Past SIG Blog Entries

April 2012 - Student SIG Blog Entry

The Student’s Experience: Get the Best Out of Your Experience

This year’s annual meeting promises to be exciting, set in the historic town of New Orleans. Don’t be a wall-flower this year. Come to New Orleans prepared and excited to learn, share, and mingle.

1. Congratulations to this year’s SBM Student Research Award Winners: Emily L Mailey, Alyssa A. Allen, Stephanie M. Case, and Andrea Hobkirk!
2. Mark your calendars for an evening out with the Student SIG on Thursday. The Student SIG social event is a great way to meet your peers who may become colleagues in future endeavors.
3. Stay active! Enjoy some early morning yoga, on Thursday & Friday mornings, or the SBM fun run on Saturday.
4. If you can’t wake up in time for the morning yoga and fun run, check out some of the recreational resources around New Orleans: go for a jog, visit a park, or take a bike tour of the city.
5. Find people who have similar interests. At conferences, go to talks or activities related to your area of interest. Stick around afterwards for discussion. Don’t be shy.
6. Try Dinner with the Experts!
7. Come hear some advice about landing a psychology internship from a panel of distinguished speakers. You’ll come away with strategies to give you a competitive edge.
8. Before you leave for New Orleans, figure out who is productive in your field. Be observant as to who is publishing regularly. Make a wish list of people you would like to meet or talk to about their work. Send them an email or go to a talk of theirs and go up to meet them afterwards.
9. Look for people who are passionate about their work and the field. Excitement can be contagious and help your creativity flow as well.
10. Logistically speaking, bring copies of your poster to hand out at poster sessions. Have a lab website or your CV online? Go here and print off a QR code on your business card.

As Louis Pasteur would tell you: “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Take advantage of the resources made available to you through the abundance of Student SIG activities this year. Increase your chances of having a remarkable experience at SBM this year in hopes that you come away with new ideas, more excitement for your work, and a few new friends.

March 2012 - Obesity and Eating Disorders SIG Blog Entry

The Obesity and Eating Disorders SIG strives to provide networking, mentorship, and scientific training to those interested in obesity and eating disorders. We value interdisciplinary collaboration, and for the past two years have worked to strengthen ties with other SBM SIGs. At the 2012 meeting, the Obesity and Eating Disorders SIG is co-sponsoring a pre-conference workshop, two symposia and a cross-SIG meeting. The pre-conference workshop will explore the role of obesity in cancer prevention and control. The first symposium, titled The Role of Brain and Appetite and Obesity: New Insights from Neuroimaging Studies, will include presentation of four innovative studies utilizing functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to better understand neural mechanisms underlying food motivation in adults and children. The second symposium, titled Energy Balance Interventions for Enhancing Breast Cancer Prevention and Survivorship, will highlight four recently completed or on-going clinical trials addressing weight control and physical activity among breast cancer survivors, with attention to anthropomorphic, quality of life, and biomarker outcomes. Finally, the Obesity and Eating Disorders SIG and the Behavioral Informatics SIG are co-hosting a networking meeting to discuss and plan a joint symposium or workshop for the 2013 Annual Meeting on using technology in obesity intervention. We are excited about the upcoming annual meeting and invite anyone interested to attend our meeting and symposia.

January 2012 - Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine SIG Blog Entry

Greetings from the Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine Special Interest Group (EBBM-SIG)!

We hope that you will join us at the SBM Annual Meeting in New Orleans, April 11-14, 2012, at the Hilton New Orleans Riverside. Please register now at: http://www.sbm.org/meetings/2012/annual-meeting-registration.

Our EBBM SIG will sponsor four outstanding events at this year’s conference:

• Course 101: Adapting Evidence-Based Strategies for Weight Management to Underserved Populations. Co-sponsored with the Ethnic, Minority, and Multicultural Health SIG, April 11, 9:00-11:45 am. Pre-registration required, lunch provided.
• Introducing the SEER-MHOS Database and Re-Visiting Cancer Registries: Discussing Population-Based Behavioral Research Across the Cancer Continuum. Co-sponsored with the Cancer SIG, April 12, 11:45-12:45 pm, Marlborough A, 2nd floor, snacks provided.
• Symposium 01: A Tale of Three Systematic Reviews: What Have We Learned About Reducing Pain, Depression, and Fatigue Among Cancer Survivors? April 12, 8:45 AM to 10:15 AM in presentation room Grand Ballroom D.
• Our second annual Outstanding Student/Trainee Award in Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine (EBBM), shared at our annual breakfast roundtable and business meeting, April 13, from 7:30-8:30 am, in the Grand Salon 7/10, breakfast provided.

Let’s say more about the Outstanding Student/Trainee Award in Evidence-Based Behavioral Medicine (EBBM) that honors students and trainees whose presentation at the Annual Meeting represents a significant contribution to EBBM. Awardees will receive a plaque and an honorarium of $250.00.

