Cultivating Contemplative Mind in the Classroom

In Fall 2019, we showed video interviews of successful (i.e., graduated) alumni to first-year seminar students in the hope that incoming students would be inspired to adopt similar success strategies leading to increased retention and completion of their UNLV degree. The Academic Success Center filmed interviews with ten UNLV graduates who took our first-year seminar, COLA 100E. These COLA 100E Success Stories were then edited into three videos, each focusing on a particular theme, such as the first-year transition, the major selection process, and the key tips for graduation. The goal was that these successfully-graduated students would serve as motivational role models for UNLV’s diverse first-year student population. Though the alumni echoed concepts taught in the class, we imagined these peers would be more relatable than the instructor alone, encouraging students to identify with and potentially adopt new approaches to and perspectives of success early in their college careers.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/btp_expo/1090/thumbnail.jp

Always Open, Seven-Eleven: Education Targeting Healthier Food Choices in a High Convenience Store Density Area in Taipei

To enhance children's health, the promotion of nutrition literacy in school is vital as it helps prevent the development of health conditions and diseases and maintain healthy lifestyles. Taiwan features the top highest ratio of convenience stores per population density. Convenience stores, an increasingly popular dining place, were linked to the development of eating behavior and body weight issues in children. An eight-week classroom-based nutrition intervention, employing the Traffic Light Diet as a framework, targeting children's perception of and intention to visit the convenience store was implemented. The study conducted a quasi-experimental pretest-posttest research design with a comparison group. A total of 49 students participated in the study, with 25 in the intervention and 24 in the comparison group. Data were collected by utilizing surveys, interviews, and observations. The study's findings demonstrated the positive trajectory of the impact of this intervention on increasing food-and-nutrition-related knowledge and improving healthier diet choices at convenience stores among children. One main theme was identified in coding interviews: parent involvement in meal preparation may reduce convenience store use and increase consumption of vegetables among children. Assessing the influence of parental support for healthy dietary choices, eating nutritious foods at home, and involving the family in meal preparation is an area for future research

Qualitative Review of Educational Interventions for Improving Physical Activity Behaviors in Older Asian Americans in the United States

Physical activity (PA) provides numerous health benefits and minimizes chronic diseases and mental health issues, especially in older adults. The national survey data indicated that only 27.3% to 44.3% of older adults meet the recommended PA guidelines of 150 to 300 minutes/ week. There is limited data on PA behavior among older Asian American (AA) adults as very few to no local/national surveys have targeted these marginalized subgroups. This comprehensive review aims to identify existing PA intervention strategies and to update current knowledge on the effectiveness of these interventions to improve PA behavior among aging AA in the US. The study included publications from the last five years (2016 to 2021) on all PA interventions with older AA adults. Data were abstracted for study designs, associated conditions, subgroups focused, theoretical frameworks, sample sizes, intervention strategies, and PA outcomes. A total of nine intervention studies met the inclusion criteria based on age, ethnicity and racial group, year of publication, United States-based, and English-only publication. Four studies used randomized control trial designs, five used pretest-posttest designs, one used a single-group time series design, and one was a qualitative study. The studies included in this paper, aside from the qualitative research, did not use behavioral theories and utilized small sample sizes. It is crucial to develop long-term effective interventions which will help to increase PA and decrease sedentary behaviors in older AA. To achieve these goals, more research addressing and utilizing theory-based PA promotion intervention with larger sample sizes

The Determinants of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behavior in the Asian Americans

Physical activity (PA) is crucial to a positive healthy lifestyle which helps prevent and minimize various chronic diseases and mental health illnesses. Although the Asian American (AA) community is one of the fastest-growing marginalized minority groups in the United States, there is little research on PA behavior within the community. This study aimed to investigate correlates and determinants of PA behavior among the Asian American population to bring about policy changes, design educational programs, and promote research on PA promotion among the AA community. Studies were identified from searches located in databases such as MEDLINE, CINAHL, PubMed Central, and EBSCO which included all peer-reviewed studies published within the last five years (2016 to 2021) about the possible determinants impacting PA behavior. The authors of these studies investigated the association between determinants of overall physical (in)activity and/or sedentary behavior in healthy AA. Data were abstracted for study designs, sample sizes, theoretical frameworks, associated conditions, subgroups focused, and physical activity outcomes. A total of ten intervention studies met the inclusion criteria based on age, ethnicity, year of publication, United States-based, and English-only publications. Among the identified determinants of AAs’ physical activity were self-motivation, social support, nativity, health literacy, gender, age, neighborhood incivilities, and immigration status. There is a growing need to address disparities facing AA regarding PA behavior through education, policies, and research. The results of this study could be utilized in the future to design interventions and create new policies to promote physical activity among AA populations.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1014/thumbnail.jp

Identifying Determinants of Breast Cancer Screening Through Mammography Among Asian American Women

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy affecting women around the world. In the US, approximately 1 in 8 women will develop breast cancer over the course of their lifetime. There is a growing incidence of breast cancer among Asian American (AA) women. Breast cancer screening by mammography is the most effective early detection method to reduce mortality but AA women have the lowest utilization rates. This study aims to identify the determinants affecting mammography among AA women. A literature search in PubMed Central, MEDLINE, and CINAHL was undertaken to include all peer-reviewed studies published within the past 20 years about determinants affecting mammography in AA women. A total of 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, six used secondary data, nine used cross-sectional surveys, and one used a qualitative design. Only three studies used behavioral theories (health belief model and transtheoretical model). Six studies reported the rates of obtaining mammography in AA which ranged from 53% to 82%. The primary positive determinants were U.S. citizenship, education, knowledge of guidelines, health insurance, having a primary care provider and their recommendation, years of residency in the U.S., and knowing someone with a history of breast cancer and/or undergone mammography. The negative factors were less acculturation, perceived religious discrimination, logistical barriers, and religious barriers including impingement on modesty. There were variations among determinants based on national origin. There is a need for utilizing behavioral theories in designing interventions to promote mammography among different subgroups of AA women.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1029/thumbnail.jp

