Barriers and Facilitators Impacting Disease and Symptom Management Among College Students With Type 1 Diabetes: A Qualitative Study

PURPOSE

This study aimed to explore barriers and facilitators impacting disease and symptom management among college students living with Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

DESIGN

A qualitative, phenomenological approach using semi-structured, one-on-one interviews.

SETTING

Interviews conducted on Zoom (n = 28) and in-person (n = 3).

PARTICIPANTS

Purposive sample of 31 college students living with T1D for at least 2 years who attended large, 4-year public universities in the Southeastern United States.

METHOD

This study was theoretically informed using the Middle-Range Theory of Self-Care of Chronic Illness Integration of Symptoms to develop interview questions. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and uploaded in NVivo. Data were analyzed thematically using a codebook developed by the research team using the theory as a framework. Trustworthiness was established using an audit trail, memos, and negative case analysis.

RESULTS

Four themes described barriers: diabetes burnout, challenges adjusting to a college lifestyle, difficulty receiving medical supplies, and insurance limitations. Five themes explained facilitators: years of experience managing T1D, tangible support with medical supplies, informational support for disease management, and emotional/technological support for disease and symptom management.

CONCLUSION

Barriers and facilitators in this study should be addressed in future T1D interventions for college students. Findings can also guide healthcare professionals, health promotion practitioners, family, friends, and significant others on how to better support college students as they manage T1D.

COVID-19 Health Education Activities: An Analysis of a National Sample of Certified Health Educations Specialists (CHES®/MCHES®) in Response to the Global Pandemic

The National Commission of Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) created the Category 1 COVID-19 Claim Form Opportunity to document how Certified Health Education Specialists (CHES^®) and Master Certified Health Education Specialists (MCHES^®) assisted communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using data submitted by CHES^®/MCHES^® (n = 3,098 claim forms), the purpose of this study was to (a) describe the settings where CHES^® and MCHES^® completed their pandemic work and (b) assess differences in the type of pandemic work completed by CHES^® compared with MCHES^® based on specific Areas of Responsibility (AOR) for Health Education Specialists. Findings showed that CHES^® and MCHES^® engaged in seven AOR during the pandemic, with the largest proportion of CHES^® (n = 859; 33%) and MCHES^® (n = 105; 21.9%, documenting COVID-19-related activities in health departments. CHES^® reported higher engagement than MCHES^® in activities such as COVID-19 reporting/tracking, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 27.3, p < .001; outbreak response, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 4.3, p = .039; and vaccination, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 5.2, p = .023. Conversely, MCHES^® reported higher participation than CHES^® in screening/testing, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 174.2, p < .001; administration of budgets/operations, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 30.1, p < .001; and adapting educational activities at college/universities, χ² (1, N = 3,098) = 46.1, p < .001. CHES^® were more likely than MCHES^® to indicate working in all AOR except for Area 2-Plan Health Education/Promotion. Results support that employer-verified health education skills in all AOR were transferable during COVID-19, especially for CHES^® employed within state/county health departments.

Pregaming: A Field-Based Investigation of Alcohol Quantities Consumed Prior to Visiting a Bar and Restaurant District

BACKGROUND

Investigations examining the association between pregaming, or the consumption of alcohol prior to attending a social gathering or drinking establishment, and blood alcohol concentrations have primarily relied on estimations (i.e., Widmark equation), rather than objective biologic samples, such as breath alcohol concentration (BrAC).

OBJECTIVES

The current study assessed: (1) pregaming, using quantity-based measures, among a sample of college and non-college affiliated bar patrons, (2) associations between pregaming intensity/status and participant intoxication (BrAC), and (3) whether participants who pregamed were more likely to identify as a hazardous drinker.

METHODS

548 bar patrons provided data on the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-Consumption (AUDIT-C) and a single pregaming item assessing quantity of alcohol consumed prior to visiting a bar/restaurant district in 2015. BrAC samples were collected post interview. We used hierarchical linear regression models, respectively, to assess whether pregaming significantly impacted BrAC and whether presence of hazardous drinking predicted pregaming behavior.

RESULTS

After controlling for sex, race/ethnicity, age, student status, and Greek affiliation, the linear regression model explained 32.3% (R² = .323) of the variance of BrAC levels (F(12) = 21.162, p < .001), with 4.30% of the variance explained solely by pregaming (β = 0.014; p < .001). The linear regression model to assess if harzardous drinking behavior (AUDIT-C) significantly predicted pregaming explained 31.2% (R² = .312) of the variance of pregaming behavior (F(18) = 13.276, p < .001), with 4.2% of the variance explained solely by AUDIT-C scores (β = 0.280; p < .001).

