review is to extend the principles and practice of behavioral medicine in the Spanish-speaking community, exposing the relevance of this discipline in the public health field.

Development and acceptability of an educational video about a smoking cessation quitline for use in adult outpatient mental healthcare.

Tobacco use is a leading preventable cause of early mortality and is prevalent among adults with mental health diagnoses, especially in the southern USA. Increasing cessation resources in outpatient mental health care and targeting individuals most receptive to changing their behavior may improve cessation. Drawing on the transtheoretical model, our goals were to develop an educational video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline and evaluate its acceptability. We designed the video with knowledge derived from Louisiana-specific data (2016 Louisiana Adult Tobacco Survey, N = 6,469) and stakeholder feedback. Bivariate associations between demographic/tobacco-use characteristics and participants' stage of quitting (preparation phase vs. nonpreparation phase) were conducted, which informed design elements of the video. Four stakeholder advisory board meetings involving current smokers, mental health clinicians, and public health advocates convened to provide iterative feedback on the intervention. Our stakeholder advisory board (n = 10) and external stakeholders (n = 20) evaluated intervention acceptability. We found that 17.9% of Louisiana adults were current smokers, with 46.9% of them in the preparation phase of quitting. Using insights from data and stakeholders, we succeeded in producing a 2-min video about the Louisiana Tobacco Quitline which incorporated three themes identified as important by stakeholders: positivity, relatability, and approachability. Supporting acceptability, 96.7% of stakeholders rated the video as helpful and engaging. This study demonstrates the acceptability of combining theory, existing data, and iterative stakeholder feedback to develop a quitline educational video. Future research should examine whether the video can be used to reduce tobacco use.

Chronic stress-induced immune dysregulation in cancer: implications for initiation, progression, metastasis, and treatment.

Psychological stress is a well-accepted risk factor in cancer initiation and progression. The explosive growth of psychoneuroimmunology research in the past decade has yielded an unprecedented wealth of information about the critical role of chronic stress in the immune dysfunction that influences tumor behaviors, which presents insights to mitigate distress and improve prognosis in cancer patients. Chronic stress exacerbates inflammation and causes a metabolism disorder, making it difficult for the organisms to maintain homeostasis and increasing its susceptibility to cancer. The shifted differentiation and redistribution of the immune system induced by chronic stress fail to combat cancer efficiently. Chronic stress increases the tumor-educated immune suppressive cells and impairs the cytotoxicity of cellular immunity, thereby promoting lymphatic metastasis and hematogenous metastasis. In addition, the efficacy of existing cancer therapies is undermined because chronic stress prevents the immune system from responding properly. Emerging stress-reduction measures have been administered to assist cancer patients to cope with the adverse effects of chronic stress. Here we systematically review the current molecular, cellular, physiological mechanisms about stress-mediated immune responses in the enhancement of tumor initiation and progression, remodeling of tumor microenvironment and impairment of anti-tumor treatment. We also summarize the potential clinically applicable stress-oriented strategies towards cancer and discuss briefly where important knowledge gaps remain.

Perfil de personalidad en pacientes con trasplante renal: el modelo alternativo de los cinco factores / Personality profile of kidney transplant patients: the alternative five factor model

Resumen Introducción: la investigación sobre rasgos de personalidad en pacientes con trasplante renal es limitada. El objetivo de este estudio fue describir el perfil de personalidad de pacientes con trasplante renal, utilizando el modelo alternativo de cinco factores (AFFM), y compararlo con población estándar española. Material y métodos: la personalidad fue evaluada mediante el Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). Una muestra de 207 pacientes con trasplante renal se emparejó por edad y género con 207controles de la población estándar. El análisis de regresión logística permitió estudiar la aportación de cada dimensión del ZKPQ al perfil distintivo de los pacientes trasplantados. Resultados: aparecieron diferencias significativas en las dimensiones de Neuroticismo-Ansiedad (p=.001), Agresión-Hostilidad (p=.009) y Actividad (p=.001), con puntuaciones bajas en pacientes trasplantados en comparación con la población estándar. La sociabilidad (p=.024) fue significativamente mayor en pacientes trasplantados. En el análisis de regresión, las bajas puntuaciones en Neuroticismo-Ansiedad (p=.005) y Actividad (p=.001) fueron predictores significativos para caracterizar los rasgos de personalidad de pacientes trasplantados. Conclusiones: desde el AFFM, los pacientes con trasplante renal muestran un perfil diferente de personalidad comparado con la población estándar, con bajas puntuaciones en las dimensiones de Neuroticismo-Ansiedad y Actividad.

