SBM Annual Meeting

SAN FRANCISCO – The use of "appreciative inquiry" elicited the ways in which families may engage in their adolescents’ weight-management efforts, findings from focus groups of 44 parents or guardians suggested.

The results will inform the design of interventions in a year-long pilot study in 25 obese youths and their families. That will be followed by a three-arm randomized study of weight-management interventions for 360 obese sixth-grade students from urban schools, Shirley M. Moore, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

She and her associates conducted 16 focus groups involving 44 parents or guardians of obese sixth-graders who were participating in a school-based, YMCA-sponsored exercise program in Cleveland, which perennially vies with Detroit for the title of the poorest U.S. city, said Dr. Moore, professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Of the adults 84% were female, 64% were African American, and 15% were Hispanic; they ranged in age from 39 to 85 years (mean, 43 years). One-fifth of families had incomes of less than $15,000 per year.

Each adult received $50 to attend one of four 2-hour focus group sessions at the local YMCA. Staff running the focus groups were trained in the appreciative inquiry process. They conducted thematic qualitative analyses.

Unlike conventional approaches that tend to elicit from participants information on the barriers, problems, and concerns they face in helping their children manage weight and live healthy lives, the use of appreciative inquiry highlights individuals’ and families’ strengths. It’s an affirmation model versus a deficit model for creating change, Dr. Moore said.

"My experience is the energy that comes from it is so amazing in terms of moving people forward," she said.

Participants were asked, for example, to describe a time when they felt really good about the health of their child and his or her living habits. Focus group leaders then probed deeper. What was good about that experience? What made them feel proud about it? What was it about themselves that made this happen? What was it about others that made this happen? What environmental factors helped make this a positive experience?

Major recurring themes emerged from their answers: Having healthy children is a joy. Becoming healthy is a process. Engaging in healthy habits is a family affair. Acquiring good health can be achieved despite obstacles. Sustaining a child’s interest in maintaining good health habits is a challenge.

Participants indicated that they could promote healthy habits by being role models, through their relationships within the family, and through their communities. "That was one of the big, informing things for us, is how entangled they felt in their communities, and the interrelationship between family and community," Dr. Moore said.

The parents/guardians recognized their potentially great influence as positive role models for their children, which was a bit surprising, given that approximately 80% of the adults seemed to be obese, she added. The power to grow healthy children is a joy and a source of pride, the adults said. The parents/guardians described their personal role in maintaining healthy children as that of a healer, caregiver, village mother, activist, and ambassador. They liked the idea of incorporating health-promoting activities in their daily family routines, from preparing food together to rooting for their children’s sports teams.

Dr. Moore and her associates used the findings in designing the weight-management interventions for the upcoming studies. Reminders to parents to attend group meetings, for example, will employ positive messages thanking them for being role models. The intervention has built-in chances for children to succeed (such as a rock wall climbing session), and gaming strategies so that parents can root for their kids. Ways to engage with communities are built in, too – participants will have to do community projects and some neighborhood and block projects. The investigators hired a chef to come teach healthy ways for parents and kids to shop and cook together.

"Raising healthy children is a great sense of joy for parents, and we should use this energy when designing interventions," Dr. Moore said. Appreciative inquiry, if done properly, can employ the positive aspects in people’s lives to effect change, but it’s a process requiring some training, she added.

Dr. Moore reported having no relevant financial disclosures. The studies are being funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – The use of "appreciative inquiry" elicited the ways in which families may engage in their adolescents’ weight-management efforts, findings from focus groups of 44 parents or guardians suggested.

The results will inform the design of interventions in a year-long pilot study in 25 obese youths and their families. That will be followed by a three-arm randomized study of weight-management interventions for 360 obese sixth-grade students from urban schools, Shirley M. Moore, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

She and her associates conducted 16 focus groups involving 44 parents or guardians of obese sixth-graders who were participating in a school-based, YMCA-sponsored exercise program in Cleveland, which perennially vies with Detroit for the title of the poorest U.S. city, said Dr. Moore, professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Of the adults 84% were female, 64% were African American, and 15% were Hispanic; they ranged in age from 39 to 85 years (mean, 43 years). One-fifth of families had incomes of less than $15,000 per year.

Each adult received $50 to attend one of four 2-hour focus group sessions at the local YMCA. Staff running the focus groups were trained in the appreciative inquiry process. They conducted thematic qualitative analyses.

Unlike conventional approaches that tend to elicit from participants information on the barriers, problems, and concerns they face in helping their children manage weight and live healthy lives, the use of appreciative inquiry highlights individuals’ and families’ strengths. It’s an affirmation model versus a deficit model for creating change, Dr. Moore said.

"My experience is the energy that comes from it is so amazing in terms of moving people forward," she said.

