Publishing Policy and Instructions for Contributors

Editorial back matter for vol. 77, no.2 (1993) of Journal of Applied Communication

Table of contents, editorial board, introduction from the editor, and other front matter

Editorial front matter and table of contents for vol. 77, no.2 (1993) of Journal of Applied Communication

RadioSource.NET: Case-study of a Collaborative Land-Grant Internet Audio Project

RadioSource.NET (http://radiosource.net) is a Web-portal news site for land-grant university radio programming. The project is a collaborative venture among university communication departments with the following goals: to share resources; increase online distribution; and promote access to agricultural and natural and life science research. This article is a case study of RadioSource.NET. The evolution of the RadioSource.NET project is examined with emphasis on the process of establishing and maintaining online collaborative partnerships within academia. The project’s development is described and discussed, and Wheeler, Valacich, Alavi, and Vogel’s (1995) framework for technology-mediated interinstitutional relationships for collaborative learning is used to help organize information and evaluate the project’s effectiveness. RadioSource.NET project is an example of successful university collaboration in new media. By utilizing a flexible system design, RadioSource.NET capitalizes on collaborative strengths such as increased innovation and efficiency, and it is anticipated that the project model can serve as a useful resource for other online collaborative endeavors utilizing emerging technologies

The stability of food intake between adolescence and adulthood: a 21-year follow-up

Studies of the diet of adolescents in the UK demonstrate that dietary habits known to be detrimental to health in adulthood are evident at an early age. For example, Gregory et al (2000) found 4-18 year olds in the UK to have a frequent consumption of fatty and sugary foods and low consumption of fruit and vegetables. Concerns have therefore been expressed regarding the diet of children and adolescents and the continuation of these dietary habits into adulthood (HEA, 1995; Gaziano, 1998). This study aimed to investigate the extent to which these concerns may be justified by determining the stability of food intake of a group of adolescents followed up 21 years later in adulthood. The investigation involved 202 individuals from whom dietary data were collected in 1979-80 (mean age 11.6 years) (Hackett et al. 1984) and again in 2000-1 (mean age 32.5 years). Dietary data were collected at both time-points using two 3 d estimated food diaries followed by an interview to determine portion sizes using the method considered most appropriate at the time, i.e. calibrated food models in 1979-80 and a photographic food atlas (Nelson et al. 1997) in 2000-1. Foods consumed were allocated to one, or a combination of, the five food groups of the ‘Balance of Good Health’ food selection guide (HEA, 1994) according to Gatenby et al. (1995). The weight of food eaten from each of the five food groups was calculated (percentage of total weight of food consumed) and Pearson correlation coefficients generated to provide an estimate of the stability of food intake. The HEA guide advises that a balanced diet should consist of around 33% fruit and vegetables, 33% bread, other cereals and potatoes, 8% foods containing fat and/or sugar, 12% meat, fish and alternatives and 15% milk and dairy products (Gatenby et al. 1995). A shift in the group’s food intake towards the recommendations had occurred with age, most notably with a decrease in foods containing fat and/or sugar and an increase in fruit and vegetables. Nevertheless, at both ages, intakes of foods containing fat and/or sugar, meat, fish and alternatives were higher, and fruit, vegetables, bread, other cereals and potatoes lower than currently recommended. In addition, although there was significant evidence of tracking of relative intake of bread, cereals and potatoes (P<0.01), fruit and vegetables (P<0.01), and meat, fish and alternatives (P=0.02) between 11.6 and 32.5 years, the correlations were not strong. In conclusion, food intake patterns had changed considerably from early adolescence through to adulthood in a direction more in line with the current recommendations. The predictive value of an adolescent’s food intake of their intake in adulthood was found to be significant, but not strong. Further investigations will consider the extent to which this is influenced by factors such as social class, gender and educational level, as well as assessing tracking in terms of relative nutrient intakes

Incipient alcohol use in childhood: Early alcohol sipping and its relations with psychopathology and personality

Prior research has shown that sipping of alcohol begins to emerge during childhood and is potentially etiologically significant for later substance use problems. Using a large, community sample of 9- and 10-year-olds (N = 11,872; 53% female), we examined individual differences in precocious alcohol use in the form of alcohol sipping. We focused explicitly on features that are robust and well-demonstrated correlates of, and antecedents to, alcohol excess and related problems later in the lifespan, including youth- and parent-reported externalizing traits (i.e., impulsivity, behavioral inhibition and activation) and psychopathology. Seventeen percent of the sample reported sipping alcohol outside of a religiously sanctioned activity by age 9 or 10. Several aspects of psychopathology and personality emerged as small but reliable correlates of sipping. Nonreligious sipping was related to youth-reported impulsigenic traits, aspects of behavioral activation, prodromal psychotic-like symptoms, and mood disorder diagnoses, as well as parent-reported externalizing disorder diagnoses. Religious sipping was unexpectedly associated with certain aspects of impulsivity. Together, our findings point to the potential importance of impulsivity and other transdiagnostic indicators of psychopathology (e.g., emotion dysregulation, novelty seeking) in the earliest forms of drinking behavior

Feasibility of omega-3 fatty acid supplementation as an adjunct therapy for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