Abstract Background: There is limited research on personality traits that characterized kidney transplant patients. The aim of this study was to describe personality profile of kidney transplant patients using the Alternative Five Factor Model (AFFM), and compared it with the Spanish standard population. Method: Personality was assessed using the Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire (ZKPQ). A sample of 207 kidney transplant patients was matched by age and gender with 207 standard range controls. A logistic regression analyses was utilized to study the contribution of each ZKPQ dimension to describe the distinctive transplant patient's profile. Results: Significant differences were showed in Neuroticism-Anxiety (p=.001), Aggression-Hostility (p=.009), and Activity (p=.001) dimensions, with lower scores on transplant patients compared with standard population. But Sociability (p=.024) was significantly higher on kidney transplant patients. In logistic regression analysis low scores on Neuroticism-Anxiety (p=.005) and Activity (p=.001) were the significant predictors to characterize personality traits of kidney transplant patients. Conclusions: Kidney transplant patients had a differential profile under the AFFM compared to standard range sample, with lower scores on Neuroticism-Anxiety and Activity dimensions.

Does misperception of fruit and vegetable intake adequacy affect progression through the stages of behavior change after nutritional intervention?

Pseudomaintenance (PM) is a Transtheoretical Model (TTM) stage of change that refers to individuals who believe they eat enough fruit and vegetables (FV) despite their low FV intake. It is not known how they change behavior after usual TTM-based interventions. Thus, this randomized controlled community trial describes the effect of PM on progression through the stages of change for FV intake among adult and elderly health promotion service users after TTM-based intervention. The stage of change for FV intake was assessed; FV intake was estimated from brief validated questions at baseline (n = 3414) and follow-up (n = 1782). Individuals whose perception of adequacy matched the estimated intake were labeled as "concordant perception," while those with low intake who believed that their intake was adequate were classified as being in PM. The intervention group received the intervention while the control group received usual care. The prevalence of "no stage progression" at follow-up was close to 50% for those in PM at baseline. After adjustment for demographics, randomization, self-efficacy, decisional balance, and baseline intake, users in PM at baseline had higher odds [OR = 1.53 (1.21-1.94)] of progressing to higher stages for fruit and no difference in progression for vegetables. We propose strategies to approach FV intake in future studies and reinforce the need for additional trials aimed at describing changes in FV intake among individuals in PM, in order to continue answering the scientific questions that we began to investigate.

Barriers and facilitators to the implementation of brief interventions targeting smoking, nutrition, and physical activity for indigenous populations: a narrative review.

OBJECTIVE: This narrative review aimed to identify and categorize the barriers and facilitators to the provision of brief intervention and behavioral change programs that target several risk behaviors among the Indigenous populations of Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. METHODS: A systematic database search was conducted of six databases including PubMeD, Embase, CINAHL, HealthStar, PsycINFO, and Web of Science. Thematic analysis was utilized to analyze qualitative data extracted from the included studies, and a narrative approach was employed to synthesize the common themes that emerged. The quality of studies was assessed in accordance with the Joanna Briggs Institute's guidelines and using the software SUMARI - The System for the Unified Management, Assessment and Review of Information. RESULTS: Nine studies were included. The studies were classified at three intervention levels: (1) individual-based brief interventions, (2) family-based interventions, and (3) community-based-interventions. Across the studies, selection of the intervention level was associated with Indigenous priorities and preferences, and approaches with Indigenous collaboration were supported. Barriers and facilitators were grouped under four major categories representing the common themes: (1) characteristics of design, development, and delivery, (2) patient/provider relationship, (3) environmental factors, and (4) organizational capacity and workplace-related factors. Several sub-themes also emerged under the above-mentioned categories including level of intervention, Indigenous leadership and participation, cultural appropriateness, social and economic barriers, and design elements. CONCLUSION: To improve the effectiveness of multiple health behavior change interventions among Indigenous populations, collaborative approaches that target different intervention levels are beneficial. Further research to bridge the knowledge gap in this topic will help to improve the quality of preventive health strategies to achieve better outcomes at all levels, and will improve intervention implementation from development and delivery fidelity, to acceptability and sustainability.