Participants were asked, for example, to describe a time when they felt really good about the health of their child and his or her living habits. Focus group leaders then probed deeper. What was good about that experience? What made them feel proud about it? What was it about themselves that made this happen? What was it about others that made this happen? What environmental factors helped make this a positive experience?

Major recurring themes emerged from their answers: Having healthy children is a joy. Becoming healthy is a process. Engaging in healthy habits is a family affair. Acquiring good health can be achieved despite obstacles. Sustaining a child’s interest in maintaining good health habits is a challenge.

Participants indicated that they could promote healthy habits by being role models, through their relationships within the family, and through their communities. "That was one of the big, informing things for us, is how entangled they felt in their communities, and the interrelationship between family and community," Dr. Moore said.

The parents/guardians recognized their potentially great influence as positive role models for their children, which was a bit surprising, given that approximately 80% of the adults seemed to be obese, she added. The power to grow healthy children is a joy and a source of pride, the adults said. The parents/guardians described their personal role in maintaining healthy children as that of a healer, caregiver, village mother, activist, and ambassador. They liked the idea of incorporating health-promoting activities in their daily family routines, from preparing food together to rooting for their children’s sports teams.

Dr. Moore and her associates used the findings in designing the weight-management interventions for the upcoming studies. Reminders to parents to attend group meetings, for example, will employ positive messages thanking them for being role models. The intervention has built-in chances for children to succeed (such as a rock wall climbing session), and gaming strategies so that parents can root for their kids. Ways to engage with communities are built in, too – participants will have to do community projects and some neighborhood and block projects. The investigators hired a chef to come teach healthy ways for parents and kids to shop and cook together.

"Raising healthy children is a great sense of joy for parents, and we should use this energy when designing interventions," Dr. Moore said. Appreciative inquiry, if done properly, can employ the positive aspects in people’s lives to effect change, but it’s a process requiring some training, she added.

Dr. Moore reported having no relevant financial disclosures. The studies are being funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – The use of "appreciative inquiry" elicited the ways in which families may engage in their adolescents’ weight-management efforts, findings from focus groups of 44 parents or guardians suggested.

The results will inform the design of interventions in a year-long pilot study in 25 obese youths and their families. That will be followed by a three-arm randomized study of weight-management interventions for 360 obese sixth-grade students from urban schools, Shirley M. Moore, Ph.D., said at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

She and her associates conducted 16 focus groups involving 44 parents or guardians of obese sixth-graders who were participating in a school-based, YMCA-sponsored exercise program in Cleveland, which perennially vies with Detroit for the title of the poorest U.S. city, said Dr. Moore, professor of nursing at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. Of the adults 84% were female, 64% were African American, and 15% were Hispanic; they ranged in age from 39 to 85 years (mean, 43 years). One-fifth of families had incomes of less than $15,000 per year.

Each adult received $50 to attend one of four 2-hour focus group sessions at the local YMCA. Staff running the focus groups were trained in the appreciative inquiry process. They conducted thematic qualitative analyses.

Unlike conventional approaches that tend to elicit from participants information on the barriers, problems, and concerns they face in helping their children manage weight and live healthy lives, the use of appreciative inquiry highlights individuals’ and families’ strengths. It’s an affirmation model versus a deficit model for creating change, Dr. Moore said.

"My experience is the energy that comes from it is so amazing in terms of moving people forward," she said.

Participants were asked, for example, to describe a time when they felt really good about the health of their child and his or her living habits. Focus group leaders then probed deeper. What was good about that experience? What made them feel proud about it? What was it about themselves that made this happen? What was it about others that made this happen? What environmental factors helped make this a positive experience?

Major recurring themes emerged from their answers: Having healthy children is a joy. Becoming healthy is a process. Engaging in healthy habits is a family affair. Acquiring good health can be achieved despite obstacles. Sustaining a child’s interest in maintaining good health habits is a challenge.

Participants indicated that they could promote healthy habits by being role models, through their relationships within the family, and through their communities. "That was one of the big, informing things for us, is how entangled they felt in their communities, and the interrelationship between family and community," Dr. Moore said.

The parents/guardians recognized their potentially great influence as positive role models for their children, which was a bit surprising, given that approximately 80% of the adults seemed to be obese, she added. The power to grow healthy children is a joy and a source of pride, the adults said. The parents/guardians described their personal role in maintaining healthy children as that of a healer, caregiver, village mother, activist, and ambassador. They liked the idea of incorporating health-promoting activities in their daily family routines, from preparing food together to rooting for their children’s sports teams.

Dr. Moore and her associates used the findings in designing the weight-management interventions for the upcoming studies. Reminders to parents to attend group meetings, for example, will employ positive messages thanking them for being role models. The intervention has built-in chances for children to succeed (such as a rock wall climbing session), and gaming strategies so that parents can root for their kids. Ways to engage with communities are built in, too – participants will have to do community projects and some neighborhood and block projects. The investigators hired a chef to come teach healthy ways for parents and kids to shop and cook together.

