Background: Previous research has shown that sexual minority individuals (SM) are twice as likely to smoke, twice as likely to be overweight or obese, and less likely to be physically active than heterosexual persons; all of which place SMs at an increased risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). While information on CVD risk by race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status is well documented, there is scant literature examining race, gender, and the potential CVD risk in SMs. The purpose of this study was to examine CVD risk in sexual minorities. Method: The current study used data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health). The Framingham multiple-risk assessment, which uses a calculation of age, smoking, BMI, and blood pressure, was used to predict vascular age and the risk of experiencing CVD event in the next 10 years. 54% of the sample was male, 62% white, and 4% identified as a SM. The sample was split into three groups: 1) 100% heterosexual (N=4363); 2) mostly heterosexual (N=509); and 3) SM (N=188). Results: There was a trend towards significance, p = .056, for mean differences in vascular age/actual age, for SM participants (M=10.07), compared to 100% heterosexual (M=9.1) and mostly heterosexual (M=8.66) participants. Mostly heterosexual participants were 1.62 times more likely, and SM participants were 1.97 times more likely to be current smokers when compared to 100% heterosexual participants. SM participants endorsed having significantly more drinks (M = 4.50) when compared to both 100% heterosexual (M = 3.80) and mostly heterosexual (M = 3.38) participants. SM participants were 1.7 times more likely to endorse having 5 or more drinks on one occasion. SM participants also reported significantly higher stress levels than the other two groups Conclusion: While the data for the current study did not provide sufficient evidence to suggest sexual orientation differences in Framingham risk scores, the findings remain noteworthy. SM showed increased risk in smoking and stress levels. Additionally, the Population-based longitudinal studies and surveillance data are essential and necessary in order to minimize disparities in risk factors and to reduce the likelihood of subsequent disease in SM population.

Background: Indoor tanning elevates the risk for melanoma, which is now the most common cancer in US women aged 25-29. Public policies restricting access to indoor tanning by minors to reduce melanoma morbidity and mortality in teens are emerging. In the United States, the most common policy restricting indoor tanning in minors involves parents providing either written or in person consent for the minor to purchase a tanning visit. The effectiveness of this policy relies on parents being properly educated about the harms of indoor tanning to their children. Objective: This randomized controlled trial will test the efficacy of a Facebook-delivered health communication intervention targeting mothers of teenage girls. The intervention will use health communication and behavioral modification strategies to reduce mothers’ permissiveness regarding their teenage daughters’ use of indoor tanning relative to an attention-control condition with the ultimate goal of reducing indoor tanning in both daughters and mothers. Methods: The study is a 12-month randomized controlled trial comparing 2 conditions: an attention control Facebook private group where content will be relevant to teen health with 25% focused on prescription drug abuse, a topic unrelated to tanning; and the intervention condition will enter participants into a Facebook private group where 25% of the teen health content will be focused on indoor tanning. A cohort of 2000 mother-teen daughter dyads will be recruited to participate in this study. Only mothers will participate in the Facebook groups. Both mothers and daughters will complete measures at baseline, end of intervention (1-year) and 6 months post-intervention. Primary outcomes include mothers’ permissiveness regarding their teenage daughters’ use of indoor tanning, teenage daughters’ perception of their mothers’ permissiveness, and indoor tanning by both mothers and daughters. Results: The first dyad was enrolled on March 31, 2016, and we anticipate completing this study by October 2019. Conclusions: This trial will deliver social media content grounded in theory and will test it in a randomized design with state-of-the-art measures. This will contribute much needed insights on how to employ social media for health behavior change and disease prevention both for indoor tanning and other health risk behaviors and inform future social media efforts by public health and health care organizations. ClinicalTrial: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT02835807; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02835807 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6mDMICcCE).

