Developing and validating a new scale to measure the acceptability of health apps among adolescents

Background The acceptability of health interventions is centrally important to achieving their desired health outcomes. The construct of acceptability of mobile health interventions among adolescents is neither well-defined nor consistently operationalized. Objectives Building on the theoretical framework of acceptability, these two studies developed and assessed the reliability and validity of a new scale to measure the acceptability of mobile health applications (“apps”) among adolescents. Methods We followed a structured scale development process including exploratory factor analyses (EFAs), confirmatory factor analyses (CFAs), and employed structural equation modeling (SEM) to assess the relationship between the scale and app usage. Adolescent participants used the Fooducate healthy eating app and completed the acceptability scale at baseline and one-week follow-up. Results EFA (n = 182) determined that the acceptability of health apps was a multidimensional construct with six latent factors: affective attitude, burden, ethicality, intervention coherence, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy. CFA (n = 161) from the second sample affirmed the six-factor structure and the unidimensional structures for each of the six subscales. However, CFA did not confirm the higher-order latent factor model suggesting that the six subscales reflect unique aspects of acceptability. SEM indicated that two of the subscales—ethicality and self-efficacy—were predictive of health app usage at one-week follow-up. Conclusions These results highlight the importance of ethicality and self-efficacy for health app acceptability. Future research testing and adapting this new acceptability scale will enhance measurement tools in the fields of mobile health and adolescent health

Adolescents’ and adults’ perceptions of ‘natural’, ‘organic’ and ‘additive-free’ cigarettes, and the required disclaimers

We sought to investigate adolescents’ and adults’ perceptions of an American Spirit advertisement with “natural,” “organic,” and “additive-free” descriptors and related disclaimers

E-cigarettes, Hookah Pens and Vapes: Adolescent and Young Adult Perceptions of Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems: Table 1.

Most studies have assessed use of “e-cigarettes” or “electronic cigarettes,” potentially excluding new electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), such as e-hookahs and vape pens. Little is known about how adolescents and young adults perceive ENDS and if their perceptions vary by sub-type. We explored ENDS perceptions among these populations

Assessing Domestic Violence Intervention Programs in the United States: Identifying Strengths, Weaknesses, and a Path Towards Restorative Justice: Review Protocol

Domestic Violence Intervention Programs (DVIPs) were established during the 1970s and expanded rapidly during subsequent decades. Most DVIPs rely on two similar models (Emerge and Duluth); these models serve as the prototype for state programs, including North Carolina’s DVIPs. Recent studies have revealed the ineffectiveness of DVIPs and the failure of current program models to improve outcomes related to domestic violence (DV). These findings suggest the need for a new approach to interventions that address DV perpetration to include attention to a broader range of structural issues that often underlie perpetrator behavior. The goal of this project is to consider strategies to realign DVIPs to better fulfil their mission to hold accountable program participants who have harmed their intimate partners, provide justice and restore wholeness to those who have been harmed, and to do so within a social justice framework with an emphasis on restorative justice (RJ) praxis. This protocol details methods for our review of the literature regarding DVIPs that will focus on identifying program efficacy and the extent to which DVIPs utilize social justice frameworks, such as RJ, to inform the development and implementation of curriculum and other program components

The Influence of Stigma and Discrimination on Female Sex Workers’ Access to HIV Services in St. Petersburg, Russia

Stigma associated with HIV and risk behaviors is known to be a barrier to health care access for many populations. Less is known about female sex workers (FSW) in Russia, a population that is especially vulnerable to HIV-infection, and yet hard-to-reach for service providers. We administered a questionnaire to 139 FSW to better understand how stigma and discrimination influence HIV service utilization. Logistic regression analysis indicated that HIV-related stigma is negatively associated with uptake of HIV testing, while sex work-related stigma is positively associated with HIV testing. HIV-positive FSW are more likely than HIV-negative FSW to experience discrimination in health care settings. While decreasing societal stigma should be a long-term goal, programs that foster inclusion of marginalized populations in Russian health care settings are urgently needed

Adolescents’ and Young Adults’ Knowledge and Beliefs About Constituents in Novel Tobacco Products

Novel tobacco products, such as little cigars, cigarillos, hookah, and e-cigarettes, and their smoke or aerosol contain chemicals which the FDA has determined to be Harmful or Potentially Harmful Constituents. We explored adolescents’ and young adults’ knowledge and beliefs about constituents in novel tobacco products and their smoke or aerosol, in order to inform risk communication messages

Conditional Cash Transfers to Increase Retention in PMTCT Care, Antiretroviral Adherence, and Postpartum Virological Suppression: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Novel strategies are needed to increase retention in prevention of mother-to-child HIV transmission (PMTCT) services. We have recently shown that small, incremental cash transfers conditional on attending clinic resulted in increased retention along the PMTCT cascade. However, whether women who receive incentives to attend clinic visits are as adherent to antiretrovirals (ARV) as those who do not was unknown

Conditional Cash Transfers Improve Retention in PMTCT Services by Mitigating the Negative Effect of Not Having Money to Come to the Clinic

To elucidate the mechanisms by which a cash incentive intervention increases retention in prevention of mother-to-child transmission (PMTCT) services

“My First Thought was Croutons”: Perceptions of Cigarettes and Cigarette Smoke Constituents Among Adult Smokers and Nonsmokers

Understanding what people think about harmful and potentially harmful constituents in cigarettes and cigarette smoke has new urgency given legislation requiring US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to disclose constituent information. Our study sought to obtain qualitative information on what people think about these constituents and the language they use to talk about them

Perpetration of intimate partner violence by young adult males: The association with alcohol outlet density and drinking behavior

This study examined the association between alcohol outlet density and male to female intimate partner violence (IPV)