"Raising healthy children is a great sense of joy for parents, and we should use this energy when designing interventions," Dr. Moore said. Appreciative inquiry, if done properly, can employ the positive aspects in people’s lives to effect change, but it’s a process requiring some training, she added.

Dr. Moore reported having no relevant financial disclosures. The studies are being funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; the Institute of Child Health and Human Development; and the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

The mobile gamification of health is the new frontier. Too often when we talk with children about how to live healthy lives, we want to tell people what to do. Gaming can make it fun. Why can’t we enjoy being healthy? We’re competing with entire industries that are encouraging bad behavior. Gaming could allow us to take things that often are affecting our children in negative ways – such as advertising within mobile games – and use them to promote good behaviors.

This is not your mother’s behavioral intervention. This is not a counselor sitting there, talking to a client for an extended period. Take an example of casual gaming, such as Angry Birds. People play each game for 3 minutes at a time. I see kids playing Plants vs. Zombies, which teaches them about plants in a very bizarre way. They play for 10 minutes, and then they stop. Can we get kids to watch little videos that might influence health behaviors? Can we give them points for iTunes or Play Store rewards for reaching health-related goals in a game? There are all sorts of things we could be doing that are quick and brief. Some research projects are underway to design health-promoting mobile games and test their effectiveness.

The attention span in our instant-gratification, technological world is short. You’ve got to do it quickly, you’ve got to make it brief, and it’s got to be interesting. Can we build in competition and make a leaderboard? For example, as a teenager, my son spent hours talking to his friends while playing World of Warcraft, where one of the goals was to exterminate a rat from his "house," and he learned the value of keeping his place clean.

Instead of winning points for exterminating virtual pests, can we have children vying to be the most active? Bragging about it? Can it be cool? Nike knows how to make things cool. Why can’t we?

Can we start sharing health with the community in social apps like Gluco-Share, which leverages mobile devices to build support for healthy behaviors within the community of people who have diabetes ? We’re seeing it happen all over the place, but the scientists are not leading in this area. We’re watching industry lead the way with gamification and changing our children. Let’s think about how we can use these tools for health and improving the quality of life.

How do we use zombies? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used zombies to teach people about disaster preparedness. Zombies are fun. They’re cool. Let’s use them for other areas of health, too.

This is not stuff that clinicians and behavioral medicine specialists are used to doing. You’re going to need new partners, and you’re going to have to be really willing to listen. You’re going to be working with people who are half your age, but they grew up with gaming in ways that I can’t even imagine.

You’re going to compete against all the others – Facebook, FarmVille. Casual games are popping up everywhere you look. Did you know that McDonald’s probably paid a lot to have its logo on the FarmVille "farm" for a day? Why? Because it gave them exposure. I’ll bet you that we could use that strategy. I’ll bet FarmVille or Facebook would provide support for doing something healthy occasionally too. You’re going to have fun with it, because that’s what you’re competing with for children’s attention.

We need to take marketing techniques and say, how do we use these tools for health? How do we create brands that people are loyal to? Everybody who knows me will tell you that I am hooked on Starbucks. I’m not hooked on coffee. I’m not hooked on coffee shops. Instead, I am brutally loyal to Starbucks. They won my loyalty. They built up a brand to get people to become loyal to it. We need people to become loyal to the brands of health.

On the individual level of engagement, it’s about self-exploration. We don’t have to preach. Let kids learn things on their own through the games and sharing tools that we can create. On the level of community engagement, it’s about social interactions. We cannot underestimate the power of social interaction.

Our strategies for consumer gamification of health should start with defining the primary and secondary goals of a new game – how do the game’s goals relate to immediate and long-term health changes, and how can we measure that? Target group research can identify activities and rewards that appeal to the targeted group. We’ll need to find ways to integrate health "brands" into a game’s story line without alienating users. The game should be able to provide prolonged entertainment to captivate users. Design flexibility is crucial. You are never going to build something that works forever. Angry Birds works forever, sort of, but they’ll tell you now that it’s not gaining market share any more.

If we do it right, it will go viral. It will spread. What I want is for your kids to say, "I need that game!" We don’t need to shove health at people, we want them to grab it and take it.

At some point, kids are not going to have computers. Desktops are dying. Mobile phones are the way to reach them, especially in low-income and minority and rural communities.

We have the tools, we have the information, and we have the skills to make this happen. This is our goal in the 21st century.

Dr. Nilsen is a health scientist administrator at the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. She reported having no financial disclosures. Dr. Nilsen gave these comments at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in San Francisco. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the National Institutes of Health or any other author-affiliated organizations.