To be eligible for our EBBM-SIG award, applicants must be the first author on an abstract accepted for presentation at the SBM Annual Meeting. They must also be enrolled as student/trainee member of SBM, and they must have submitted work that is relevant to the field of evidence-based behavioral medicine. Identification of eligible abstracts is based on nominations (including self-nominations), students’ selection of the EBBM-SIG on their submission for the SBM Annual Meeting, and/or our search of relevant keywords and abstract titles among the accepted abstracts. Each abstract is then scored by three peer reviewers, chaired by Dr. Amy Janke, from 1-9 points—with 1 the best score—using the following criteria: significance, innovation, and approach. The student/trainee who receives the highest score on his or her abstract is selected for the award.

Our winner last year was Dr. Matthew Buman, now on the faculty of Arizona State University, College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Program on Exercise and Wellness. His winning abstract was entitled "Peer Volunteers Improve Maintenance of Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial."

We are really looking forward to learning about the exciting work that our students and trainees are doing in EBBM, and to selecting this year’s winner.

We hope that you will join us at our morning breakfast roundtable on April 13 to help honor our winner, to learn more about this year’s—and next year’s--activities for our SIG, and to see how you can become involved!

Please feel free to post your reactions, comments, questions, additional research, etc. on SBM’s Facebook page and encourage your colleagues to join the discussion. We hope to see you all in New Orleans!

Written by:
Sherri Sheinfeld Gorin, PhD
Karen Oliver, PhD
EBBM-SIG Co-Chairs

January 2012 - Women's Health SIG

January is Cervical Health Awareness Month. While the number of cases of and deaths resulting from cervical cancer is declining in the United States, over 12,000 women were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2007, and as many as 4,000 women died from cervical cancer in the same year1. Given that almost all cases of cervical cancer are caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV), understanding factors that influence adherence to HPV vaccine uptake recommendations is critical. We assessed the HPV vaccination knowledge and behaviors of unvaccinated undergraduate females at the University of Wyoming (UW; N=83) using the Health Belief Model (HBM) and Stages of Change Questionnaire2,3. Participants reported high levels of HPV vaccine knowledge. Logistic regression was performed on Contemplators (those considering engaging in a behavior) versus Preparers (those with intent to engage in a behavior) with four HBM predictors (perceived susceptibility, perceived severity of disease, perceived benefits of the treatment or screening procedure, and perceived barriers to the use of that treatment or procedure) and was found to be statistically significant indicating that the set of predictors reliably distinguished between Contemplation and Preparation. Cues to action reliably predicted stage of change. According to the odds ratio, for each unit that cues to action increased, participants were approximately 19 times more likely to be the in the Preparation stage, thus intending to vaccinate sooner. Significant cues to action included media advertisements and doctor and family member recommendations.

We also assessed HPV knowledge and behaviors of UW undergraduate males at pre- (2009, N=101) and post- (2010, N=134) HPV vaccine FDA-approval4. Male participants possessed lower levels of HPV knowledge than the female sample. The majority of participants reported no intention of receiving the HPV vaccine. Concerned about vaccine uptake, participants stated that receiving the vaccine would “make me feel like less of a man” and would be “emasculating.” Intent to vaccinate was examined using logistic regression and was found to be statistically significant in the pre- and post-approval study. Furthermore, cues to action significantly predicted HPV vaccine intention in both studies. Pre-approval participants, influenced by cues to action, were 6.06 times more likely to receive the HPV vaccine while post-approval participants were 3.18 times more likely; the only significant cue to action was a doctor’s recommendation.

In summary, college aged women appear to have better knowledge of the HPV vaccine than college aged men. Cues to action, such as media campaigns and information from health care providers may influence readiness and intent to receive the HPV vaccine. Future research should examine how best to increase HPV knowledge among men, and how to increase the efficacy of cues to action in promoting vaccine uptake among both men and women.

Please feel free to post your reactions, comments, questions, additional research, etc. on SBM’s Facebook page and encourage your colleagues to join the discussion!

Written by:
Julie Angiola, M.S.
Member, Women’s Health SIG
Doctoral Candidate, Psychology Department
University of Wyoming
jangiola@uwyo.edu

References

1. U.S. Cancer Statistics Working Group. United States Cancer Statistics: 1999–2007 Incidence and Mortality Web-based Report. Atlanta (GA): Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and National Cancer Institute; 2010. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/uscs.
2. Janz, N.K., and Becker, M.H. (1984). The health belief model: A decade later. Health Education. Quarterly 11, 1-47.
3. Angiola, J.E., & Bowen, A.M. (under review). HPV vaccine acceptability among rural, rocky mountain region college women.
4. Angiola, J.E., & Bowen, A.M. (under review). “Cowboy Up?”: Rocky Mountain males’ HPV vaccination intention.