BACKGROUND: Screening rates for colorectal cancer (CRC) are increasing nationwide including Tennessee (TN); however, their up-to-date status is unknown. The objective of this study is to determine the trends and characteristics of TN adults who are up-to-date status with CRC screening during 2002-2008. METHODS: We examined data from the TN Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 2002, 2004, 2006 and 2008 to estimate the proportion of respondents aged 50 years and above who were up-to-date status with CRC screening, defined as an annual home fecal occult blood test and/or sigmoidoscopy or colonoscopy in the past 5 years. We identified trends in up-to-status in all eligible respondents. Using multivariable logistic regression models, we delineated key characteristics of respondents who were up-to-date status. RESULTS: During 2002-2008, the proportion of respondents with up-to-date status for CRC screening increased from 49% in 2002- 55% in 2006 and then decreased to 46% in 2008. The screening rates were higher among adults aged 65-74 years, those with some college education, those with annual household income ≥$35,000 and those with health-care access. In 2008, the respondents who were not up-to-date status with CRC screening included those with no health-care coverage (adjusted odds ratio [OR] 0.46, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.33-0.63), those aged 50-54 years (OR 0.62, 95% CI 0.46-0.82) and those with annual household income CONCLUSIONS: TN adults who are up-to-date status with CRC screening are increasing, but not across all socio-demographic subgroups. The results identified specific subgroups to be targeted by screening programs, along with continued efforts to educate public and providers about the importance of CRC screening.

Background Younger indoor tanning initiation leads to greater melanoma risk due to more frequent and persistent behavior. Despite this, there are no published studies exploring the predictors of indoor tanning initiation in teen populations. Purpose This longitudinal study uses latent profile analysis to examine indoor tanning initiation in indoor tanning risk subgroups from a national sample of female adolescents. Methods Latent profile analysis used indoor tanning beliefs and perceptions to identify indoor tanning initiation risk subgroups. The teens in each subgroup were reassessed on indoor tanning initiation after a year. Results Three subgroups were identified: a low risk, anti-tanning subgroup (18.6 %) characterized by low scores on positive indoor tanning belief scales and high scores on beliefs about indoor tanning dangers; a moderate risk aware social tanner subgroup (47.2 %) characterized by high scores on positive indoor tanning belief scales but also high scores on beliefs about indoor tanning dangers; and a high risk risky relaxation tanner subgroup (34.2 %) characterized by high scores on positive indoor tanning belief scales and low scores on beliefs about indoor tanning dangers. Teens in the aware social tanner and risky relaxation tanner subgroups were significantly more likely to initiate indoor tanning in the following year. Conclusions These findings highlight the need to identify teens at risk for indoor tanning initiation and develop tailored interventions that will move them to the lowest risk subgroup. Subgroup correlates suggest parent and peer-based interventions may be successful.

Youthful indoor tanning as few as ten sessions can increase the risk of melanoma by two to four times with each additional session adding another 2 % to the risk. Recent research estimates that indoor tanning can be linked to approximately 450,000 cases of skin cancer annually in the USA, Europe, and Australia. Despite these risks, indoor tanning remains popular with adolescents. This study tested the efficacy of a web-based skin cancer prevention intervention designed to reduce indoor tanning motivations in adolescent females. A nationally representative sample of 443 female teens was enrolled from an online panel into a two-arm, parallel group design, randomized controlled trial. Treatment participants received an appearance-focused intervention grounded in established health behavior change models. Controls viewed a teen alcohol prevention website. Outcome variables included willingness and intentions to indoor tan, willingness to sunless tan, and measures of indoor tanning attitudes and beliefs. The intervention decreased willingness and intentions to indoor tan and increased sunless tanning willingness relative to controls. We also examined indirect mechanisms of change through intervening variables (e.g., indoor tanning attitudes, norms, positive and negative expectancies) using the product of coefficient approach. The web-based intervention demonstrated efficacy in changing adolescent indoor tanning motivations and improving their orientation toward healthier alternatives. Results from the intervening variable analyses give guidance to future adolescent skin cancer prevention interventions.

No description available.