The mobile gamification of health is the new frontier. Too often when we talk with children about how to live healthy lives, we want to tell people what to do. Gaming can make it fun. Why can’t we enjoy being healthy? We’re competing with entire industries that are encouraging bad behavior. Gaming could allow us to take things that often are affecting our children in negative ways – such as advertising within mobile games – and use them to promote good behaviors.

This is not your mother’s behavioral intervention. This is not a counselor sitting there, talking to a client for an extended period. Take an example of casual gaming, such as Angry Birds. People play each game for 3 minutes at a time. I see kids playing Plants vs. Zombies, which teaches them about plants in a very bizarre way. They play for 10 minutes, and then they stop. Can we get kids to watch little videos that might influence health behaviors? Can we give them points for iTunes or Play Store rewards for reaching health-related goals in a game? There are all sorts of things we could be doing that are quick and brief. Some research projects are underway to design health-promoting mobile games and test their effectiveness.

The attention span in our instant-gratification, technological world is short. You’ve got to do it quickly, you’ve got to make it brief, and it’s got to be interesting. Can we build in competition and make a leaderboard? For example, as a teenager, my son spent hours talking to his friends while playing World of Warcraft, where one of the goals was to exterminate a rat from his "house," and he learned the value of keeping his place clean.

Instead of winning points for exterminating virtual pests, can we have children vying to be the most active? Bragging about it? Can it be cool? Nike knows how to make things cool. Why can’t we?

Can we start sharing health with the community in social apps like Gluco-Share, which leverages mobile devices to build support for healthy behaviors within the community of people who have diabetes ? We’re seeing it happen all over the place, but the scientists are not leading in this area. We’re watching industry lead the way with gamification and changing our children. Let’s think about how we can use these tools for health and improving the quality of life.

How do we use zombies? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used zombies to teach people about disaster preparedness. Zombies are fun. They’re cool. Let’s use them for other areas of health, too.

This is not stuff that clinicians and behavioral medicine specialists are used to doing. You’re going to need new partners, and you’re going to have to be really willing to listen. You’re going to be working with people who are half your age, but they grew up with gaming in ways that I can’t even imagine.

You’re going to compete against all the others – Facebook, FarmVille. Casual games are popping up everywhere you look. Did you know that McDonald’s probably paid a lot to have its logo on the FarmVille "farm" for a day? Why? Because it gave them exposure. I’ll bet you that we could use that strategy. I’ll bet FarmVille or Facebook would provide support for doing something healthy occasionally too. You’re going to have fun with it, because that’s what you’re competing with for children’s attention.

We need to take marketing techniques and say, how do we use these tools for health? How do we create brands that people are loyal to? Everybody who knows me will tell you that I am hooked on Starbucks. I’m not hooked on coffee. I’m not hooked on coffee shops. Instead, I am brutally loyal to Starbucks. They won my loyalty. They built up a brand to get people to become loyal to it. We need people to become loyal to the brands of health.

On the individual level of engagement, it’s about self-exploration. We don’t have to preach. Let kids learn things on their own through the games and sharing tools that we can create. On the level of community engagement, it’s about social interactions. We cannot underestimate the power of social interaction.

Our strategies for consumer gamification of health should start with defining the primary and secondary goals of a new game – how do the game’s goals relate to immediate and long-term health changes, and how can we measure that? Target group research can identify activities and rewards that appeal to the targeted group. We’ll need to find ways to integrate health "brands" into a game’s story line without alienating users. The game should be able to provide prolonged entertainment to captivate users. Design flexibility is crucial. You are never going to build something that works forever. Angry Birds works forever, sort of, but they’ll tell you now that it’s not gaining market share any more.

If we do it right, it will go viral. It will spread. What I want is for your kids to say, "I need that game!" We don’t need to shove health at people, we want them to grab it and take it.

At some point, kids are not going to have computers. Desktops are dying. Mobile phones are the way to reach them, especially in low-income and minority and rural communities.

We have the tools, we have the information, and we have the skills to make this happen. This is our goal in the 21st century.

Dr. Nilsen is a health scientist administrator at the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. She reported having no financial disclosures. Dr. Nilsen gave these comments at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in San Francisco. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the National Institutes of Health or any other author-affiliated organizations.

The mobile gamification of health is the new frontier. Too often when we talk with children about how to live healthy lives, we want to tell people what to do. Gaming can make it fun. Why can’t we enjoy being healthy? We’re competing with entire industries that are encouraging bad behavior. Gaming could allow us to take things that often are affecting our children in negative ways – such as advertising within mobile games – and use them to promote good behaviors.

