Track Descriptions

Adherence
Adherence has been described as a patient’s tendency to follow medical recommendations. Non-adherence can lead to unnecessary disease complications, disease progression (including premature death), reduced functional abilities and quality of life, as well as substantial costs to the health care system. Abstracts that address etiologic factors (person, environmental, contextual) of non-adherence, measurement and methodological issues related to adherence, interventions designed to prevent or to remediate adherence problems, and examinations of theoretical models of adherence are appropriate for this track.

Behavioral Medicine in Medical Settings
Recent changes in medical practice have placed greater emphasis on primary health care. In order to have optimal impact in the changing health care system, behavioral health professionals must function effectively in this context. Abstracts that address psychological disorders as they arise in a medical setting and behavioral treatments for chronic illness are appropriate for this track. Abstracts with a focus on assessment and treatment of co-morbid psychiatric and medical conditions; consultation and collaboration with physicians; and cultural and ethical-legal concerns related to practicing in medical settings are appropriate for this track.

Biological Mechanisms in Health and Behavior Change
Abstracts that have a primary focus on bio-behavioral mechanisms and/or physiological risk factors of illness and disease. Investigations of the clinical and/or biological changes associated with these factors are encouraged. Specifically, submissions in the areas of psychoneuroimmunology (PNI), psychophysiology (e.g., cardiovascular reactivity), and psychoneuroendocrinology are appropriate for this track.

Complementary and Alternative Medicine and Spirituality
Abstracts that address mechanisms of health and illness and interventions that generally are outside conventional Western medical/psychological approaches are appropriate for the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Track. Interventions might include, but are not limited to, acupuncture, meditation, art therapy, Qi Gong, botanicals, special diets, or therapeutic touch.

Diversity Issues
Abstracts that illustrate the impact of culture, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexuality, and other social factors on health and illness are appropriate for the Diversity Issues Track. Investigations of proposed determinants and biological mechanisms of health and illness, as well as studies describing novel approaches to prevention and intervention are relevant to this track. Studies that describe innovative approaches to the study of disparities at the individual or population level are of particular interest.

Environmental and Contextual Factors in Health and Behavior Change
Abstracts that address the relations between health and the environment are appropriate for the Environmental and Contextual Factors in Health and Behavior Change track. Abstracts may address the contexts in which psychosocial and behavioral interventions are delivered (e.g., family, workplace, schools, community-based agencies, health systems); the synergistic ways in which interpersonal, socio-cultural, physical, environmental, and systems factors affect health and well being; political, economic, and environmental determinants of health; and social and environmental factors implicated in the etiology, prevention, and treatment of a broad spectrum of health behaviors and illnesses.

Health Communication and Technology
Abstracts that focus on the impact of information and communication technology on health behavior outcomes and processes are appropriate for the Health Communication and Technology Track. Abstracts that address the use of print, phone, computer, Internet, and personal digital assistants (PDA) are appropriate for this track. Studies may address the use of these technologies by patients and health care providers, as well as the design, implementation, and evaluation of behavior change interventions delivered through advanced technologies.

Lifespan
Abstracts describing relevant research and clinical programs that focus on behavior change across or at specific periods or phases of the lifespan are appropriate for the Lifespan Track. This track is interested in abstracts that explore the ways in which individuals learn and practice health-promoting activities during specific time periods from cradle to grave, and the facilitation of healthy lifestyles over time. Abstracts that focus on illness and related behaviors at specific developmental time-points or over time would also be appropriate for this track. Two types of abstracts should be submitted to this track: 1) submissions with a focus on a particular age group that address factors relevant to health, illness, or behavior specific to that age group; or 2) submissions with a focus on health and behavior over time, or across age- or developmental- periods.

Measurement and Methods
Abstracts that focus on measurement or methodological issues related to behavioral medicine topics are appropriate for the Measurement and Methods Track. Relevant to this track are submissions that involve scale development, application of measurement techniques, or statistical approaches and applications. The focus of submissions to this track should be on the measurement issues or methodological techniques.

Population Health, Policy, and Advocacy
Abstracts that focus on health and behavior of large segments of the population are appropriate for the Population Health, Policy, and Advocacy Track. Studies or programs whose results would apply to a significant percentage of the population are appropriate for this track. The application of the results to large segments of the population is a more relevant factor in submitting to this track than is the size of the study’s participant pool. In particular, abstracts that include policy implications, that involve behavioral medicine in the political process, or that report outcomes at the population level (e.g., cost-effectiveness) are appropriate for this track. Finally, approaches and programs that involve all levels of advocacy are of particular interest to this track.

Prevention
Abstracts submitted to the Prevention Track should provide data from research that targets primary or secondary prevention health behaviors. Examples include, but are not limited to, assessment and/or intervention studies of health promoting/risk reducing behaviors (e.g., “healthy” eating behaviors, sun safe behaviors, smoking prevention, etc.) as well as of screening/early detection behaviors (e.g., adherence with self- or professionally delivered screening recommendations, etc.)

Psychological and Person Factors in Health and Behavior Change
Abstracts submitted to this track should focus on the relationship between psychological factors and health, health behaviors, and behavior change. Psychological and person factors may include motivation, emotion, cognition, learning, risk perception, information processing, personality, and coping. Abstracts that address these factors in a particular age group (e.g., children, older adults) or across age- or developmental- periods should be submitted to the Lifespan Track. Likewise, studies whose results may apply to a large segment of the population should be submitted to the Population Health, Policy, and Advocacy Track.

Quality of Life
Quality of life has been defined as the degree to which the expected physical, emotional, and/or social well-being of an individual is impacted by treatment for a medical condition or the condition itself. Abstracts describing research on quality of life are appropriate for this track. Submissions may include documentation of quality of life in persons with various medical conditions, interventions to improve quality of life, and predictors of quality of life (e.g., psychosocial, contextual, environmental.)

Spirituality
Abstracts that describe spiritually- or religiously-oriented processes, mechanisms, or interventions related to health and illness are appropriate for this track.

Translation of Research to Practice
Submissions to this track should describe quantitative and/or qualitative studies that focus on the mechanisms underlying the successful dissemination of research findings into ‘real-world’ practice. Although not a comprehensive list, data from demonstration, feasibility, effectiveness, and participatory studies would be highly suited for this track. Also appropriate for this track are abstracts that examine the reach and effectiveness of health behavior interventions, as well as setting level variables that may inhibit or facilitate delivery.