Ecological momentary assessment of digital food and beverage marketing exposure and impact in young adults: A feasibility study

Unhealthy food marketing is contributing to the obesity epidemic, but real-time insights into the mechanisms of this relationship are under-studied. Digital marketing is growing and following food and beverage (F&B) brands on social media is common, but measurement of exposure and impact of such marketing presents novel challenges. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the feasibility of collecting data on exposure and impact of digital F&B marketing (DFM) using a smartphone-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) methodology. We hypothesized that DFM-induced food cravings would vary based on whether (or not) participants engaged with F&B brands online. Participants were Singapore residents (n = 95, 21–40 years), recruited via telephone from an existing cohort. Participants were asked to upload screenshots of all sightings of online F&B marketing messages for seven days, and answer in-app contextual questions about sightings including whether any cravings were induced. Participants provided a total of 1310 uploads (median 9 per participant, Q1-Q3: 4–21) of F&B marketing messages, 27% of which were provided on Day 1, significantly more than on other days (P \u3c 0.001). Followers of food/beverage brands on social media encountered 25.6 percentage points (95% CI 11.4, 39.7) more marketing messages that induced cravings than participants who were not followers. University education was also associated with more (18.1 percentage points; 95% CI 3.1, 33.1) encounters with marketing messages that induced cravings. It was practical and acceptable to participants to gather insights into digital F&B marketing exposure and impact using EMA in young adults, although a shorter study period is recommended in future studies. Followers of food and beverage brands on social media appear to be more prone to experience cravings after exposure to digital F&B marketing

The global burden of cancer attributable to risk factors, 2010-19 : a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019

Background Understanding the magnitude of cancer burden attributable to potentially modifiable risk factors is crucial for development of effective prevention and mitigation strategies. We analysed results from the Global Burden of Diseases, Injuries, and Risk Factors Study (GBD) 2019 to inform cancer control planning efforts globally. Methods The GBD 2019 comparative risk assessment framework was used to estimate cancer burden attributable to behavioural, environmental and occupational, and metabolic risk factors. A total of 82 risk-outcome pairs were included on the basis of the World Cancer Research Fund criteria. Estimated cancer deaths and disability-adjusted life-years (DALYs) in 2019 and change in these measures between 2010 and 2019 are presented. Findings Globally, in 2019, the risk factors included in this analysis accounted for 4.45 million (95% uncertainty interval 4.01-4.94) deaths and 105 million (95.0-116) DALYs for both sexes combined, representing 44.4% (41.3-48.4) of all cancer deaths and 42.0% (39.1-45.6) of all DALYs. There were 2.88 million (2.60-3.18) risk-attributable cancer deaths in males (50.6% [47.8-54.1] of all male cancer deaths) and 1.58 million (1.36-1.84) risk-attributable cancer deaths in females (36.3% [32.5-41.3] of all female cancer deaths). The leading risk factors at the most detailed level globally for risk-attributable cancer deaths and DALYs in 2019 for both sexes combined were smoking, followed by alcohol use and high BMI. Risk-attributable cancer burden varied by world region and Socio-demographic Index (SDI), with smoking, unsafe sex, and alcohol use being the three leading risk factors for risk-attributable cancer DALYs in low SDI locations in 2019, whereas DALYs in high SDI locations mirrored the top three global risk factor rankings. From 2010 to 2019, global risk-attributable cancer deaths increased by 20.4% (12.6-28.4) and DALYs by 16.8% (8.8-25.0), with the greatest percentage increase in metabolic risks (34.7% [27.9-42.8] and 33.3% [25.8-42.0]). Interpretation The leading risk factors contributing to global cancer burden in 2019 were behavioural, whereas metabolic risk factors saw the largest increases between 2010 and 2019. Reducing exposure to these modifiable risk factors would decrease cancer mortality and DALY rates worldwide, and policies should be tailored appropriately to local cancer risk factor burden. Copyright (C) 2022 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Ltd. This is an Open Access article under the CC BY 4.0 license.Peer reviewe

Parental guidance and children's healthy food consumption: Integrating the theory of planned behavior with interpersonal communication antecedents

10.1080/10810730.2019.1593552Journal of Health Communication242183-19

Association between food availability and young people's fruits and vegetables consumption: understanding the mediation role of the theory of planned behaviour

Objective: To evaluate the relationship between fruits and vegetables (F&V) availability at home and young people's F&V consumption behaviour, and how the theory of planned behaviour (TPB) constructs could potentially mediate the relationship. Design: Cross-sectional face-to-face survey questionnaire to assess the TPB constructs and home food availability assessed using open inventories method. F&V availability was categorised into low and high levels based on median split. Setting: Singapore. Participants: Two hundred and ten households (each consisting one parent-child pair) recruited via stratified cluster sampling with child participants ranging from 9 to 16 years of age. Results: Mediation analyses were conducted using structural equation modelling. The relationship between home F&V availability and F&V consumption behaviour did not have a significant direct association, but there were significant indirect effects through the routes of perceived behavioural control (PBC) and intention as well as attitude and intention. Specifically, higher level of F&V availability at home was related to more positive PBC and attitude towards F&V, and subsequently greater intention to consume F&V and higher consumption of F&V. Conclusions: Parents should make F&V more readily available at home as increased exposure to F&V could be related to enhanced liking, sense of control and intention to consume F&V and facilitate children's healthy diet.National Medical Research Council (NMRC)Published versionThis study was supported by the National Medical Research Council, Singapore (grant no. NMRC/HSRG/0046/2013)

Insights from an Exploratory Retrospective Cohort Study: Are Face-to-Face Follow-Up Consultations after Colonoscopy a Thing of the Past?