The purpose of the present study was to utilize a statewide, representative sample of students in grades 6-8 in Tennessee to determine the co-occurrence of health risk behaviors such as smoking, substance use and eating disorders, among adolescents by determining the impact gender, age, race, and geographic region have on the association of these behaviors with the prevalence of adolescent obesity. We also explored the role that district, school, and class level health risk behavior variables play in adolescent obesity. Among adolescent females in the sample, 17.25% were obese, whereas 27.27% of males were obese. Stratified Hierarchical Logistic Regression Analysis demonstrated that several variables such as having ever tried smoking, having a weight misperception, and eating disorder, watching TV for more than 3 hours a day, and not engaging on a sports team remained consistent in their significant association with adolescent obesity across all groups. The findings from this study suggest that certain risk behaviors play an important role in adolescent obesity. Perhaps the most significant finding of our study that requires more investigation is the effect of education on adolescent obesity.

Approximately 43% of college students report experiencing suicidal ideation in the past year, and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death among college students, making it a significant public health concern. Development of successful suicide intervention and prevention strategies is predicated on identification of risk (e.g. negative life events, hopelessness) and protective factors (e.g. self-compassion) that may be targeted for treatment. A well-established linkage exists between life stressors and suicidal behavior; however, potential mechanisms of action underlying this association are under-researched. It may be that negative life events contribute to feelings of hopelessness, which is conceptualized as negative beliefs and expectations about one’s self and future. However, not all persons who experience negative life events and hopelessness become suicidal, perhaps due to protective factors such as self-compassion. Comprised of self-kindness, mindfulness and sense of common humanity, self-compassion may contribute to emotional resilience when negative life events occur; however, this premise has not been previously examined. We hypothesized that hopelessness would mediate the relation between negative life events and suicidal behaviors, such that negative life events would be related to increased feelings of hopelessness and, in turn, to greater risk for suicidal behavior. We also hypothesized that self-compassion would beneficially moderate the mediating effect of hopelessness. Our sample of college students (n=338) were primarily female (67%; n=227) and White (89.6%; n=294), with a mean age of 21.8 years (SD=4.7). Participants completed self-report measures including the Life Events Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Inventory, the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire - Revised, and the Self-Compassion Scale. Supporting our hypotheses, hopelessness fully mediated the relation between negative life events and suicidal behavior (DE=.07, SE=.06, 95% CI=.05,.28,p

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI), or deliberate self-harm, and suicidal behaviors are significant public health concerns, and college students may be at particular risk. For instance, approximately 17% of college students engage in NSSI and suicide is the 2nd leading cause of death in college students. Commonalities between NSSI and suicidal behavior exist, including etiology; as an example, misuse of substances and interpersonal difficulties are related to both outcomes. For college students, substance use disorders and social dysfunction are two of the most common psychosocial problems; for instance, 22% of students report illicit drug use and social isolation, loneliness and separation from traditional support systems are common collegiate stressors. According to the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide, two pertinent interpersonal risk factors are perceived burdensomeness (the belief that one is a liability to others) and thwarted belongingness (the unmet need to belong among others). When present, substance misuse and interpersonal dysfunction may facilitate the transition between NSSI and suicidal behavior; however, this premise has not been previously examined. As such, we hypothesized that substance abuse would mediate the relation between NSSI and suicidal behavior, such that engagement in NSSI would be related to greater use of substances and, in turn, to suicidal behavior. Further, we hypothesized that thwarted interpersonal needs would moderate this mediating effect, such that increased TB and PB would exacerbate the mediating effect of substance misuse. Our sample of college students (N=338) was primarily white (89.6%; n=294), female (67%; n=225), and had an average age of 21.8 years (SD=4.7). Participants completed the Suicide Behaviors Questionnaire-Revised, the Self-Harm Inventory, the Interpersonal Needs Questionnaire, and the Drug Abuse Screening Test. Supporting hypotheses, substance abuse partially mediated the relationship between NSSI and suicidal behavior (DE=1.30, SE=.10, p

No description available.