CONCLUSION

Findings further highlight pregaming as a harmful risk behavior linked to elevated levels of hazardous drinking and intoxication.

Web-based Health Information Seeking and eHealth Literacy among Patients Living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

Many people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) have low general health literacy; however, there is little information available on these patients' eHealth literacy, or their ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise online health information and apply this knowledge to address or solve disease-related health concerns. A nationally representative sample of patients registered in the COPD Foundation's National Research Registry (N = 1,270) was invited to complete a web-based survey to assess socio-demographic (age, gender, marital status, education), health status (generic and lung-specific health-related quality of life), and socio-cognitive (social support, self-efficacy, COPD knowledge) predictors of eHealth literacy, measured using the 8-item eHealth literacy scale (eHEALS). Over 50% of the respondents (n = 176) were female (n = 89), with a mean age of 66.19 (SD = 9.47). Overall, participants reported moderate levels of eHealth literacy, with more than 70% feeling confident in their ability to find helpful health resources on the Internet. However, respondents were much less confident in their ability to distinguish between high- and low-quality sources of web-based health information. Very severe versus less severe COPD (β = 4.15), lower lung-specific health-related quality of life (β = -0.19), and greater COPD knowledge (β = 0.62) were significantly associated with higher eHealth literacy. Higher COPD knowledge was also significantly associated with greater knowledge (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) and use (ρ = 0.24, p = .001) of web-based health resources. Findings emphasize the importance of integrating skill-building activities into comprehensive patient education programs that enable patients with severe cases of COPD to identify high-quality sources of web-based health information. Additional research is needed to understand how new social technologies can be used to help medically underserved COPD patients benefit from web-based self-management support resources.

Missing the mark for patient engagement: mHealth literacy strategies and behavior change processes in smoking cessation apps

OBJECTIVE

To examine how Transtheoretical Model (TTM)'s processes of change and mHealth literacy strategies are employed in mobile smoking cessation apps.

METHODS

A purposive sample of 100 iTunes apps were coded to assess descriptive (price, type, developer, user-rating) and engagement metrics, including processes of change and mHealth literacy strategies (plain language, usability, interactivity). One-way ANOVAs and independent samples t-tests examined associations between descriptive and engagement metrics.

RESULTS

Over half of the apps included 7 (78%) processes of change. Fewer included self-liberation (36%) and reinforcement management (34%). Most apps incorporated plain language, but few integrated usability and interactivity strategies. Hypnotherapy and informational apps included more behavioral processes of change than apps incorporating a combination of features, including gaming, cigarette trackers, and motivational coaching (p<0.01).

CONCLUSION

Apps included behavior change processes but rarely incorporated usability and interactivity features to promote patient engagement. Engagement metrics did not vary by app user-ratings, price-to-download, or developer, including for-profit organizations or government and educational institutions.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

Providers should acknowledge the popularity of smoking cessation apps as potential cessation aids and communicate their benefits and drawbacks to patients. Future efforts to improve smoking cessation apps should focus on enhancing the quality of tailored and interactive content.

The Influence of eHealth Literacy on Perceived Trust in Online Health Communication Channels and Sources

Disparities in online health information accessibility are partially due to varying levels of eHealth literacy and perceived trust. This study examined the relationship between eHealth literacy and perceived trust in online health communication channels and sources among diverse sociodemographic groups. A stratified sample of Black/African Americans (n = 402) and Caucasians (n = 409) completed a Web-based survey that measured eHealth literacy and perceived trustworthiness of online health communication channels and information sources. eHealth literacy positively predicted perceived trust in online health communication channels and sources, but disparities existed by sociodemographic factors. Segmenting audiences according to eHealth literacy level provides a detailed understanding of how perceived trust in discrete online health communication channels and information sources varies among diverse audiences. Black/African Americans with low eHealth literacy had high perceived trust in YouTube and Twitter, whereas Black/African Americans with high eHealth literacy had high perceived trust in online government and religious organizations. Older adults with low eHealth literacy had high perceived trust in Facebook but low perceived trust in online support groups. Researchers and practitioners should consider the sociodemographics and eHealth literacy level of an intended audience when tailoring information through trustworthy online health communication channels and information sources.