This is not your mother’s behavioral intervention. This is not a counselor sitting there, talking to a client for an extended period. Take an example of casual gaming, such as Angry Birds. People play each game for 3 minutes at a time. I see kids playing Plants vs. Zombies, which teaches them about plants in a very bizarre way. They play for 10 minutes, and then they stop. Can we get kids to watch little videos that might influence health behaviors? Can we give them points for iTunes or Play Store rewards for reaching health-related goals in a game? There are all sorts of things we could be doing that are quick and brief. Some research projects are underway to design health-promoting mobile games and test their effectiveness.

The attention span in our instant-gratification, technological world is short. You’ve got to do it quickly, you’ve got to make it brief, and it’s got to be interesting. Can we build in competition and make a leaderboard? For example, as a teenager, my son spent hours talking to his friends while playing World of Warcraft, where one of the goals was to exterminate a rat from his "house," and he learned the value of keeping his place clean.

Instead of winning points for exterminating virtual pests, can we have children vying to be the most active? Bragging about it? Can it be cool? Nike knows how to make things cool. Why can’t we?

Can we start sharing health with the community in social apps like Gluco-Share, which leverages mobile devices to build support for healthy behaviors within the community of people who have diabetes ? We’re seeing it happen all over the place, but the scientists are not leading in this area. We’re watching industry lead the way with gamification and changing our children. Let’s think about how we can use these tools for health and improving the quality of life.

How do we use zombies? The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used zombies to teach people about disaster preparedness. Zombies are fun. They’re cool. Let’s use them for other areas of health, too.

This is not stuff that clinicians and behavioral medicine specialists are used to doing. You’re going to need new partners, and you’re going to have to be really willing to listen. You’re going to be working with people who are half your age, but they grew up with gaming in ways that I can’t even imagine.

You’re going to compete against all the others – Facebook, FarmVille. Casual games are popping up everywhere you look. Did you know that McDonald’s probably paid a lot to have its logo on the FarmVille "farm" for a day? Why? Because it gave them exposure. I’ll bet you that we could use that strategy. I’ll bet FarmVille or Facebook would provide support for doing something healthy occasionally too. You’re going to have fun with it, because that’s what you’re competing with for children’s attention.

We need to take marketing techniques and say, how do we use these tools for health? How do we create brands that people are loyal to? Everybody who knows me will tell you that I am hooked on Starbucks. I’m not hooked on coffee. I’m not hooked on coffee shops. Instead, I am brutally loyal to Starbucks. They won my loyalty. They built up a brand to get people to become loyal to it. We need people to become loyal to the brands of health.

On the individual level of engagement, it’s about self-exploration. We don’t have to preach. Let kids learn things on their own through the games and sharing tools that we can create. On the level of community engagement, it’s about social interactions. We cannot underestimate the power of social interaction.

Our strategies for consumer gamification of health should start with defining the primary and secondary goals of a new game – how do the game’s goals relate to immediate and long-term health changes, and how can we measure that? Target group research can identify activities and rewards that appeal to the targeted group. We’ll need to find ways to integrate health "brands" into a game’s story line without alienating users. The game should be able to provide prolonged entertainment to captivate users. Design flexibility is crucial. You are never going to build something that works forever. Angry Birds works forever, sort of, but they’ll tell you now that it’s not gaining market share any more.

If we do it right, it will go viral. It will spread. What I want is for your kids to say, "I need that game!" We don’t need to shove health at people, we want them to grab it and take it.

At some point, kids are not going to have computers. Desktops are dying. Mobile phones are the way to reach them, especially in low-income and minority and rural communities.

We have the tools, we have the information, and we have the skills to make this happen. This is our goal in the 21st century.

Dr. Nilsen is a health scientist administrator at the Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Md. She reported having no financial disclosures. Dr. Nilsen gave these comments at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine in San Francisco. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the National Institutes of Health or any other author-affiliated organizations.

SAN FRANCISCO – Vanity works better than fear in getting adolescents to use sunscreen, a small randomized study of 50 patients suggests.

Patients watched one of two educational videos promoting sunscreen use among adolescents. One video emphasized the premature photoaging effects of UV light on skin appearance. The other video focused on the relationship between UV light and skin cancer risk.

© Yuri Arcurs/Fotolia.com

Six weeks later, sunscreen use had increased significantly in the appearance-video group, from a mean of 0.6 days/week before watching the video to 2.8 times/week at follow-up. Sunscreen use in the health-video group increased by a statistically insignificant amount, from 0.7 days/week at baseline to 0.9 days/week 6 weeks later, William Tuong and Dr. April W. Armstrong reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The difference between groups was significant. The appearance-video groups added 2.2 days/week of sunscreen use while the health-video group added just 0.3 days/week, reported Mr. Tuong, a medical student at the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Armstrong, director of the clinical research unit and the teledermatology program in the university’s department of dermatology.

Skin cancer prevention studies usually employ health-based messaging, but perhaps that should change, they suggested.

