Exploring the association between dispositional cancer worry, perceived risk, and physical activity among college women

Do Worry and Brooding Predict Health Behaviors? A Daily Diary Investigation

BACKGROUND

Meta-analyses have reported associations between perseverative cognition (both worry and brooding) and increased engagement in health-risk behaviors, poorer sleep, and poorer physiological health outcomes.

METHOD

Using a daily diary design, this study investigated the within- and between-person relationships between state and trait perseverative cognition and health behaviors (eating behavior, physical activity, alcohol consumption, and sleep) both cross-sectionally and prospectively. Participants (n = 273, 93% students, M_age = 20.2, SD = 4.11, 93% female) completed morning and evening diaries across 7 consecutive days.

RESULTS

Multilevel modeling analyses revealed that, cross-sectionally, higher levels of state worry were associated with more time spent sitting and higher levels of state brooding predicted less daily walking.

CONCLUSION

Worry and brooding may represent useful intervention targets for improving inactivity and walking levels, respectively.

Disaster Preparedness among Service Dog Puppy- Raisers (Human Subject Sample)

Simple Summary

Before service animals are matched with clients, they undergo training programs for increasing the dogs’ ability to navigate public spaces. Increasingly, service dog training programs recruit young adults from universities and college campuses. Little is known, however, how these students prepare for disasters and the ways in which they create plans to keep service dogs in training safe during hazard events. We collected data from service dog puppy raisers in a hurricane-prone region of the United States to understand their concepts and actions of disaster preparedness. People who were raising a service puppy for the first time were more likely to consider evacuating from Hurricane Irma in 2017 than people who had participated in the program before. Additionally, over half of the respondents did not have a disaster preparedness kit. Finally, many respondents in this study indicated that their service dog in training provides a sense of safety and security.

Abstract

Little is known about the ways in which puppy raisers engage in disaster preparedness for their puppies (or “guide dogs in training”). The aim of this research is to understand disaster preparedness among service dog puppy raisers. A web-based survey was distributed to people raising puppies in a service dog training program (n = 53 complete survey responses). Questions in the survey included items about disaster preparedness and plans for canine safety in hazards events. Out of those who said they had an evacuation plan for their puppy in training, 59% stated they would put the dog in their vehicles for evacuating to safety in the event of a hurricane or other disaster. The odds of first-time puppy raisers who considered evacuation for Hurricane Irma in 2017 was 15.3 times the odds of repeat raisers. Over half the raisers reported that they did not have a disaster kit. Additionally, 82% of respondents indicated that having a service puppy in training makes them feel safer. These results can be used as a foundation for service dog organizations in disaster preparedness among their puppy raiser volunteers and in designing recruitment messages for new volunteers.

Influence of Cancer Worry on Four Cancer Related Health Protective Behaviors among a Nationally Representative Sample: Implications for Health Promotion Efforts

The aims of this study were to assess what sociodemographic characteristics are associated with cancer worry and what the influence of cancer worry is on four cancer-related protective health behaviors. Data from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS) (4th cycle of the 4th iteration) were used. Multiple regression models were used for all analyses. Behaviors analyzed were as follows: physical activity, diets, smoking, and routine medical screening. Demographics controls included participant age, income, body mass index (BMI), race/ethnicity, and education. N = 2630, Older participants (OR = .99, p < .001), participants with higher BMI (OR = 1.01, p = .017), females (OR = 1.39, p < .001), and highly educated participants were more likely to worry about cancer. Cancer worry was not a significant predictor of exercise, healthy eating, or cancer screening behaviors. However, participants who worried about cancer were more likely to be current smokers (RRR = 1.20, p < .001) compared to participants who never smoked. Although, worry is only an emotional influence on health behavior and may be short-lived, the influence of worry on health-related decision making is likely to be lasting even when the emotions are no longer present.

Communicating breast cancer risk information to young adult women: A pilot study

OBJECTIVE

To examine the effectiveness of a health promotion flyer to increase awareness of breast cancer risk and physical activity as a risk reduction strategy in young adult women.

METHODS

Young adult women (N = 123) viewed one of five health promotion flyers online and then completed measures of perceived breast cancer risk (PR) and perceived informativeness (PI) and a qualitative thought-listing activity.

RESULTS

Differences were observed in PI such that the control and low risk/low information messages were significantly less informative than the others. Qualitative analyses revealed two general themes: message content and flyer design. Additional analyses of the flyer design comments revealed four sub-themes: negative thoughts about the image, positive thoughts about the image, misunderstanding breast cancer risk information, and social comparison. Exploratory analyses controlling for message type indicated that image appraisal predicted PI such that those who commented on the image found the flyer to be less informative.

DISCUSSION

Results suggest that the flyer was informative but did not impact young women's breast cancer risk perceptions. Additionally, the image may have distracted young women from the intended message. Evaluating the acceptability of images used in health promotion materials is recommended before testing the effectiveness of the intervention.

Perseverative Cognition and Health Behaviors: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Recent developments in stress theory have emphasized the significance of perseverative cognition (worry and rumination) in furthering our understanding of stress-disease relationships. Substantial evidence has shown that perseverative cognition (PC) is associated with somatic outcomes and numerous physiological concomitants have been identified (i.e., cardiovascular, autonomic, and endocrine nervous system activity parameters). However, there has been no synthesis of the evidence regarding the association between PC and health behaviors. This is important given such behaviors may also directly and/or indirectly influence health and disease outcomes (triggered by PC). Therefore, the aim of the current review was to synthesize available studies that have explored the relationship between worry and rumination and health behaviors (health risk: behaviors which, if performed, would be detrimental to health; health promoting: behaviors which, if performed, would be beneficial for health). A systematic review and meta-analyses of the literature were conducted. Studies were included in the review if they reported the association between PC and health behavior. Studies identified in MEDLINE or PsycINFO (k = 7504) were screened, of which 19 studies met the eligibility criteria. Random-effects meta-analyses suggested increased PC was generally associated with increased health risk behaviors but not health promoting behaviors. Further analyses indicated that increases in rumination (r = 0.122), but not reflection (r = −0.080), or worry (r = 0.048) were associated with health risk behaviors. In conclusion, these results showed that increases in PC are associated with increases in health risk behaviors (substance use, alcohol consumption, unhealthy eating, and smoking) that are driven primarily through rumination. These findings provide partial support for our hypothesis that in Brosschot et al.'s (2006) original perseverative cognition hypothesis, there may be scope for additional routes to pathogenic disease via poorer health behaviors.

Heart disease and breast cancer perceptions: Ethnic differences and relationship to attentional bias

Differences in perceptions of susceptibility, seriousness, and fear of heart disease and breast cancer were examined and related to attentional bias for disease-related words among Canadian women of various ethnic ancestry. Women (n = 831) completed an online survey, and 503, among them, also completed an attentional bias task. Perceived seriousness of breast cancer predicted attentional bias for breast cancer in women of South Asian ancestry. Lifestyle behaviors were related to breast cancer attentional bias in women with British ancestry. Understanding relationships between modifiable risk factors, disease risk perceptions, and attentional biases among different ethnic groups can help create targeted promotional campaigns.