Implementation of the goal-setting components in popular physical activity apps: Review and content analysis

Objective: Goal setting is an effective strategy to promote physical activity. Commercial apps that tackle physical activity often include goal setting; however, it is unknown whether the implementation of the goal-setting components is congruent with the theory. This study evaluated the quality of goal setting in popular free and paid physical activity apps by assessing the presence of effective goal-setting components. Methods: A six-item scale was developed based on the goal-setting literature and used for coding each app for the presence/absence of goal-setting components (i.e. specificity, difficulty, action planning, timeframe, goal evaluation and goal re-evaluation). Cohen's Kappa was used to evaluate inter-rater reliability for each scale item. The number of goal-setting components included in the 40 apps was calculated and the difference between free and paid apps was assessed. Results: All scale items achieved satisfactory inter-rater reliability except 'goal evaluation'. The most frequently included goal-setting components in popular physical activity apps were 'goal specificity' (95% of the apps) and 'goal timeframe' (67.5%). Conversely, only 47.5% and 25% of the apps implemented 'action planning' and 'goal difficulty', respectively, and none included 'goal re-evaluation'. No differences emerged between free and paid apps. Conclusions: The quality of the goal-setting strategy in popular physical activity apps could be improved by introducing components scarcely implemented to date. In particular, tailoring the goal difficulty to the users' ability level and re-evaluating the goals based on achievements should be implemented to increase the quality of goal setting

RURAL KENTUCKY’S PHYSICIAN SHORTAGE: Strategies for producing, recruiting and retaining primary care providers within a medically underserved region

Examines the inadequate supply of doctors in outlying regions of the Commonwealth. Through literature review, data analysis, personal interviews and other research methods, the UK Center for Excellence in Rural Health-Hazard study concluded that Kentucky needs an additional 600 primary care physicians in order to adequately meet the health care needs of its residents. The findings appear in the October 2005 Journal of the Kentucky Medical Association

Fauna do solo e suas relações com atributos físico-químicos.

Este trabalho objetivou avaliar a diversidade da fauna edáfica e suas relações com os atributos físico-químicos. Foram escolhidas sete áreas, representativas da região Oeste do estado de Santa Catarina (região de Chapecó, SC), abrangendo as seguintes condições de uso: 1) Plantio convencional com rotação de culturas (PCRC1); 2) Plantio direto com rotação de culturas (PDRC2); 3) Plantio convencional com sucessão de cultura (PCSC3); 4) Plantio direto com sucessão de culturas (PDSC4); 5) Cultivo mínimo com sucessão de culturas (CMSC5); 6) Plantio direto com sucessão de culturas (PDSC6) e 7) Plantio direto com sucessão de cultura (PDSC7). Foram analisados nos mesmos pontos de coleta a fauna edáfica e atributos físico-químicos e microbiológicos do solo. Alguns grupos da fauna edáfica apresentaram potencial para serem usados como indicadores da qualidade do solo, pois se mostraram sensíveis ao sistema de preparo e cultivo do solo. Ao considerarmos todos os atributos edáficos, o tratamento PDRC2 ficou mais afastado dos outros com melhores condições físico-químicas e biológicas do solo, em comparação aos demais, especialmente CMSC5 e PDSC6

Addressing Cervical Cancer in Central Appalachia

Rural women, particularly those residing in Appalachia, have some of the nation’s highest cervical cancer mortality rates. With support from federal and private grants, the University of Kentucky Center for Excellence in Rural Health-Hazard is attempting to address this issue. Eastern Kentucky-based researchers are surveying 18- to 26-year-old female community health center patients and college students about their risk factors for the disease, and then offering them free Gardasil, a vaccine against the virus that causes most cervical cancer cases

Engagement features judged by excessive drinkers as most important to include in smartphone applications for alcohol reduction: A mixed-methods study

OBJECTIVE: Engagement with smartphone applications (apps) for alcohol reduction is necessary for effectiveness. This study explored 1) the features that are ranked as most important for engagement by excessive drinkers and 2) why particular features are judged to be more important for engagement than others. METHODS: Two studies were conducted in parallel. The first was a focus group study with adult excessive drinkers, interested in reducing alcohol consumption using an app (Ngroups = 3). Participants individually ranked their top 10 features from a pre-specified list and subsequently discussed their rankings. The second was an online study with a new sample (N = 132). Rankings were analysed using the intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) to assess level of agreement between raters for each study. Qualitative data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. RESULTS: There was low agreement between participants in their rankings, both in the focus groups (ICC = 0.15, 95% CI = 0.03-0.38) and the online sample (ICC = 0.11, 95% CI = 0.06-0.23). ‘Personalisation’, ‘control features’ and ‘interactive features’ were most highly ranked in the focus groups. These were expected to elicit a sense of benefit and usefulness, adaptability, provide motivational support or spark users’ interest. Results from the online study partly corroborated these findings. CONCLUSION: There was little agreement between participants, but on average, the features judged to be most important for inclusion in smartphone apps for alcohol reduction were personalisation, interactive features and control features. Tailoring on users’ underlying psychological needs may promote engagement with alcohol reduction apps

In vitro effect of seven essential oils on the reproduction of the cattle tick Rhipicephalus microplus

AbstractThe acaricidal effect of seven essential oils was examined in vitro against the cattle tick (Rhipicephalus microplus). Engorged female ticks were manually collected in farms of Southern Brazil and placed into petri dishes (n=10) in order to test the following oils: juniper (Juniperus communis), palmarosa (Cymbopogon martinii), cedar (Cedrus atlantica), lemon grass (Cymbopogon citratus), ginger (Zingiber officinale), geranium (Pelargonium graveolens) and bergamot (Citrus aurantium var bergamia) at concentrations of 1%, 5%, and 10% each. A control group was used to validate the tests containing Triton X-100 only. Treatment effectiveness was measured considering inhibition of tick oviposition (partial or total), egg’s weight, and hatchability. C. martinii, C. citratus and C. atlantica essential oils showed efficacy higher than 99% at all concentrations tested. In addition, J. communis, Z. officinale, P. graveolens, and C. aurantium var bergamia oils showed efficiency ranging from 73% to 95%, depending on the concentration tested, where higher concentrations showed greater efficacy. It was concluded that essential oils can affect tick reproduction in vitro by inhibiting oviposition and hatchability