Body Esteem and Self-Objectification Among Collegiate Female Athletes

The purpose of our study was to use select constructs from objectification theory to investigate how society’s sexual objectification of female athletes is related to differences in body esteem and self-objectification among collegiate female athletes and non-athletes. Using a cross-sectional survey, we sampled three groups at a Division I National Collegiate Athletic Association university: 322 non-athletes, 58 athletes participating in sports that are considered more objectified, and 27 athletes participating in sports that are considered less objectified. Participants completed survey measures assessing body esteem (sexual attractiveness, weight concern, and physical condition), body surveillance, thin-ideal internalization, and body shame. As predicted, all athletes experienced better body esteem than non-athletes. Surprisingly, both more and less objectified athletes also reported lower rates of body surveillance than non-athletes. Other findings varied by grouping. Overall, study findings suggested that athletes in more objectified sports experience greater thin-ideal internalization, thereby enhancing body shame without increasing body surveillance or body image concerns. Researchers and interventionists should put more focus on sexual- and self-objectification of collegiate female athletes participating in the more objectified sports because their psychological and mental health risks appear to be associated with objectification and not necessarily poor body image.

A comparison of the responsible drinking dimensions among underage and legal drinkers: examining differences in beliefs, motives, self-efficacy, barriers and intentions

BACKGROUND

To date, scholarly discourse over the Amethyst Initiative has primarily debated the relative effectiveness of the 21 year-old Minimum Legal Drinking Age (MLDA). Unfortunately, this discourse has failed to account for the Amethyst Initiative's central tenet/mission: facilitating responsible drinking among college students. This investigation seeks to help fill this gap by quantitatively determining whether a random sample of underage (n = 158) and legal (n = 298) drinkers differed with regard to their alcohol-related behaviors, responsible drinking behaviors, and responsible drinking beliefs.

FINDINGS

Compared to legal drinkers, underage drinkers reported: (a) significantly less confidence to perform responsible drinking behaviors during their next drinking episode [t(446) = -2.97, p < .003; d = -0.297], (b) significantly more perceived barriers to responsible drinking [t(388) = 3.44, p < .001; d = .368], and (c) significantly lower behavioral intentions to perform responsible drinking behaviors the next time they consumed alcohol [t(437) = -3.45, p < .001; d = -0.350]. Each of these differences remained statistically significant, even after controlling for sex and race, in three separate multiple linear regression models.

CONCLUSION

While college students both above and below the 21 year-old MLDA have similar beliefs regarding what constitutes responsible drinking, students below the current MLDA have less intention to drink responsibly regardless of their behavioral beliefs and/or motives. College/university administrators should consider the negative repercussions that are possible if underage students who are less confident in their ability to drink responsibly are given the legal right to drink on campus.

A systematic review of studies comparing body image concerns among female college athletes and non-athletes, 1997-2012

Research prior to 2001 indicated that athletes experienced better body image than non-athletes, with no differences among sport types. Since then, female athletes have become increasingly sexually objectified in the media, and the sociocultural beauty ideal has shifted to emphasize appearing both athletic and thin. Part I of this paper explores the literature describing these changes. Part II presents a systematic and comprehensive literature review of 10 recent studies comparing body image concerns (BIC) among collegiate female athletes and non-athletes to identify the current status of BIC in female athletes. Findings indicate that involvement in collegiate athletics provides some protection from BIC; however, this protection appears attenuated for athletes in more feminine sports (e.g., gymnastics), and higher level athletes (Division I). Researchers should examine how sociocultural pressures unrelated to competition predict female athletes' BIC using measures that focus on objectification, positive body image, body functionality, and thin- and athletic-ideal internalization.

Validating the ability of a single-item assessing drunkenness to detect hazardous drinking

BACKGROUND

To simplify the screening process to identify problem drinking, researchers have developed single-item, quantity-based instruments. Quantity-based items, however, suffer from several limitations.

OBJECTIVE

Determine whether a non-quantity-based single item assessing drunkenness would be able to identify those who exhibited signs of hazardous alcohol use, as determined by Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT)-C scores.

METHODS

Between September and November of 2011, the alcohol-related behaviors of 1062 self-identified current drinkers were assessed with self-report measures (i.e. AUDIT-C and one item assessing frequency of drunkenness) in addition to corresponding biologic samples (i.e. breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) samples). We assessed the concurrent validity of the single item to identify hazardous alcohol use established via gender-based AUDIT-C thresholds. Convergent validity of the single-item was assessed by determining its relationship to BrAC levels.

RESULTS

The single item accounted for 0.791 of the area under the received operating characteristics curve for hazardous alcohol use (p < 0.001). When employing a cut-off of 1, the single-item question was 95.9% sensitive in identifying hazardous alcohol use.

CONCLUSION

The results reported herein highlight the validity (both concurrent and convergent) and potential utility of a non-quantity-based single-item alcohol screen for assessing drunkenness. Additional research is warranted to confirm the utility of this one-item drunkenness measure to capture risk of injury and hazardous drinking.