10.1159/000530165Digestive Diseases41

Colorectal cancer in patients with single versus double positive faecal immunochemical test results: A retrospective cohort study from a public tertiary hospital.

BackgroundScreening for colorectal cancer (CRC) using the faecal immunochemical test (FIT) is widely advocated. Few studies have compared the rate of detecting colonoscopic pathologies in single compared to double FIT-positive follow-up colonoscopy-compliant individuals in a two-sample national FIT screening program.ObjectiveTo compare CRC incidence in double FIT-positive versus single FIT-positive individuals using a retrospective cohort of patients from a tertiary hospital in Singapore.DesignRetrospective cohort study.SettingData was extracted from one public tertiary hospital in Singapore.Participants1,422 FIT-positive individuals from the national FIT screening program who were referred to the hospital from 1st January 2017 to 31st March 2020 for follow-up consultation and diagnostic colonoscopy.MeasurementsThe exposure of interest was a positive result on both FIT kits. The main outcome was a follow-up diagnostic colonoscopy finding of CRC. The secondary outcome was a diagnostic colonoscopy finding of a colorectal polyp.ResultsIncidence density of CRC was 1.15 and 13.10 per 100,000 person-months, in the single and double FIT-positive group, respectively. This resulted in an incidence rate ratio of 11.40 (95% CI = 4.34, 35.09). Colorectal polyp detection was significantly higher (p LimitationsThe key limitation of this study was the relatively small cohort derived from a single tertiary hospital, as this had the effect of limiting the number of incident cases, resulting in comparatively imprecise CIs.ConclusionsDouble FIT-positive individuals are significantly more likely to have a colonoscopy finding of incident CRC or premalignant polyp than single FIT-positive individuals. Clinicians and policymakers should consider updating their CRC screening protocols accordingly

Do superstitious beliefs affect influenza vaccine uptake through shaping health beliefs?

This study examined the impact of superstitious beliefs on influenza vaccine uptake and investigated the role of health beliefs as underlying psychological mechanisms. It is hypothesized that superstitious beliefs predict greater perceived risks in influenza and vaccines, which in turn affect influenza vaccine uptake.Ministry of Health (MOH)Accepted versionThis research is supported by the Singapore Ministry of Health’s Communicable Diseases Public Health Research Grant MOH/CDPHRG/0017/2015. The funder had no involvement in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation of data, writing of this manuscript or decision to submit for publication

Telemedicine Acceptance Among Older Adult Patients With Cancer: Scoping Review

BackgroundCancer is likely to remain the most prevalent noncommunicable disease in high-income countries with an older population. Interestingly, no review of attitudes toward telemedicine among older adults has been performed. This is likely to be the group most affected by both cancer and the increasing use of technology in health care. ObjectiveWe aimed to map research on the acceptance of telemedicine among older adults who are cancer patients. MethodsWe conducted a scoping review. PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials were systematically searched from inception to September 2020. Articles were included if the study population had a mean or median age ≥65 years, with cancer diagnoses and if the study assessed patients’ acceptance of a telemedicine intervention. Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed method studies were included. ResultsOut of a total of 887 articles that were identified, 19 were included in the review. Interventions were delivered via telephone, videoconference, web portal, mobile app, wearable technology, and text messaging and included teleconsultation, monitoring and follow-up, psychosocial support and nursing care, and prompts. The most often cited facilitating factor was convenience. Other facilitators included an increase in telemedicine care accessibility, previous positive experiences of telemedicine, appropriate technical knowledge and support, decreased cost, physician recommendations, and privacy conferred by the telemedicine intervention. Barriers include a preference for conventional care along with negative perceptions of telemedicine, concerns about technical difficulties, and confidentiality concerns in the adoption of telemedicine. ConclusionsNone of the studies explored the ability of tailored interventions to address facilitators and barriers of the acceptance of telemedicine in order to increase its adoption by older adults. Facilitators and barriers will likely differ across different cultural contexts and by type of telemedicine; however, this is a gap in current knowledge. In-depth studies are necessary to determine if interventions could potentially address the barriers identified in this review, to increase acceptability

A macro-level assessment of introducing children food advertising restrictions on children's unhealthy food cognitions and behaviors

International Journal of Advertising3907990-101

Quality of life in colorectal cancer patients with stoma or adjuvant therapy

10.47102/annals-acadmedsg.2020343Annals of the Academy of Medicine, Singapore505444-44