Development of the Together - Teens&20s microsite, an online resource for adolescent and young adult cancer patients

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to explore the information needs and preferences of adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients to guide next steps for development of a new online resource for this audience. The goals were to understand information needs, prioritize topic areas, and inform website design and functionality.

Methods

Participants were AYA cancer patients ages 13-25 years. We used multiple methods in two phases to gather audience feedback. The first phase collected quantitative data in an electronic survey (n = 45) about AYA patients' internet use and content preferences. The second phase collected qualitative data through focus groups (n = 13) about user preferences for content design and website function.

Results

Survey results showed AYA patients were more interested in content about how treatments would impact their lives rather than the treatments themselves. They preferred content on school, careers, relationships, independence, side effects, and fertility. The focus groups indicated AYA patients prefer a clean, stylish design; infographics and visual aids; and the ability to find information quickly and control the amount they read.

Conclusions

Online resources represent an important opportunity to advance cancer education for AYA patients. However, it is important to consider the information needs and preferences of this audience in content design and delivery.

Innovation

Practitioners should use stakeholder input to guide the creation of patient education resources that are age- and audience-appropriate. This study provides insights into AYA information needs and preferences in pediatric oncology.

Weight stereotypes and behavioral intentions toward thin and fat peers among White and Hispanic adolescents

PURPOSE

This study examined weight stereotypes among White and Hispanic youth. Specific objectives were to: (a) document stereotyped beliefs about fat vs. thin peers; (b) examine the extent to which stereotyped beliefs contribute to behavioral intentions toward fat vs. thin peers; and (c) explore potential differences in weight stereotypes and behavioral intentions in White and Hispanic youth.

METHODS

Participants, 157 Hispanic and 117 White middle school students, completed a demographic and background survey, the Fat Stereotypes Questionnaire (FSQ), Adjective Checklist, and Shared Activities Questionnaire (SAQ).

RESULTS

Participants endorsed weight-related stereotypes, which were predictive of their social, academic, and recreation behavioral intentions. Participants indicated greater willingness to engage in social (p < .001), academic (p < .05), and recreational (p < .001) activities with thin vs. fat peers. Few differences were found between White and Hispanic adolescents.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of this study highlight the ubiquitous nature of stereotyped beliefs about fat youth. Fat youth are considered unhealthy, lazy, and socially inept by their peers. Such stereotypes influence a variety of behavioral intentions and may contribute to discriminatory behaviors and difficult peer relationships. Additional research focused on weight stereotypes and peer relationships is needed.

Regulation of anxiety and initiation of sexual behavior by CREB in the nucleus accumbens

Sexual deficits and other behavioral disturbances such as anxiety-like behaviors can be observed in animals that have undergone social isolation, especially in species having important social interactions. Using a model of protracted social isolation in adult rats, we observed increased anxiety-like behavior and deficits in both the latency to initiate sexual behavior and the latency to ejaculate. We show, using transgenic cAMP response element (CRE)-LacZ reporter mice, that protracted social isolation also reduces CRE-dependent transcription within the nucleus accumbens. This decrease in CRE-dependent transcription can be mimicked in nonisolated animals by local viral gene transfer of a dominant negative mutant of CRE-binding protein (CREB). We previously showed that this manipulation increases anxiety-like behavior. We show here that it also impairs initiation of sexual behavior in nonisolated animals, a deficit that can be corrected by anxiolytic drug treatment. This local reduction in CREB activity, however, has no influence on ejaculation parameters. Reciprocally, we used the viral transgenic approach to overexpress CREB in the nucleus accumbens of isolated animals. We show that this local increase in CREB activity completely rescued the anxiety phenotype of the isolated animals, as well as their deficit in initiating sexual behavior, but failed to rescue the deficit in ejaculation. Our data suggest a role for the nucleus accumbens in anxiety responses and in specific aspects of sexual behavior. The results also provide insight into the molecular mechanisms by which social interactions affect brain plasticity and behavior.

Weight-related words associated with figure silhouettes

Antifat attitudes and obesity bias are prevalent in Western society; however, little is known about the social meanings and connotations of weight-related words such as fat, overweight, and obese (e.g., Robison & Erdman, 1998). The purpose of this study was to explore college students' perceptions of weight-related terminology. Participants (n=131) completed a modified figure rating scale in which they identified male and female figure silhouettes most associated with a variety of weight-related words and personal characteristics. Additionally, participants completed a word association task and provided definitions of five weight terms. Results indicated that participants grouped weight terms into two groupings (i.e., "slender" and "heavy" weight terms) both in the figure rating task and in the word association and definition tasks. Both male and female participants selected smaller female figure silhouettes for the weight terms overweight, large, fat, and normal weight than for the male figure silhouettes. Moreover, associations between weight-related words and personal characteristics, including normal weight -physically fit and overweight -lazy, were found. The results suggest that weight-related words carry with them social meanings and values that reflect an "ideology of blame."