Breath alcohol concentrations of designated drivers

OBJECTIVE

This study established breath alcohol concentrations (BrACs) and alcohol-related behaviors of designated drivers (DDs) to determine (a) whether DDs are abstaining from drinking, (b) whether alcohol-related behaviors of non-DDs and DDs were different, and (c) whether the alcohol consumption of DDs resulted in BrAC levels that affected driving performance or caused psychomotor impairment.

METHOD

We conducted six anonymous field studies during a 3-month period in a southeastern college community restaurant and bar district. Intercept interviews were conducted with 1,071 bar patrons. Alcohol-related behaviors, BrAC, and whether one was serving as a DD were measured. The sample was primarily White (72.7%), male (62.4%) college students (64.7%). Descriptive statistics and an independent sample t test compared the BrACs of DDs versus non-DDs. A one-way analysis of variance examined the differences in the alcohol-related behaviors (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test-consumption [AUDIT-C] score) across DDs abstaining from drinking (BrAC = .00 g/210 L), drinking DDs (BrACs ≥ .02 and < .05 g/210 L), and impaired DDs (BrACs ≥ .05 g/210 L). A logistic regression assessed the impact of alcohol-related behaviors (AUDIT-C) on whether one was serving as a DD.

RESULTS

Of the 165 DDs, approximately 40% did not abstain from drinking. Approximately 17% of DDs had BrACs between .02 g/210 L and .049 g/210 L, whereas 18% recorded BrACs at .05 g/210 L or greater. The mean AUDIT-C score for impaired DDs significantly differed from both abstaining DDs and drinking DDs. Participants with greater AUDIT-C scores were more likely to serve as a DD and have a BrAC that significantly inhibited driving ability and psychomotor function.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings identify the need for consensus across researcher, layperson, and communication campaigns that a DD must be someone who has abstained from drinking entirely.

Examining the association between binge drinking and propensity to join the military

It is unclear to what degree previous and/or current alcohol consumption predicts enlistment into the military. The current investigation explored the extent to which binge drinking was related to propensity to join the military among a national sample of high school seniors (n = 14,577) responding to the 2008 Monitoring the Future survey. Independent sample t-tests and logistic regression analyses were employed to explore the research question. Results indicated that twelfth grade students who intended to join the military after graduating from high school binge drank a significantly greater number of days (p < 0.001, Cohen's d = -0.22) than those not intending to enlist. Even after controlling for various sociodemographic and lifetime drinking characteristics, binge drinkers had a higher propensity to join the military (odds ratio = 1.079, Wald = 5.53, df = 1, p < 0.05) than those who did not binge. Moreover, as binge drinking increased, so did one's propensity to join the military. Our findings lend credence to the notion that high school binge drinkers may be self-selecting into military service. These findings underscore the importance of adequately assessing the frequency of high-risk alcohol consumption and their associated correlates among potential military recruits before accession.

Internet-based Delphi research: case based discussion

The interactive capacity of the Internet offers benefits that are intimately linked with contemporary research innovation in the natural resource and environmental studies domains. However, e-research methodologies, such as the e-Delphi technique, have yet to undergo critical review. This study advances methodological discourse on the e-Delphi technique by critically assessing an e-Delphi case study. The analysis suggests that the benefits of using e-Delphi are noteworthy but the authors acknowledge that researchers are likely to face challenges that could potentially compromise research validity and reliability. To ensure that these issues are sufficiently considered when planning and designing an e-Delphi, important facets of the technique are discussed and recommendations are offered to help the environmental researcher avoid potential pitfalls associated with coordinating e-Delphi research.

Factor retention in EFA: strategies for health behavior researchers

OBJECTIVE

To provide readers with information on various techniques to improve future health behavior EFA research.

METHODS

Data from a health education questionnaire development study are analyzed to make the discussion of techniques concrete.

RESULTS

There are numerous strategies to use when making a factor retention decision.

CONCLUSIONS

The informed health-behavior researcher should use sophisticated factor retention techniques during EFAs.

Entrepreneurship in health education and health promotion: five cardinal rules

The nature of health education and health promotion (HE/HP) offers a fertile ground for entrepreneurial activity. As primary prevention of chronic diseases becomes a more central component of the health and/ or medical care continuum, entrepreneurial opportunities for health educators will continue to expand. The process used to design, implement, and evaluate health promotion and disease prevention has clear articulation with entrepreneurial, marketing management, and other business processes. Thus, entrepreneurs in HE/HP must be able to utilize business process to facilitate creative, new HE/HP business ideas. The purpose of this article is to weave theory and practical application into a primer on entrepreneurial applications in HE/HP. More specifically, the authors meld their prospective experiences and expertise to provide background thoughts on entrepreneurship in HE/HP and develop a framework for establishing an entrepreneurial venture in HE/HP. Five Cardinal Rules for Entrepreneurs in HE/HP are proposed.