Prevention Is Political: Political Party Affiliation Predicts Perceived Risk and Prevention Behaviors for COVID-19

BACKGROUND: Many US politicians have provided mixed messages about the risks posed by SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and whether and to what extent prevention practices should be put in place to prevent transmission. This politicization of the virus and pandemic may affect individuals\u27 risk perceptions and willingness to take precautions. We examined how political party affiliation relates to risk perception for one\u27s own and other people\u27s likelihood of SARS-CoV-2 infection/COVID-19 illness. METHODS: We surveyed members of a nationally-representative, probability-sampling based survey panel (N = 410) to examine their risk perceptions, precautionary behaviors, and political party affiliation. RESULTS: The more strongly one identified as a Republican, the less risk one perceived to oneself from SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 and the less risk one perceived other people faced. Moreover, those identifying as more strongly Republican engaged in fewer preventive behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: This differential response may affect virus transmission patterns and poses a considerable challenge for health communications efforts

Limitations in American Adults’ Awareness of and Beliefs about Alcohol as a Risk Factor for Cancer

Alcohol is a carcinogen. Recommendations to reduce alcohol use to lower cancer risk are increasingly common. However, neither the beliefs of US adults about alcohol consumption and cancer risk, nor factors influencing those beliefs, are well understood. We used data from the 2019 Health Information National Trends Survey (analysis N = 4,470) to examine beliefs about whether drinking too much alcohol increases cancer risk. We compared those beliefs to beliefs for three other health problems, and examined whether believing alcohol is a cancer risk factor was related to demographics, risk perceptions, other beliefs about the nature of cancer, and alcohol consumption behavior. Only 33% of US adults reported believing that alcohol is a cancer risk factor; 27% stated that it was not, and the highest proportion (40%) reported they did not know. Misbeliefs and lack of knowledge about alcohol and health outcomes were higher for cancer than other outcomes. Higher age, education, seeking health information, risk perceptions, and pessimistic beliefs about cancer predicted both lack of knowledge and misbeliefs about alcohol use and cancer. However, misbeliefs and lack of knowledge were not limited to those who reported alcohol consumption. Demographic and psychosocial factors are associated with problematic beliefs about alcohol’s role as a risk factor for cancer. Because perceived risk for health problems is a driver of behavior change, cancer prevention and control efforts to reduce alcohol consumption must attend to and address both the misperceptions about and lack of knowledge of alcohol’s role in increasing risk for cancer

Promoting Colorectal Cancer Screening Among Haitian Americans

Background: Few studies have examined colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans, although striking disparities in colorectal cancer screening and mortality are well-documented among U.S. Blacks. Race, socioeconomic status, and place of birth are factors associated with colorectal cancer incidence and mortality patterns. Methods: In this article, we summarize published studies on colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans, identified through bibliographic searches in PubMed and CINAHL through August 2015, and offer recommendations for further research. Results: Only one qualitative study and three quantitative surveys have examined colorectal cancer screening among Haitian Americans. A qualitative study found important differences in perceptions of the curability of colorectal cancer, preventive practices, and preferred sources of information among Haitian Americans and other ethnic subgroups of U.S. Blacks. Awareness of colorectal cancer screening tests, risk perception, healthcare provider recommendation, and self-reported use of screening are suboptimal among Haitian Americans and other subgroups. In preliminary quantitative studies, Haitian immigrants have been found to have lower colorectal cancer screening rates than other groups such as African Americans. Conclusions: Culturally appropriate educational interventions are needed to encourage Haitian American adults aged \u3e 50 years to undergo screening for colorectal cancer and to ensure that they are well informed about the value of healthy eating and physical activity

Toward an Instrumented Strength Microprobe – Origins of the Oliver-Pharr Method and Continued Advancements in Nanoindentation: Part 1