December 2011 - Ethnic Minority and Multicultural Health SIG

According to a global report by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2009), there were 33.3 million individuals living with HIV in 2009. This is equivalent to the entire population of Canada, or the combined populations of Texas and Virginia. That same year, 1.8 million people died of AIDS.

The theme for this year’s World AIDS day, December 1, 2011 is “Leading with Science, Uniting for Action” (aids.gov). This is apt, considering the grave need to further research on the physiological, behavioral, and psychological implications of HIV/AIDS. HIV/AIDS is in the international spotlight on December 1, however this is a topic deserving of our year-round efforts in clinical, research, and policy work.

Some dismiss HIV/AIDS as a problem for the developing world. In reality, this is an international problem, and the U.S. is no exception. According to data examined by Prejean et al. (2011) from 2006-2009, there was an estimated incidence of 48,100 new cases of HIV infection in 2009 in the United States. Of those individuals, 61% were gay and bisexual men. In addition, results demonstrated continued racial/ethnic differences in incidence. African-Americans showed the highest incidence rates across racial groups, with rates among African-American males being disproportionately higher than other groups across race and gender. Concerning age alone, the highest incidence rate for HIV infection occurred in individuals aged 40-44 (CDC, 2009).

HIV/AIDS does not discriminate. This disease presents a public health crisis that affects individuals regardless of race, sexual orientation, gender, or socioeconomic status. EMMH does not limit our focus to racial/ethnic disparities. EMMH is committed to understanding issues impacting groups across diversity classifications. Our membership consists of 335 researchers and clinicians, a number of whom focus their work on HIV/AIDS. If you are interested in becoming a member of the EMMH special interest group, please contact us to help us “lead in science” in the international effort to better understand and combat the HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Written by:
Eleshia Morrison, MA, EMMH SIG Chair morrison.364@osu.edu
Luz Garcini, MA, EMMH SIG Co-Chair lgarcini@projects.sdsu.edu

References:

CDC (2009). HIV Surveillance Report: Diagnoses of HIV infection and AIDS in the United States and Dependent Areas, 2009.

Prejean J, Song R, Hernandez A, Ziebell R, Green T, et al. (2011) Estimated HIV Incidence in the United States, 2006-2009. PLoS ONE 6(8): e17502. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0017502.

World Health Organization (2011). http://www.who.int/topics/hiv_aids/en/.

November 2011 - Diabetes SIG

It’s November, American Diabetes Awareness month! For our SIG, this is an opportune time for us to reflect on where we have been over the past year, the current state of behavioral diabetes research, and where our field is headed in 2012.

LOOKING BACK: What have we learned this year?

Several large-scale studies including the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) and Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes) published results that have increased our knowledge about diabetes, metabolic functioning, physical activity, and dietary intake. For example:

• Wadden and colleagues (Obesity) demonstrated achievement and maintenance of clinically significant (>5% of body weight) weight loss in nearly one-half of lifestyle intervention participants after 4 years.
• Bertoni and colleagues (Obesity) furthered our understanding of the complex associations between weight loss and N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, a biomarker linked with heart failure risk, and the team with lead author Gary-Webb (BMC Public Health) demonstrated important links between poverty and health status in study participants.
• In a move toward translating the DPP, Katula and colleagues (Diabetes Care) delivered the program’s lifestyle weight loss program in a community setting, with improvements evident in blood glucose, insulin, and body adiposity. Similarly, Vanderwood and team (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice) and Harwell and colleagues (Primary Care Diabetes) adapted the DPP intervention for a community setting and reported on behavioral factors that increase participants’ likelihood of achieving and maintaining weight loss goals.

In addition to these important findings published by our close colleagues, a number of independent works from our membership are noteworthy:

• Reynolds and Helgeson published a meta-analysis (Annals of Behavioral Medicine) highlighting the elevated risk for psychological problems, particularly distress and depression, for children with diabetes. They note the importance of future research to further our knowledge of this link as well as to guide prevention and intervention efforts.
• Weinger and colleagues published results from a large randomized controlled trial (Archives of Internal Medicine) noting the substantial benefit on glycemia of a cognitive-behavioral intervention for adults with long-duration, poorly controlled diabetes.

What else have we learned this past year? Please reply to this post on SBM's Facebook page with your own observations of strides we have made since this time last year!

LOOKING AHEAD: Where is our field headed in 2012?

Please reply to this post on SBM's Facebook page with your predictions about what new information we will have about diabetes prevention and treatment by this time next year! Thank you all for your hard work!

Written by:
Korey K. Hood, PhD, Diabetes SIG Chair
Marisa E. Hilliard, PhD, Diabetes SIG member