There is evidence to support the use of supplementation with long-chain omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (LCn-3PUFA) from oily fish or fish oil for the treatment of various inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, terminal disease characterized by persistent airflow limitation, lung and systemic inflammation. To date, one randomized controlled trial has been published that assessed the efficacy of LCn-3PUFA in people with this condition. The aim of this article is to discuss the feasibility of conducting a trial to evaluate fish oil supplementation as adjunct therapy in people with COPD.The study is supported by a University of South Australia, Division of Health Sciences grant (DRDG 2011 (round 2))

A Patient-Centered Prescription Drug Label to Promote Appropriate Medication Use and Adherence

BACKGROUND: Patient misunderstanding of prescription drug label instructions is a common cause of unintentional misuse of medication and adverse health outcomes. Those with limited literacy and English proficiency are at greater risk. OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of a patient-centered drug label strategy, including a Universal Medication Schedule (UMS), to improve proper regimen use and adherence compared to a current standard. DESIGN: Two-arm, multi-site patient-randomized pragmatic trial. PARTICIPANTS: English- and Spanish-speaking patients from eight community health centers in northern Virginia who received prescriptions from a central-fill pharmacy and who were 1) ≥30 years of age, 2) diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and/or hypertension, and 3) taking ≥2 oral medications. INTERVENTION: A patient-centered label (PCL) strategy that incorporated evidence-based practices for format and content, including prioritized information, larger font size, and increased white space. Most notably, instructions were conveyed with the UMS, which uses standard intervals for expressing when to take medicine (morning, noon, evening, bedtime). MAIN MEASURES: Demonstrated proper use of a multi-drug regimen; medication adherence measured by self-report and pill count at 3 and 9 months. KEY RESULTS: A total of 845 patients participated in the study (85.6 % cooperation rate). Patients receiving the PCL demonstrated slightly better proper use of their drug regimens at first exposure (76.9 % vs. 70.1 %, p = 0.06) and at 9 months (85.9 % vs. 77.4 %, p = 0.03). The effect of the PCL was significant for English-speaking patients (OR 2.21, 95 % CI 1.13-4.31) but not for Spanish speakers (OR 1.19, 95 % CI 0.63-2.24). Overall, the intervention did not improve medication adherence. However, significant benefits from the PCL were found among patients with limited literacy (OR 5.08, 95 % CI 1.15-22.37) and for those with medications to be taken ≥2 times a day (OR 2.77, 95 % CI 1.17-6.53). CONCLUSIONS: A simple modification to pharmacy-generated labeling, with minimal investment required, can offer modest improvements to regimen use and adherence, mostly among patients with limited literacy and more complex regimens. Trial Registration (ClinicalTrials.gov): NCT00973180, NCT01200849

Pilot randomized trial of an electronic symptom monitoring and reporting intervention for hospitalized adults undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Purpose: Patients undergoing a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HCT) have varied symptoms during their hospitalization. This study examined whether daily symptom reporting (with electronic patient-reported outcomes [PROs]) in an inpatient bone marrow transplant clinic reduced symptom burden on post-transplant days +7, +10, and +14. Methods: A prospective, single-institution1:1 pilot randomized, two-arm study recruited HCT patients. HCT inpatients (N=76) reported daily on 16 common symptoms using the PRO version of the Common Terminology for Adverse Events (PRO-CTCAE). Fisher’s exact test was used to examine differences in the proportion of patients reporting individual symptoms. Multivariable linear regression modeling was used to examine group differences in peak symptom burden, while controlling for symptom burden at baseline, age, comorbidity, and transplantation type (autologous or allogeneic). Results: HCT patients receiving the PRO intervention also experienced lower peak symptom burden (average of 16 symptoms) at days +7, +10, and +14 (10.4 vs 14.5, p =0.03). Conclusions: Daily use of electronic symptom reporting to nurses in an inpatient bone marrow transplant clinic reduced peak symptom burden and improved individual symptoms during the two weeks post-transplant. A multi-site site trial is warranted to demonstrate the generalizability, efficacy, and value of this intervention

Use of ED and hospital services for patients with acute leukemia after induction therapy: One year follow-up

Previous studies have documented use of health care services by oncology patients in the Emergency Department (ED), but little is known about the utilization of health services of patients with acute leukemia after induction therapy. The aim of this study was to examine chief reasons for ED and hospital use by patients newly diagnosed with acute leukemia patients after induction therapy up to one year after discharge. A retrospective, longitudinal study of all visits to the ED or unplanned hospital admissions at a single institution for patients with acute leukemia was conducted. Inclusion criteria were patients ≥18 years of age at time of diagnosis, a confirmed diagnosis of AML or ALL, and received and discharged from induction treatment between 2007–2010. Donabedian’s structure-process-outcome framework guided this study examining health services utilization and assessing patient outcomes. 80 patients met the inclusion criteria; 52 had AML and 28 had ALL; median age was 48 (range: 18–76) and 29% (n=23) were non-Caucasian. 70% (n=56) were discharged from induction in remission. 81% (n=65) had at least 1 ED or hospitalization event, and 44% (n=35) had 2 or more events. Of 137 events in 65 patients, the most common reason was neutropenic fever/infection (55%), bleeding (12%), and GI problems (11%). Mean number of events for ALL was 2.43 compared to 1.33 for AML patients (p=0.02), and 2.23 for <50 years of age compared to 1.20 for those older (p=0.002). 20 patients died within one year of diagnosis. Findings from this study can help inform health services delivery and utilization among patients with acute leukemia after induction therapy. Oncology providers can anticipate discharge needs and enhance follow-up care for those at higher risk for problems needing hospitalization