Sub-micron instrumented indentation testing and standardized nanoindentation testing systems have become commonplace within the materials engineering community. Though commonly utilized for mechanical characterization, general appreciation and understanding of the governing theory, formulations and best practices underpinning modern nanoindentation systems appears to remain relatively elusive to the general materials science and engineering community as well as nanoindentation practitioners using such systems for mechanical assessment. Accordingly, the present chapter details how nanoindentation methods emerged and how the Oliver-Pharr method of nanoindentation testing and analysis was constructed and refined to yield theoretically consistent and readily implementable attributes for probing small-scale mechanical properties via microscopy free indentation testing

Toward an Instrumented Strength Microprobe: Origins of the Oliver-Pharr Method and Continued Advancements in Nanoindentation—Part 2

Numerable advancements have afforded many benefits to nanoindenter system operators since the late 20th century, such as automation of measurements, enhanced load and displacement resolutions, and indentation with in-situ capabilities. Accordingly, the present chapter details how the Oliver-Pharr method of nanoindentation testing and analysis was adopted and relied upon as a framework that brought about widespread advancements in instrumented indentation testing. The present chapter introduces an emergent and theoretically consistent approach to assessing true stress–strain curves at a micromechanical scale using a flat-punch nanoindenter tip geometry and reliance upon Hollomon power-law plasticity and constitutive parameter fitting. Finally, a novel flat-punch nanoindentation testing method and approach to plasticity parameter analysis for metallic materials using nanoindentation systems can be implemented, bringing about an instrumented strength microprobe – a long sought-after tool

Health literacy and use and trust in health information

This is a post-print of an article whose final version has been published in Journal of Health Communication, Taylor and Francis, 2018.There is a need to investigate which health information sources are used and trusted by people with limited health literacy to help identify strategies for addressing knowledge gaps that can contribute to preventable illness. We examined whether health literacy was associated with people?s use of and trust in a range of potential health information sources. Six hundred participants from a GfK Internet survey panel completed an online survey. We assessed health literacy using the Newest Vital Sign, the sources participants used to get health information, and the extent to which participants trusted health information from these sources. We performed multivariable regressions, controlling for demographic characteristics. Lower health literacy was associated with lower odds of using medical websites for health information and with higher odds of using television, social media, and blogs or celebrity webpages. People with lower health literacy were less likely to trust health information from specialist doctors and dentists, but more likely to trust television, social media, blogs/celebrity webpages, friends, and pharmaceutical companies. People with limited health literacy had higher rates of using and trusting sources such as social media and blogs, which might contain lower quality health information compared to information from healthcare professionals. Thus, it might be necessary to enhance the public's ability to evaluate the quality of health information sources. The results of this study could be used to improve the reach of high quality health information among people with limited health literacy and thereby increase the effectiveness of health communication programs and campaigns.Peer reviewedCommunity Health Sciences, Counseling and Counseling Psycholog

Measures of sun exposure and sun protection practices for behavioural and epidemiological research

Objective: To develop, in a collaborative project, core measures of sun exposure and sun protection habits, since the lack of standard outcome measures hampers comparison of population surveys and interventions used in skin cancer prevention research. Design: A work group of investigators evaluated available questionnaire measures of sun exposure and protection. Their deliberations led to a proposed set of core questionnaire items for adults, adolescents aged 11 to 17 years, and children 10 years or younger. These core items were used in cognitive testing by the investigators. Cross-site summaries of methods, response samples, and descriptive data were prepared. Setting: Nine locations across the United States. Participants: The study population comprised 81 individuals. Results: No unusual response patterns were detected in any of the respondent groups or for any specific question. Some revisions to the survey items resulted from the need for clarification or emphasis of frames of reference such as adding or underlining key phrases in a question. Conclusions: The combination of expert review followed by cognitive interviewing yielded standardized core survey items with good clarity and applicability for measuring sun exposure and sun protection behaviors across a broad range of populations. They are appropriate for studies tracking morbidity and/or mortality and evaluating prevention program effects