The two groups were similar at baseline, with a mean age of 17 years, and females accounting for 19 of 25 (76%) patients in the appearance-video group and 21 of 25 (84%) patients in the health-video group. Hispanics were the largest ethnic group (10 and 13 patients, respectively), followed by "others" (6 and 7 patients, respectively), blacks (6 and 4 patients), and whites (3 and 1 patients in the two groups). Seventeen patients in the appearance-video group and 18 in the health-video group had Fitzpatrick Skin Types IV-VI, and the rest had Skin Types I-III.

The appearance video delivered messages such as, "Skin damage can show up as wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin tone, sagging skin, and rough leathery skin." Patients learned that UVA light from the sun causes the skin damage that makes skin look older and "less attractive." The video asked, "You don’t want to look like your grandparents, right?" and warned, "When you go out in the sun without sunscreen, you’re causing your skin to age faster, which might make you look older than you really are."

The health video asked, "Did you know that having one bad sunburn in your life increases your chances of getting melanoma?" It explained that melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, can happen to anyone and is one of the most common cancers in young adults "like you." Even though it’s less common in blacks, it can happen and usually is deadly because it’s usually found too late, the video said. As melanoma "gets worse, it can spread to other organs in your body, like your liver, lungs, and brain. When it’s found too late, melanoma can kill you," the video added.

The study used standard questions on sun protective behaviors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess sunscreen use.

The investigators reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – Vanity works better than fear in getting adolescents to use sunscreen, a small randomized study of 50 patients suggests.

Patients watched one of two educational videos promoting sunscreen use among adolescents. One video emphasized the premature photoaging effects of UV light on skin appearance. The other video focused on the relationship between UV light and skin cancer risk.

© Yuri Arcurs/Fotolia.com

Six weeks later, sunscreen use had increased significantly in the appearance-video group, from a mean of 0.6 days/week before watching the video to 2.8 times/week at follow-up. Sunscreen use in the health-video group increased by a statistically insignificant amount, from 0.7 days/week at baseline to 0.9 days/week 6 weeks later, William Tuong and Dr. April W. Armstrong reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The difference between groups was significant. The appearance-video groups added 2.2 days/week of sunscreen use while the health-video group added just 0.3 days/week, reported Mr. Tuong, a medical student at the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Armstrong, director of the clinical research unit and the teledermatology program in the university’s department of dermatology.

Skin cancer prevention studies usually employ health-based messaging, but perhaps that should change, they suggested.

The two groups were similar at baseline, with a mean age of 17 years, and females accounting for 19 of 25 (76%) patients in the appearance-video group and 21 of 25 (84%) patients in the health-video group. Hispanics were the largest ethnic group (10 and 13 patients, respectively), followed by "others" (6 and 7 patients, respectively), blacks (6 and 4 patients), and whites (3 and 1 patients in the two groups). Seventeen patients in the appearance-video group and 18 in the health-video group had Fitzpatrick Skin Types IV-VI, and the rest had Skin Types I-III.

The appearance video delivered messages such as, "Skin damage can show up as wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin tone, sagging skin, and rough leathery skin." Patients learned that UVA light from the sun causes the skin damage that makes skin look older and "less attractive." The video asked, "You don’t want to look like your grandparents, right?" and warned, "When you go out in the sun without sunscreen, you’re causing your skin to age faster, which might make you look older than you really are."

The health video asked, "Did you know that having one bad sunburn in your life increases your chances of getting melanoma?" It explained that melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, can happen to anyone and is one of the most common cancers in young adults "like you." Even though it’s less common in blacks, it can happen and usually is deadly because it’s usually found too late, the video said. As melanoma "gets worse, it can spread to other organs in your body, like your liver, lungs, and brain. When it’s found too late, melanoma can kill you," the video added.

The study used standard questions on sun protective behaviors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess sunscreen use.

The investigators reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – Vanity works better than fear in getting adolescents to use sunscreen, a small randomized study of 50 patients suggests.

Patients watched one of two educational videos promoting sunscreen use among adolescents. One video emphasized the premature photoaging effects of UV light on skin appearance. The other video focused on the relationship between UV light and skin cancer risk.

© Yuri Arcurs/Fotolia.com

Six weeks later, sunscreen use had increased significantly in the appearance-video group, from a mean of 0.6 days/week before watching the video to 2.8 times/week at follow-up. Sunscreen use in the health-video group increased by a statistically insignificant amount, from 0.7 days/week at baseline to 0.9 days/week 6 weeks later, William Tuong and Dr. April W. Armstrong reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The difference between groups was significant. The appearance-video groups added 2.2 days/week of sunscreen use while the health-video group added just 0.3 days/week, reported Mr. Tuong, a medical student at the University of California, Davis, and Dr. Armstrong, director of the clinical research unit and the teledermatology program in the university’s department of dermatology.

