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Tag: behavior change
03/08/2023

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Mobile App Improves Health Behavior in Patients with Diabetes

Article Excerpt: With the use of cognitive behavioral therapy, a smartphone app helped patients with type 2 diabetes reduce HbA1c with less medication and insulation intensification vs. controls, a speaker reported. “Cardiometabolic diseases, and at its core, type 2 diabetes, are largely behavioral-acquired diseases and they’re related to unhelpful behaviors. But when we drive to what are the core, root causes of these behavioral choices, they have to do with thoughts and beliefs that lead to unhelpful behaviors and then unhelpful food choices, eating, exercise or behaviors and then type 2 diabetes,” Marc P. Bonaca, MD, MPH, FAHA, FACC, executive director of CPC Clinical Research, professor of cardiology and vascular medicine and director of vascular research at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said during a press conference. “How do we break that cycle?

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2s4ht3rj

Article Source: Healio

11/02/2022

Digital Solution for Smoking Cessation Shows Positive Results in Randomized Trial

Article Excerpt: A behavioral change digital health company has announced positive results from a randomized controlled trial for its app-based digital tool for tobacco use cessation. Pivot’s tool provides evidence-based tobacco cessation interventions, an interactive breath sensor, human coaching, nicotine replacement therapy, a digital support community, as well as behavioral therapy, the company stated in a press release.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/5dhkv6fe

Article Source: Healio

08/24/2022

Rewarding Healthy Behaviors

Article Excerpt: Human behavior is difficult to manage: Why do people do the things they do, even when some habits are bad for them? And how can they change these behaviors? Bethany Raiff, Ph.D., a professor of psychology in the College of Science & Mathematics, has designed incentive-based approaches, often using technology, to help people quit smoking, attend treatment for opioid use disorder, and engage in physical activity. “We make a lot of decisions that are not always in our best interest,” Raiff said. “I am trying to understand how to shift people’s decision-making toward healthier behavior.”

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mwdvd6uc

Article Source: Rowan University News

08/23/2022

Implementation and impact of a technology-based HIV risk-reduction intervention among Thai men who have sex with men using “Vialogues”: a randomized controlled trial

Anand T, Nitpolprasert C, Jantarapakde J, Meksena R, Phomthong S, Phoseeta P, Phanuphak P & Phanuphak N (2020) Implementation and impact of a technology-based HIV risk-reduction intervention among Thai men who have sex with men using “Vialogues”: a randomized controlled trial, AIDS Care, 32:3, 394-405, DOI: 10.1080/09540121.2019.1622638

A randomized controlled trial was conducted to evaluate the impact of a technology-based intervention on HIV risks and condom use behaviors among men who have sex with men (MSM) in Thailand. Seventy-six participants who were at least 18 years of age and reported unprotected sex in the last 6 months were recruited from the Thai Red Cross Anonymous Clinic. Participants were randomly assigned to control (N=39) and intervention arms (N=37). The intervention group received HIV/STI prevention education videos delivered online via Vialogues.com and video sessions with a counselor monthly for 12 months. The control group received HIV counseling and testing alone for 12 months. Researchers compared attendance rates of recommended clinic visits and HIV testing, changes in HIV/AIDS knowledge, behavioral intentions, attitudes for engaging in safer sex, condom use self-efficacy, and risky behaviors at baseline, 6-month and 12-month follow-ups for both groups. Eighty-nine percent of participants in the intervention arm completed all monthly Vialogues sessions. At 12 months, participants in the intervention arm had significantly more clinic visits than those in the control arm (p=0.03). At 12 months, the intervention group also reported a significantly higher percentage of condom use for anal intercourse than the control group (p=0.003). Participants receiving the intervention also reported significantly reduced self-perceived HIV risk (p=0.001), popper use (p=0.002), and number of sexual partners (p=0.003), and increased condom use (p=0.006) from baseline to 6 months and 12 months. Results demonstrated that the Vialogues program was effective for improving safer sex behaviors and attitudes to lower HIV risk among Thai MSM.

