An Internet-Based Weight Loss Intervention Initiated by a Newspaper

Background: An estimated two-thirds of North Carolina residents are overweight or obese. Mass media, such as newspapers and the Internet, can be used to broadly convey health messages for weight loss. Context: Newspapers have traditionally been a primary source of health information for the general public. They may be uniquely suited to initiate and manage a community-based weight loss program by quickly reaching a broad readership. Methods: Participants in the 2005 Lose to Win weight loss challenge visited the Herald-Sun Web site and anonymously entered a nickname and identification number and reported their weight each week. Participants had access to weekly articles on diet and physical activity and 4 free educational seminars. Consequences: Of the 154 participants who self-reported weight at baseline and during the last week of the challenge, the mean weight lost was 5.9 lb. Interpretation: Results suggest that this challenge fostered health awareness and promoted weight loss in the community. Future interventions of this type should use strategies to increase participation and retention, improve the accuracy of reported weight, and evaluate long-term success of the program. This type of intervention may be a useful first step to reach residents who are interested in losing weight

Barriers to women's participation in inter-conceptional care: a cross-sectional analysis

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>We describe participation rates in a special interconceptional care program that addressed all commonly known barriers to care, and identify predictors of the observed levels of participation in this preventive care service.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>A secondary analysis of data from women in the intervention arm of an interconceptional care clinical trial in Philadelphia (n = 442). Gelberg-Andersen Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations to Health Services (herein called Andersen model) was used as a theoretical base. We used a multinomial logit model to analyze the factors influencing women's level of participation in this enhanced interconceptional care program.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Although common barriers were addressed, there was variable participation in the interconceptional interventions. The Andersen model did not explain the variation in interconceptional care participation (Wald ch sq = 49, <it>p = </it>0.45). <it>Enabling </it>factors <it>(p </it>= 0.058), <it>older maternal age (p = 0.03) </it>and <it>smoking (p = < 0.0001) </it>were independently associated with participation.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Actively removing common barriers to care does not guarantee the long-term and consistent participation of vulnerable women in preventive care. There are unknown factors beyond known barriers that affect participation in interconceptional care. New paradigms are needed to identify the additional factors that serve as barriers to participation in preventive care for vulnerable women.</p

Body Image and Body Satisfaction Differ by Race in Overweight Postpartum Mothers

Body image (BI) and body satisfaction may be important in understanding weight loss behaviors, particularly during the postpartum period. We assessed these constructs among African American and white overweight postpartum women

A Randomized Trial of Tailoring and Motivational Interviewing to Promote Fruit and Vegetable Consumption for Cancer Prevention and Control

Healthful dietary patterns, including eating fruits and vegetables (F&V) and avoiding obesity may decrease the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases. In addition to promoting health for the general population, a cancer diagnosis may provide a “teachable moment,” facilitating the adoption of more healthful eating habits and leading to lower risk of chronic disease and better overall health

Healthcare practices among blacks and whites with urinary tract symptoms.

CONTEXT: The reasons for African-American men to seek care for lower urinary care symptoms has not been determined due to sparse population-based data. OBJECTIVE: Our study examines the solicitation and receipt of medical care for urinary symptoms among racially oversampled elderly urban and rural cohort of African Americans and whites. DESIGN: Longitudinal analyses were conducted on five North Carolina counties through the Piedmont Health Survey of the Elderly Established Populations for the Epidemiological Study of the Elderly. In 1994, the analytic cohort included 482 African Americans and 407 whites; by 1998, 249 and 222, respectively. RESULTS: In 1994, 49.4% of African Americans presented with lower urinary tract symptoms compared to 56.8% of whites. By 1998, these percentages increased to 60.6% and 70.3%, respectively. African Americans reported more interference with activities of daily living than whites. African Americans were less likely than whites to have regular digital rectal exams (DRE) and were more likely to have never received a DRE at all. Additionally, elders with less educational attainment, those who smoked, those who delayed care quite often and those who used less-experienced physicians were less likely to receive regular DREs. CONCLUSION: Poor health behavior has the greatest impact on healthcare seeking for lower urinary tract symptoms. These health behavior risk factors are systemic of a lack of health education. Increases in health education among African Americans regarding lower urinary tract symptoms may close the racial disparity in healthcare-seeking behaviors

Body Image and Body Satisfaction Differ by Race in Overweight Postpartum Mothers

BACKGROUND: Body image (BI) and body satisfaction may be important in understanding weight loss behaviors, particularly during the postpartum period. We assessed these constructs among African American and white overweight postpartum women. METHODS: The sample included 162 women (73 African American and 89 white) in the intervention arm 6 months into the Active Mothers Postpartum (AMP) Study, a nutritional and physical activity weight loss intervention. BIs, self-reported using the Stunkard figure rating scale, were compared assessing mean values by race. Body satisfaction was measured using body discrepancy (BD), calculated as perceived current image minus ideal image (BD<0: desire to be heavier; BD>0: desire to be lighter). BD was assessed by race for: BD(Ideal) (current image minus the ideal image) and BD(Ideal Mother) (current image minus ideal mother image). RESULTS: Compared with white women, African American women were younger and were less likely to report being married, having any college education, or residing in households with annual incomes >$30,000 (all p < 0.01). They also had a higher mean body mass index (BMI) (p = 0.04), although perceived current BI did not differ by race (p = 0.21). African Americans had higher mean ideal (p = 0.07) and ideal mother (p = 0.001) BIs compared with whites. African Americans' mean BDs (adjusting for age, BMI, education, income, marital status, and interaction terms) were significantly lower than those of whites, indicating greater body satisfaction among African Americans (BD(Ideal): 1.7 vs. 2.3, p = 0.005; BD(Ideal Mother): 1.1 vs. 1.8, p = 0.0002). CONCLUSIONS: Racial differences exist in postpartum weight, ideal images, and body satisfaction. Healthcare providers should consider tailored messaging that accounts for these racially different perceptions and factors when designing weight loss programs for overweight mothers

The RaDIANT community study protocol: community-based participatory research for reducing disparities in access to kidney transplantation

BACKGROUND: The Southeastern United States has the lowest kidney transplant rates in the nation, and racial disparities in kidney transplant access are concentrated in this region. The Southeastern Kidney Transplant Coalition (SEKTC) of Georgia, North Carolina, and South Carolina is an academic and community partnership that was formed with the mission to improve access to kidney transplantation and reduce disparities among African American (AA) end stage renal disease (ESRD) patients in the Southeastern United States. METHODS/DESIGN: We describe the community-based participatory research (CBPR) process utilized in planning the Reducing Disparities In Access to kidNey Transplantation (RaDIANT) Community Study, a trial developed by the SEKTC to reduce health disparities in access to kidney transplantation among AA ESRD patients in Georgia, the state with the lowest kidney transplant rates in the nation. The SEKTC Coalition conducted a needs assessment of the ESRD population in the Southeast and used results to develop a multicomponent, dialysis facility-randomized, quality improvement intervention to improve transplant access among dialysis facilities in GA. A total of 134 dialysis facilities are randomized to receive either: (1) standard of care or “usual” transplant education, or (2) the multicomponent intervention consisting of transplant education and engagement activities targeting dialysis facility leadership, staff, and patients within dialysis facilities. The primary outcome is change in facility-level referral for kidney transplantation from baseline to 12 months; the secondary outcome is reduction in racial disparity in transplant referral. DISCUSSION: The RaDIANT Community Study aims to improve equity in access to kidney transplantation for ESRD patients in the Southeast. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov number NCT02092727