Engagement of young adult cancer survivors within a Facebook-based physical activity intervention

Few studies have examined how young adult cancer survivors use online social media. The objective of this study was to characterize Facebook engagement by young adult cancer survivors in the context of a physical activity (PA) intervention program. Young adult cancer survivors participated in one of two Facebook groups as part of a 12-week randomized trial of a PA intervention (FITNET) compared to a self-help comparison (SC) condition. A moderator actively prompted group discussions in the FITNET Facebook group, while social interaction was unprompted in the SC group. We examined factors related to engagement, differences in engagement by group format and types of Facebook posts, and the relationship between Facebook engagement and PA outcomes. There were no group differences in the number of Facebook comments posted over 12 weeks (FITNET, 153 vs. SC, 188 p = 0.85) or the proportion of participants that reported engaging within Facebook group discussions at least 1-2 days/week. The proportion of participants that made any posts decreased over time in both groups. SC participants were more likely than FITNET participants to agree that group discussions caused them to become physically active (p = 0.040) and that group members were supportive (p = 0.028). Participant-initiated posts elicited significantly more comments and likes than moderator-initiated posts. Responses posted on Facebook were significantly associated with light PA at 12 weeks (β = 11.77, t(85) = 1.996, p = 0.049) across groups. Engagement within Facebook groups was variable and may be associated with PA among young adult cancer survivors. Future research should explore how to promote sustained engagement in online social networks. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01349153

Preventing weight gain in African American breast cancer survivors using smart scales and activity trackers: a randomized controlled pilot study

This study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of two 6-month, self-regulation interventions that focused on daily self-weighing (DSW), and used objective monitoring and tailored feedback about weight (±activity), to prevent weight gain among African American breast cancer survivors

Personal goal setting eHealth component associated with improved weight loss at 6 months: A mixed methods secondary analysis

Objective Goal setting is a behavior change technique associated with improved change in outcomes. Digital (eHealth, mHealth) behavior change interventions often prescribe all goals with no opportunity for participants to create and track their own; thus, little is known about the types of goals participants create for themselves and their impacts on behavioral outcomes. This analysis describes the goals created by participants using an optional personal goal-setting component and evaluates the association between participant goal creation and weight loss in an eHealth adult weight loss intervention. Methods This represents a mixed methods QUANT-qual design to understand the types of goals users create for themselves and their impacts on behavior change outcomes. Qualitative codes were applied for the topic, behavior/outcome focus, adherence to SMART criteria, and repetition with count summaries. Quantitative analyses applied regression modeling to determine if the number of goals set was associated with the 6-month weight change, controlling for covariates. Results Participants (n = 363) set an average of 23.4 goals (SD = 22.7) over 6 months. Those who reached at least 5% weight loss set significantly more goals than those who lost between 1% and 4.99% or who lost <1% or gained weight (p's < 0.0001). Setting more personal goals was associated with significant weight loss reduction at 6 months, controlling for covariates (p's < 0.05). Conclusions Greater use of a personal goal-setting feature was associated with improved weight loss outcomes among active users. This can be a low-investment addition to digital behavior change interventions to contribute to improved outcomes

Are we sure that Mobile Health is really mobile? An examination of mobile device use during two remotely-delivered weight loss interventions

The “m” in mHealth is often thought of as the ability to receive health information and monitor behaviors on the go. Little is known about how people actually use mobile vs. traditional access methods and if access method affects engagement and health outcomes

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

Weight loss social support in 140 characters or less: use of an online social network in a remotely delivered weight loss intervention

Little is known about how online social networking can help enhance weight loss. To examine the types of online social support utilized in a behavioral weight loss intervention and relationship of posting and weight loss. A sub-analysis of the content and number of posts to Twitter among participants (n = 47) randomized to a mobile, social network arm as part of a 6-month trial among overweight adults, examining weight loss, use of Twitter, and type of social support (informational, tangible assistance, esteem, network, and emotional support). A number of Twitter posts were related to % weight loss at 6 months (p < 0.001). Initial reported weight loss predicted engagement with Twitter (p < 0.01) but prior Twitter use or initial Twitter engagement did not. Most Twitter posts (total posts n = 2,630) were Informational support (n = 1,981; 75 %), with the predominant subtype of Teaching (n = 1,632; 62 %), mainly in the form of a status update (n = 1,319). Engagement with Twitter was related to weight loss and participants mainly used Twitter to provide Information support to one another through status updates

Global Profiling and Inhibition of Protein Lipidation in Vector and Host Stages of the Sleeping Sickness Parasite Trypanosoma brucei