Examining the Use of Glucose and Physical Activity Self-Monitoring Technologies in Individuals at Moderate to High Risk of Developing Type 2 Diabetes: Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Self-monitoring of behavior (namely, diet and physical activity) and physiology (namely, glucose) has been shown to be effective in type 2 diabetes (T2D) and prediabetes prevention. By combining self-monitoring technologies, the acute physiological consequences of behaviors could be shown, prompting greater consideration to physical activity levels today, which impact the risk of developing diabetes years or decades later. However, until recently, commercially available technologies have not been able to show individuals the health benefits of being physically active. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to examine the usage, feasibility, and acceptability of behavioral and physiological self-monitoring technologies in individuals at risk of developing T2D. METHODS: A total of 45 adults aged ≥40 years and at moderate to high risk of T2D were recruited to take part in a 3-arm feasibility trial. Each participant was provided with a behavioral (Fitbit Charge 2) and physiological (FreeStyle Libre flash glucose monitor) monitor for 6 weeks, masked according to group allocation. Participants were allocated to glucose feedback (4 weeks) followed by glucose and physical activity (biobehavioral) feedback (2 weeks; group 1), physical activity feedback (4 weeks) followed by biobehavioral feedback (2 weeks; group 2), or biobehavioral feedback (6 weeks; group 3). Participant usage (including time spent on the apps and number of glucose scans) was the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were the feasibility (including recruitment and number of sensor displacements) and acceptability (including monitor wear time) of the intervention. Semistructured qualitative interviews were conducted at the 6-week follow-up appointment. RESULTS: For usage, time spent on the Fitbit and FreeStyle Libre apps declined over the 6 weeks for all groups. Of the FreeStyle Libre sensor scans conducted by participants, 17% (1798/10,582) recorded rising or falling trends in glucose, and 24% (13/45) of participants changed ≥1 of the physical activity goals. For feasibility, 49% (22/45) of participants completed the study using the minimum number of FreeStyle Libre sensors, and a total of 41 sensors were declared faulty or displaced. For acceptability, participants wore the Fitbit for 40.1 (SD 3.2) days, and 20% (9/45) of participants and 53% (24/45) of participants were prompted by email to charge or sync the Fitbit, respectively. Interviews unearthed participant perceptions on the study design by suggesting refinements to the eligibility criteria and highlighting important issues about the usability, wearability, and features of the technologies. CONCLUSIONS: Individuals at risk of developing T2D engaged with wearable digital health technologies providing behavioral and physiological feedback. Modifications are required to both the study and to commercially available technologies to maximize the chances of sustained usage and behavior change. The study and intervention were feasible to conduct and acceptable to most participants. TRIAL REGISTRATION: International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN) 17545949; isrctn.com/ISRCTN17545949.

The Use of Wearable Activity Trackers Among Older Adults: Focus Group Study of Tracker Perceptions, Motivators, and Barriers in the Maintenance Stage of Behavior Change.

BACKGROUND: Wearable activity trackers offer the opportunity to increase physical activity through continuous monitoring. Viewing tracker use as a beneficial health behavior, we explored the factors that facilitate and hinder long-term activity tracker use, applying the transtheoretical model of behavior change with the focus on the maintenance stage and relapse. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to investigate older adults' perceptions and uses of activity trackers at different points of use: from nonuse and short-term use to long-term use and abandoned use to determine the factors to maintain tracker use and prevent users from discontinuing tracker usage. METHODS: Data for the research come from 10 focus groups. Of them, 4 focus groups included participants who had never used activity trackers (n=17). These focus groups included an activity tracker trial. The other 6 focus groups (without the activity tracker trial) were conducted with short-term (n=9), long-term (n=11), and former tracker users (n=11; 2 focus groups per user type). RESULTS: The results revealed that older adults in different tracker use stages liked and wished for different tracker features, with long-term users (users in the maintenance stage) being the most diverse and sophisticated users of the technology. Long-term users had developed a habit of tracker use whereas other participants made an effort to employ various encouragement strategies to ensure behavior maintenance. Social support through collaboration was the primary motivator for long-term users to maintain activity tracker use. Short-term and former users focused on competition, and nonusers engaged in vicarious tracker use experiences. Former users, or those who relapsed by abandoning their trackers, indicated that activity tracker use was fueled by curiosity in quantifying daily physical activity rather than the desire to increase physical activity. Long-term users saw a greater range of pros in activity tracker use whereas others focused on the cons of this behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that activity trackers may be an effective technology to encourage physical activity among older adults, especially those who have never tried it. However, initial positive response to tracker use does not guarantee tracker use maintenance. Maintenance depends on recognizing the long-term benefits of tracker use, social support, and internal motivation. Nonadoption and relapse may occur because of technology's limitations and gaining awareness of one's physical activity without changing the physical activity level itself.