A Qualitative Review on Mammography Interventions among Asian American Women

Breast cancer (BC) is a leading type of malignancy and the second most common cause of cancer-related death among women around the world. The occurrence of BC has been increasing in Asian American (AA) women. Early detection through mammography is an effective means to reduce mortality associated with BC. However, there is a paucity of data and interventions regarding mammography promotion interventions among AA women. The purpose of this study was to evaluate current interventions for promoting mammography among AA women and suggest recommendations for designing successful interventions. A review for peer-reviewed journal articles in PubMed Central, MEDLINE, CINAHL, ERIC, and Scopus was conducted over the past 15 years for mammography interventions among AA women. A total of eight interventions met the inclusion criteria. Of these, one used the randomized controlled trial (RCT), one used quasi-experimental design, four used pretest-posttest designs, one used single-group time series design, and one used cross-sectional survey. Among the intervention approaches were community workshops, designing religiously tailored interventions, patient navigator care management model, medical interpretation services for limited English proficiency patients, delivery of grocery store-based education, and utilization of health belief model/health promotion model. A paucity of interventions, utilization of small sample sizes, just one randomized controlled trial, and just one intervention based on behavioral theory were some of the limitations of the interventions. Future interventions must be culturally tailored to specific subgroups of AA, be behavioral theory-based and utilize robust randomized controlled trials.https://digitalscholarship.unlv.edu/durep_posters/1028/thumbnail.jp

COVID-19 Booster Vaccination Hesitancy in the United States: A Multi-Theory-Model (MTM) Based National Assessment

Background: Despite the availability of COVID-19 vaccines and the proven benefits of vaccinations outweighing the potential risks, hesitancy to accept vaccines and additional doses remains a persistent problem. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate hesitancy, confidence, literacy, and the role of the multi-theory model (MTM) constructs in COVID-19 booster uptake. Methods: This cross-sectional study utilized a 52-item psychometric valid web-based survey conducted during the month of October 2021 to recruit a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistical tests were used to analyze the data. Results: Among the booster hesitant group (n = 209, 41.7%), a significantly larger proportion of respondents were unvaccinated with the primary series (43.5% vs. 11%, p \u3c 0.001), were among 18–44 years age group (51.2% vs. 31.8%, p \u3c 0.001), single or never married (33.0% vs. 24.3%, p = 0.04), had lower education with some high school (6.2% vs. 2.4%, p = 0.03), and identified themselves as Republicans (31.6% vs. 20.5%, p = 0.01). The hesitant group had lower mean scores of vaccine literacy, and vaccine confidence, and had 19% lower odds of behavioral confidence than their non-hesitant counterparts (adjusted odds ratio = 0.81, 95% CI: 0.71–0.92). Conclusions: The findings of this study underscore the need of raising public awareness through effective multi-theory-model-based communication campaigns

Fruit and Vegetable Consumption Behavior Among Asian Americans: A Thematic Analysis

© The Author(s) 2021. Consuming 5 or more cups of fruits and vegetables (F & V) per day or 400 g/day for adults is advocated by most health authorities and has short-term and long-term health benefits. There have been numerous studies examining dietary behaviors among different US populations; however, the literature on F & V consumption behavior among Asian Americans (AAs) is sparse. AAs constitute a diverse group and as their population continues to grow in the US; there is a greater need to examine the health practices of AAs and their constituent subgroups. The study aimed to conduct a thematic analysis based on a scoping review of the peer-reviewed published literature over the past 15 years targeting F & V consumption among AAs. The thematic analysis was organized around the prevalence, consequences, determinants, and interventions (n = 33). AAs consuming recommended servings of F & V ranged from 0.5% to 20%. Correlations between the consumption of F & V and Body Mass Index (BMI) and other chronic diseases were reported as negative and significant associations were noted between F & V intake and self-reported health. There was only 1 intervention that was conducted with this behavior in only 1 small subgroup of this target population. There is an urgent need to study F & V consumption behavior among different AA subgroups as well as to design culturally appropriate theory-based efficacious F & V promotion interventions for them

Assessing the Testability of the Multi-Theory Model (MTM) in Predicting Vaping Quitting Behavior among Young Adults in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Survey.

Purpose: Given the increased exposure to e-cigarettes and nicotine among young adults, difficulty in quitting vaping is likely, which supports the need for effective behavioral interventions. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to assess the testability of the contemporary multi-theory model of health behavior change in predicting the vaping quitting behavior among young adults in the United States. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 619 young adults engaged in vaping behavior and aged 18–24 years was recruited to complete a 49-item web-based survey. A structural equation model was used to test relationships between MTM constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to predict the variance in the initiation and sustenance of vaping quitting behavior by predictor variables, such as demographic characteristics, history of behaviors, and MTM constructs. Results: Of 619 respondents, over 75% were White and nearly 70% had educational attainment equal to high school or some college. In total, 62% of respondents were using nicotine, followed by 33.3% were using cannabis. About 80% of the respondents reported being engaged in drinking alcohol, and nearly 45% were engaged in cigarette smoking. The predictive effect of all MTM constructs on vaping quitting initiation (adjusted R2 = 0.417, F (23, 595) = 20.215, p \u3c 0.001) and sustenance (adjusted R2 = 0.366, F (23, 595) = 16.533, p \u3c 0.001) was statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings of this study point to the usability and applicability of MTM in operationalizing and developing vaping quitting behavior interventions targeting young adults