08/08/2022

Willingness to pay for a telemedicine delivered healthy lifestyle programme

Rauch VK, Roderka M, Weintraub AB, Curtis K, Kotz DF, Rothstein RI, Batsis JA. Willingness to pay for a telemedicine-delivered healthy lifestyle programme. Journal of Telemedicine and Telecare. 2022;28(7):517-523. doi:10.1177/1357633X20943337

This study explored how willing rural adults were to pay for a remote weight-management program. Researchers conducted a single arm pilot study with 27 adult patients recruited from a medical weight and wellness center. Participants received a 16-week intervention focused on healthy behavior changes, including mindfulness, movement, problem-solving, and nutrition. In the program, a health coach, registered dietician, and nurse exercise specialist delivered weekly 30-minute one-on-one telehealth visits with participants. Researchers collected willingness-to-pay in a two-item survey at baseline and week 16 that asked: 1) at what point they would trade in person visits for telehealth based on commute time to reach the medical center, and 2) whether they would be willing to engage in a telehealth visit with an upfront cost for services. Participants who commute 30-45 minutes reported the highest willingness to trade in-person visits with telemedicine out of all groups. There was a significant increase in participants who would be willing to pay $30 or less for telemedicine from baseline (58%) to 16-week follow-up (69%). There was no significant difference over time in participants’ willingness to pay for telemedicine based on commute times. In qualitative interviews with participants, a majority found the program helpful. Participants also reported the intervention helped reduce travel time and expenses and increased flexibility for families and work. Results demonstrated that in rural areas, a digital weight management program could be acceptable and cost-effective. Research with a larger sample size and longer duration is needed to more accurately gauge patients’ willingness-to-pay for remote program delivery.

08/05/2022

Digital Support for Reduced Alcohol Consumption

Article Excerpt: A digital support tool on your phone can help if you want to reduce your alcohol consumption. Researchers at Linköping University have developed and evaluated a digital tool that helps individuals reduce their alcohol intake on their own. “At the beginning of the study, the participants indicated that it was very important for them to reduce their alcohol consumption. But most indicated that they didn’t know how to do it. Those who got access to the digital support began to feel more self-assured about how they could go about actually changing their behavior,” says Marcus Bendtsen, who has led the study and is associate professor at the Department of Health, Medicine and Caring Sciences at Linköping University.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/4sy6zxmv

Article Source: Medical Xpress

07/14/2022

Study: Wearables Can Empower Patients, but Barriers Prevent Greater Adoption

Article Excerpt: Using wearables to track health data could empower patients, but there are several barriers to effective use, including the need for provider support. The review, published in JMIR, analyzed 20 studies published in Europe and the U.S. that collectively included more than 7,000 participants. Researchers found three main overarching themes: the role of providers and potential benefits to care, driving behavior change and barriers to use.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/ycke8yas

Article Source: MobiHealthNews

03/28/2022

Therapeutic Digital Gaming and VR to Level-Up Treatment for Addiction

Article Excerpt: In a lab in Berlin, Germany, healthy older adults are immersed in a cruise trip simulation called Schiff Ahoi! (Ship Ahoy!). Armed with a tablet device, they must quickly move food items from the ship’s buffet onto a plate before they disappear, while avoiding items they have been instructed not to take. Performance-related points help sail the ship to Mediterranean destinations, where players can collect virtual postcards. Such games may hold the key to finding innovative ways of training inhibition in people with addictions or impulsive behaviours. From alcohol and drug use to smoking, gambling and food-related disorders, these can be notoriously hard to break, and there is a significant chance of relapse even when evidence-based treatments are applied.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/2p99mafu

Article Source: Horizon Magazine

01/23/2022

New Predictive Computer Program Could Help Detect Individuals at High Risk of Depression

Article Excerpt: A team of scientists from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) has developed a predictive computer program that could be used to detect individuals who are at increased risk of depression. In trials using data from groups of depressed and healthy participants, the program achieved an accuracy of 80 per cent in detecting those individuals with a high risk of depression and those with no risk.

Full Article: https://tinyurl.com/mvtmbc55

Article Source: News Medical