Skin cancer prevention studies usually employ health-based messaging, but perhaps that should change, they suggested.

The two groups were similar at baseline, with a mean age of 17 years, and females accounting for 19 of 25 (76%) patients in the appearance-video group and 21 of 25 (84%) patients in the health-video group. Hispanics were the largest ethnic group (10 and 13 patients, respectively), followed by "others" (6 and 7 patients, respectively), blacks (6 and 4 patients), and whites (3 and 1 patients in the two groups). Seventeen patients in the appearance-video group and 18 in the health-video group had Fitzpatrick Skin Types IV-VI, and the rest had Skin Types I-III.

The appearance video delivered messages such as, "Skin damage can show up as wrinkles, dark spots, uneven skin tone, sagging skin, and rough leathery skin." Patients learned that UVA light from the sun causes the skin damage that makes skin look older and "less attractive." The video asked, "You don’t want to look like your grandparents, right?" and warned, "When you go out in the sun without sunscreen, you’re causing your skin to age faster, which might make you look older than you really are."

The health video asked, "Did you know that having one bad sunburn in your life increases your chances of getting melanoma?" It explained that melanoma, the deadliest of skin cancers, can happen to anyone and is one of the most common cancers in young adults "like you." Even though it’s less common in blacks, it can happen and usually is deadly because it’s usually found too late, the video said. As melanoma "gets worse, it can spread to other organs in your body, like your liver, lungs, and brain. When it’s found too late, melanoma can kill you," the video added.

The study used standard questions on sun protective behaviors from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to assess sunscreen use.

The investigators reported having no financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

Earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit: Read this article, and click the link at the end to take the post-test.

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

To earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit after reading this article, take the post-test here.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

Earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit: Read this article, and click the link at the end to take the post-test.

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

To earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit after reading this article, take the post-test here.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

Earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit: Read this article, and click the link at the end to take the post-test.

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

To earn 0.25 hours AMA PRA Category 1 credit after reading this article, take the post-test here.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – Families who want to help their adolescents become physically active should focus on logistical assistance more than emotional support, a study of 1,422 sixth graders has shown.

Emotional support from peers was associated with an increased likelihood of moderate to vigorous physical activity, but not emotional support from families. Families did make a difference, however, by providing instrumental support such as transportation and sports equipment, E. Rebekah Siceloff, Ph.D., and her associates reported at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

They conducted a secondary analysis of data on 1,422 sixth graders from 24 middle schools in the Activity by Choice Today trial, which primarily studied a separate intervention aimed at increasing physical activity in predominantly racial minority students from low socioeconomic status families.

The current analysis looked at what kinds of social support mattered for increasing physical activity. At baseline, moderate to vigorous physical activity was significantly associated with peer emotional support and with family instrumental support. High levels of family emotional support did not translate into higher activity levels at baseline.

Six months later, only family instrumental support predicted an increase in moderate to vigorous physical activity over time. Both the baseline family instrumental support and increases in family instrumental support during those 6 months were associated with increased moderate to vigorous physical activity, said Dr. Siceloff, a postdoctoral fellow in the psychology department at the University of South Carolina, Columbia.

"Parents may be especially crucial and families may be especially crucial for getting [adolescents] to places and providing opportunities to be physically active," she said. The findings are consistent with some previous qualitative research showing that instrumental support for physical activity may be especially important for underserved youths. Adolescents often perceive emotional support to be controlling, not supportive, she said.

Her study won a citation for the best of her session at the meeting.

The youths in the study had a mean age of 11 years. Fifty-four percent were girls, 73% were African American, and 72% qualified for free or reduced-cost lunches. The mean body mass index was 23 kg/m²; 51% of the participants were in the 85th percentile for being overweight or obese.

"It’s really imperative that we consider the type of family social support," she said. "It’s the instrumental support that’s really important," particularly in populations of underserved youths. When families with few resources are unable to provide the instrumental support that adolescents need to be active, increased community support is essential, she added.

Families may find it hard to provide instrumental support because they lack money, time, a car or good public transportation, and equipment for physical activity, and because neighborhood crime makes the streets unsafe.

The study used six-item scales to assess family and peer emotional support and a four-item scale to assess family instrumental support. Adolescent physical activity was assessed using accelerometers.

The investigators previously reported that the main intervention in the study – a 17-week after-school program – increased activity during the program but not outside of it (Health Psychol. 2011;30:463-71).

Dr. Siceloff reported having no relevant financial disclosures.

[email protected]

On Twitter @sherryboschert

SAN FRANCISCO – A website designed to give people with asthma tailored feedback about whether they need to see a doctor and what questions to ask when they do may have helped improve asthma control in a randomized, controlled trial in 325 patients.