The enzyme N-myristoyltransferase (NMT) catalyzes the essential fatty acylation of substrate proteins with myristic acid in eukaryotes and is a validated drug target in the parasite Trypanosoma brucei, the causative agent of African trypanosomiasis (sleeping sickness). N-Myristoylation typically mediates membrane localization of proteins and is essential to the function of many. However, only a handful of proteins are experimentally validated as N-myristoylated in T. brucei. Here, we perform metabolic labeling with an alkyne-tagged myristic acid analogue, enabling the capture of lipidated proteins in insect and host life stages of T. brucei. We further compare this with a longer chain palmitate analogue to explore the chain length-specific incorporation of fatty acids into proteins. Finally, we combine the alkynyl-myristate analogue with NMT inhibitors and quantitative chemical proteomics to globally define N-myristoylated proteins in the clinically relevant bloodstream form parasites. This analysis reveals five ARF family small GTPases, calpain-like proteins, phosphatases, and many uncharacterized proteins as substrates of NMT in the parasite, providing a global view of the scope of this important protein modification and further evidence for the crucial and pleiotropic role of NMT in the cell

Recruitment of young adults for weight gain prevention: randomized comparison of direct mail strategies

Abstract Background Recruiting young adults (ages 18–35 years) into weight gain prevention intervention studies is challenging and men are particularly difficult to reach. This paper describes two studies designed to improve recruitment for a randomized trial of weight gain prevention interventions. Study 1 used a quasi-experimental design to test the effect of two types of direct mailings on their overall reach. Study 2 used a randomized design to test the effect of using targeted messages to increase recruitment of men into the trial. Methods For Study 1, 60,000 male and female young-adult households were randomly assigned to receive either a recruitment brochure or postcard. Visits to recruitment websites during each mailing period were used to assess response to each mailing. Study 2 focused on postcard recruitment only. These households received either a targeted or generic recruitment postcard, where targeted postcards included the word “Men” in the headline text. Response rates to each type of card were categorized based on participant report of mailing received. Results The reach of the postcards and brochures were similar (421 and 386 website visits, respectively; P = 0.22). Individuals who received the brochure were more likely to initiate the online screener than those who received a postcard (P = 0.01). In Study 2, of those who completed the telephone screening, 60.9 % of men (n = 23) had received the targeted postcard as compared to the generic postcard (39.1 %, P = 0.30). The reverse was true for women (n = 62, 38.7 vs. 61.3 %, P = 0.08). Conclusions These studies suggest there was little difference in the reach of postcards versus brochures. However, recipients of brochures were more likely to continue to the next stage of study participation. As expected, men’s response to the weight gain prevention messages was lower than women’s response; but using targeted messages appears to have modestly increased the proportion of male respondents. These studies add to the limited experimental literature on recruitment messaging and provide further indication for using targeted messages to reach underrepresented populations while providing initial evidence on the effect of mailing type on message reach. Trial registration The Study of Novel Approaches to Weight Gain Prevention was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (identifier: NCT01183689) on 13 August 2010

Theoretical and Behavioral Mediators of a Weight Loss Intervention for Men

Men are currently underrepresented in weight loss trials despite similar obesity rates, which limits our understanding about the most effective elements of treatment for men. The purpose of this study was to test the theoretical (autonomous motivation, self-efficacy, outcome expectancies, and self-regulation) and behavioral (calorie intake, physical activity, self-weighing) mediators of a men-only, Internet-delivered weight loss intervention focused on innovative and tailored treatment elements specifically for men

Parent and child dietary changes in a 6-month mobile-delivered weight loss intervention with tailored messaging for parents

Objective To examine changes in parent and child dietary intake, associations between program adherence and parent dietary changes, and the association between parent and child dietary changes in a mobile-delivered weight loss intervention for parents with personalized messaging. Methods Adults with overweight or obesity and who had a child aged 2–12 in the home were recruited for a randomized controlled trial comparing two types of dietary monitoring: calorie monitoring (Standard, n = 37) or “red” food monitoring (Simplified, n = 35). Parents received an intervention delivered via a smartphone application with lessons, text messages, and weekly personalized feedback, and self-monitoring of diet, activity, and weight. To measure associations between parent and child dietary changes, two 24-h recalls for parents and children at baseline and 6 months measured average daily calories, percent of calories from fat, vegetables, fruit, protein, dairy, whole grains, refined grains, added sugars, percent of calories from added sugars, and total Healthy Eating Index-2015 score. Results Higher parent engagement was associated with lower parent percent of calories from fat, and greater days meeting the dietary goal was associated with lower parent daily calories and refined grains. Adjusting for child age, number of children in the home, parent baseline BMI, and treatment group, there were significant positive associations between parent and child daily calories, whole grains, and refined grains. Parent-child dietary associations were not moderated by treatment group. Conclusions These results suggest that parent dietary changes in an adult weight loss program may indirectly influence child diet