Adherencia al Tratamiento en Rehabilitación Cardíaca: Diseño y Validación de un Programa de Intervención Biopsicosocial / Adherence to Treatment in Cardiac Rehabilitation: Design and Validation of a Bio-Psychosocial Intervention Program / Aderência ao Tratamento em Reabilitação Cardíaca: Desenho e Validação de um Programa de Intervenção Biopsicossocial

Resumen El estudio pretendió el diseño y validación de contenido de un programa de intervención biopsicosocial para mejorar la adherencia al tratamiento (AT) en pacientes en rehabilitación cardiaca (RC) durante la fase no supervisada por profesionales de la salud. El diseño incluyó la revisión de literatura científica y la información de tres grupos focales: expertos (5), pacientes (6) y familiares y/o cuidadores (5). El programa está sustentado en el concepto de autorregulación y basado en el modelo HAPA (Health Action Process Approach); la estructura contiene sesiones educativas y psicológicas, así como ejercicios transversales y actividades de seguimiento. La validación se realizó con seis jueces expertos, quienes calificaron los componentes: objetivos, actividades, metodología y recursos. Esta evaluación reveló índices de validación de contenido (IVC) excelentes (1) y buenos (0,83), según parámetros de Lynn (1986). Se concluyó que es una intervención clara, pertinente, suficiente y coherente, útil para el psicólogo que integra los equipos interdisciplinarios sanitarios, lo cual mejora el beneficio para los pacientes.

Abstract The study aimed to validate the design and content of a biopsychosocial intervention program to improve adherence to treatment (AT) by patients in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) when they are not supervised by health professionals. A review of scientific literature was performed and information from three focus groups: experts (5), patients (6) and family and / or caregivers (5). The program is based on the concept of self-regulation and based on the HAPA model (Health Action Process Approach); the structure included educational and psychological sessions, as well as cross exercises and monitoring activities. Validation was performed by six expert judges, who qualified the following components: objectives, activities, methodology and resources. This assessment revealed excellent (1) and good (0.83) content validation indexes (CVI) in accordance with Lynn parameters (1986). It was concluded that the program is clear, relevant, adequate and coherent. Besides, it is useful for health psychologists who work to interdisciplinary teams, and enhances the benefits for patients.

Resumo Este estudo pretendeu desenhar e validar o conteúdo de um programa de intervenção biopsicossocial para melhorar a aderência ao tratamento em pacientes em reabilitação cardíaca durante a fase não supervisionada por profissionais da saúde. O desenho incluiu a revisão de literatura científica e a informação de três grupos focais: especialistas (5), pacientes (6) e familiares e/ou cuidadores (5). O programa está apoiado no conceito de autorregulação e baseado no modelo Health Action Process Approach (hapa); a estrutura contém sessões educativas e psicológicas bem como exercícios transversais e atividades de seguimento. A validação foi realizada com seis juízes especializados, os quais qualificaram os componentes: objetivos, atividades, metodologia e recursos. Essa avaliação revelou índices de validação de conteúdo excelentes (1) e bons (.83), segundo parâmetros de Lynn (1986). Concluiu-se que é uma intervenção clara, pertinente, suficiente e coerente, útil para o psicólogo que integra as equipes interdisciplinares sanitárias, o que melhora o benefício para os pacientes.