A Brief Facial Morphing Intervention to Reduce Skin Cancer Risk Behaviors: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

The current study was designed to test the efficacy of an appearance-based facial morphing program to reduce intentional UV exposure among individuals at risk for skin cancer. A three-arm randomized controlled trial was employed (N = 219) comparing facial morphing + health information to: (1) mindfulness + health information; and (2) health information only. Participants were young adults with a history of recent intentional tanning and future intentions to tan. Primary outcomes were indoor and outdoor tanning frequency and tanning intentions, with secondary outcomes of tanning attitudes, body image, and affect. Facial morphing participants reported less frequent tanning, compared to mindfulness and control participants at 1-month follow-up. Facial morphing participants also generally reported lower intentions to tan at immediate follow-up, although the magnitude of these effects weakened at 1-month follow-up. Facial morphing programs may offer a brief, efficacious, and scalable augmentation to standard of care in reducing intentional UV exposure

Figure_1.tiff – Supplemental material for Project reach: Piloting a risk-tailored smoking cessation intervention for lung screening

<p>Supplemental material, Figure_1.tiff for Project reach: Piloting a risk-tailored smoking cessation intervention for lung screening by Inga T Lennes, Christina M Luberto, Alaina L Carr, Daniel L Hall, Nicole M Strauss, Colin Ponzani and Elyse R Park in Journal of Health Psychology</p

Figure_2.tiff – Supplemental material for Project reach: Piloting a risk-tailored smoking cessation intervention for lung screening

<p>Supplemental material, Figure_2.tiff for Project reach: Piloting a risk-tailored smoking cessation intervention for lung screening by Inga T Lennes, Christina M Luberto, Alaina L Carr, Daniel L Hall, Nicole M Strauss, Colin Ponzani and Elyse R Park in Journal of Health Psychology</p

Examining the effects of stress and psychological distress on smoking abstinence in cancer patients

Introduction: Cancer patients who smoke report more stress and psychological distress than patients who do not smoke. It is unclear how these emotional symptoms may modify smoking behavior in cancer patients. We examined the influence of a smoking cessation intervention for cancer patients on stress and distress, and the effects of these symptoms on smoking abstinence. Methods: Mixed-methods secondary analysis of data from the Smokefree Support Study, a two-site randomized controlled trial examining the efficacy of Intensive (IT; n = 153) vs. Standard Treatment (ST; n = 150) for smoking cessation in newly diagnosed cancer patients. Stress coping, perceived stress, distress, and anxiety were self-reported at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Abstinence was biochemically-confirmed at 6 months. A subset of patients (n = 72) completed qualitative exit-interviews. Results: Patients were on average, 58 years old, 56% female, and smoked a median of 10 cigarettes/day. There were no significant treatment group × time interactions or main effects of treatment group on stress or distress measures (p’s > 0.05), however there were significant main effects of time suggesting symptom improvements on each measure in both study groups (p’s < 0.05). In adjusted logistic regression models, lower levels anxiety at 3 months predicted confirmed smoking abstinence at 6 months (p = .03). Qualitatively, at 6 months, patients reported their stress and smoking were connected and that the cessation counseling was helpful. Conclusions: Cancer patients enrolled in a smoking cessation trial report decreases in stress, distress and anxiety over time, and anxiety symptoms may impact smoking cessation success at follow-up resulting in an important intervention target