The study randomized patients to get access to one of two modules in a "patient activation website." The asthma module provided tailored feedback about patients’ asthma control, helped them decide whether they needed to visit a medical provider sooner than already scheduled, and suggested questions for patients to ask their providers. The control group got access to a module that suggested questions they should ask their primary care providers about preventive services such as cancer screening.

Among 325 adults who completed 12 months of follow-up (157 in the intervention group and 168 in the control group), measures of asthma control improved significantly in both groups, with most measures improving significantly more in the intervention group compared with the control group.

Mean scores on the Asthma Control Test (ACT) increased from 17.7 at baseline to 19.9 at 12 months in the intervention group and from 17.9 to 19.1 in the control group, both of which were significant improvements. The greater improvement in the intervention group was statistically significant compared with the control group, Jennifer M. Poger and her associates reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The proportions of patients with controlled asthma (defined as an ACT score of 20 or greater) increased from 50% at baseline to 73% at 12 months in the intervention group and from 53% to 67% in the control group, both of which were statistically significant improvements. The difference between groups, however, did not reach statistical significance, reported Ms. Poger, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Penn.

The mean number of inhaled asthma medications being used increased by 0.4 in the intervention group between baseline and the 12-month follow-up, compared with 0.2 more medications in the control group, a statistically significant difference between groups.

The results suggest that websites that provide tailored feedback to patients with chronic conditions such as asthma may help them control their diseases, Ms. Poger said.

The investigators’ financial disclosures were not available.

SAN FRANCISCO – A website designed to give people with asthma tailored feedback about whether they need to see a doctor and what questions to ask when they do may have helped improve asthma control in a randomized, controlled trial in 325 patients.

The study randomized patients to get access to one of two modules in a "patient activation website." The asthma module provided tailored feedback about patients’ asthma control, helped them decide whether they needed to visit a medical provider sooner than already scheduled, and suggested questions for patients to ask their providers. The control group got access to a module that suggested questions they should ask their primary care providers about preventive services such as cancer screening.

Among 325 adults who completed 12 months of follow-up (157 in the intervention group and 168 in the control group), measures of asthma control improved significantly in both groups, with most measures improving significantly more in the intervention group compared with the control group.

Mean scores on the Asthma Control Test (ACT) increased from 17.7 at baseline to 19.9 at 12 months in the intervention group and from 17.9 to 19.1 in the control group, both of which were significant improvements. The greater improvement in the intervention group was statistically significant compared with the control group, Jennifer M. Poger and her associates reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The proportions of patients with controlled asthma (defined as an ACT score of 20 or greater) increased from 50% at baseline to 73% at 12 months in the intervention group and from 53% to 67% in the control group, both of which were statistically significant improvements. The difference between groups, however, did not reach statistical significance, reported Ms. Poger, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Penn.

The mean number of inhaled asthma medications being used increased by 0.4 in the intervention group between baseline and the 12-month follow-up, compared with 0.2 more medications in the control group, a statistically significant difference between groups.

The results suggest that websites that provide tailored feedback to patients with chronic conditions such as asthma may help them control their diseases, Ms. Poger said.

The investigators’ financial disclosures were not available.

SAN FRANCISCO – A website designed to give people with asthma tailored feedback about whether they need to see a doctor and what questions to ask when they do may have helped improve asthma control in a randomized, controlled trial in 325 patients.

The study randomized patients to get access to one of two modules in a "patient activation website." The asthma module provided tailored feedback about patients’ asthma control, helped them decide whether they needed to visit a medical provider sooner than already scheduled, and suggested questions for patients to ask their providers. The control group got access to a module that suggested questions they should ask their primary care providers about preventive services such as cancer screening.

Among 325 adults who completed 12 months of follow-up (157 in the intervention group and 168 in the control group), measures of asthma control improved significantly in both groups, with most measures improving significantly more in the intervention group compared with the control group.

Mean scores on the Asthma Control Test (ACT) increased from 17.7 at baseline to 19.9 at 12 months in the intervention group and from 17.9 to 19.1 in the control group, both of which were significant improvements. The greater improvement in the intervention group was statistically significant compared with the control group, Jennifer M. Poger and her associates reported in a poster presentation at the annual meeting of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.

The proportions of patients with controlled asthma (defined as an ACT score of 20 or greater) increased from 50% at baseline to 73% at 12 months in the intervention group and from 53% to 67% in the control group, both of which were statistically significant improvements. The difference between groups, however, did not reach statistical significance, reported Ms. Poger, a researcher at Pennsylvania State University, Hershey, Penn.

The mean number of inhaled asthma medications being used increased by 0.4 in the intervention group between baseline and the 12-month follow-up, compared with 0.2 more medications in the control group, a statistically significant difference between groups.

The results suggest that websites that provide tailored feedback to patients with chronic conditions such as asthma may help them control their diseases, Ms. Poger said.

The investigators’ financial disclosures were not available.