We investigated the prevalence of vaping among college students in South-central Appalachia in the United States and explored factors which were associated with and could predict vaping among the college students. A sample of 498 enrolled students voluntarily completed a self-report REDCap health survey questionnaire in 2018. Outcome variable was use of electronic cigarettes categorized as yes/no. Independent variables included risky behaviors such as texting or emailing while driving, riding in a car with someone who had been drinking, history of protected and unprotected sexual intercourse, age at first intercourse, and type of contraceptive used. Covariates were age, gender, ethnicity/race and high school location. The first category was used as reference. Binary logistic regression was used to identify factors associated with and predicting vaping. Mean age of participants was 20.93(± 8.26), 62.9% were female, a majority (76.5%) were non-Hispanic White, and 43.2% reported vaping at some point in their lives. Initial univariate analysis showed gender (p < 0.0001), seat belt usage (p = 0.002), texting or emailing while driving (p = 0.002), riding in a car with someone who had been drinking (p = 0.001), history of sexual intercourse (p < 0.001), coitarche (p = 0.026), use of birth control pills and withdrawal method were associated with vaping. Adjusting for co-variates, gender (p < 0.002), county of high school (p < 0.009) and texting and e-mailing while driving (0.05), seat belt usage (0.04) remained significant. Vaping was highly prevalent (43.2%) among our participants. Gender, location of high school, texting/emailing while driving and seat belt usage are predictors of vaping among these students.

Depression has been associated with a low-grade chronic inflammatory state, suggesting a potential therapeutic role for anti-inflammatory agents. Fisetin is a naturally occurring flavonoid in strawberries that has anti-inflammatory activities, but whether fisetin has antidepressant effects is unknown. In this study, we exposed mice to spatial restraint for 2 weeks with or without treatment with fisetin. Immobility time in the forced swimming and tail suspension test after this restraint increased in the untreated group, but this increase did not occur in the fisetin group. We administered fisetin to Abelson helper integration site-1 (Ahi1) knockout mice, which have depressive phenotypes. We found that fisetin attenuated the depressive phenotype of these Ahi1 knockout mice. We further investigated the potential mechanism of fisetin's antidepressant effects. Because TrkB is a critical signaling pathway in the mechanisms of depression, we examined whether phosphorylated TrkB was involved in the antidepressant effects of fisetin. We found that fisetin increased phosphorylated TrkB level without altering total TrkB; this increase was attenuated by K252a, a specific TrkB inhibitor. Taken together, our results demonstrated that fisetin may have therapeutic potential for treating depression and that this antidepressant effect may be mediated by the activation of the TrkB signaling pathway. (Figure presented.).

This study examined coaches as potential mentors who could influence adolescent problem behaviors. By using the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health), this study compared adolescents who self-reported not having any adult mentors in their life against adolescents who self-reported having a coach mentor in their life on various problem behaviors (i.e., sexual attitudes and behaviors, tobacco, marijuana, steroid, and alcohol use). This study also looked ages of adolescents to see what, if any, influences age presented. Results of this study indicated that in some areas coaches might have a positive effect, albeit slight. When age was analyzed it became apparent there were significant differences between younger and older adolescents' problem behaviors. Discussion addressed implications, theory, limitations, and directions for future research related to coaches as mentors of adolescents.

Remarriages have been increasing over the last several decades, yet little has been done in establishing theories and interventions specific to remarried couples and stepfamilies. Fine and Kurdek proposed a model specific to individuals in a remarriage situation. In an effort to validate their model, this study tested a key tenet, the tenet of consistency in cognitions, across spouses. Data were analyzed from the "Relationship Quality and Stability in Utah Newlywed Remarriages" study. With a sample of 449 couples, a series of correlations and backward regressions were completed. The results indicate that individual perceptions are more predictive of remarital quality than is consistency of cognitions. A critique of the Multidimensional Cognitive-Developmental Model is discussed. Limitations are addressed and recommendations for future research are given.

This project emerged from previous research on beliefs, influences on behaviors, and beliefs interaction with reform. Previous research stated connections existed between teacher beliefs and teacher behaviors but criticized the use of broad, general constructs and traditional methodologies. This study challenged the portrayal of beliefs as isolated and static and attempted to understand connections between beliefs and behaviors. Utilizing qualitative methodologies, this study investigated the following research questions. 1. What insight can be gained on the nature of beliefs through analysis of consistent and inconsistent behaviors? 2. How do teacher’s beliefs interact with behaviors? This research adopted a methodology that connected interviews and instructional episodes as the informative data. The power of the examination of beliefs focused on (a) the teacher’s beliefs, (b) actual practices, and (c) the connections between beliefs and observed behaviors. A more accurate collection of beliefs provided an understanding on how these beliefs actualized in practice. This allowed for an in-depth analysis of the interaction of beliefs and behaviors that provided more explanatory power of the relationship, often lacking in other studies. Specifically, findings demonstrated that the beliefs emerge from previous experience, interact with each other, and influence the behaviors of the teacher

Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI) / Hospitals and policymakers acknowledge the importance of the family in improved healthcare outcomes. Although there has been an increase in policies and research to bring families into planning, delivery, and evaluation of healthcare, there has not been a means to assess health-focused perceived support and communication behaviors. Without a means of assessing these factors, healthcare professionals cannot succinctly evaluate support and communication in a family system or provide recommendations for engaging family members in providing beneficial health-focused support and communication. This study involved the creation of the Inventory for Family Health-Focused Perceived Support and Communication Behaviors (Family HF-PSCB). Informed by family systems theory, social support literature, and health communication behaviors research, this three-phase study consisted of (a) generating items for the Family HF-PSCB, (b) establishing test-retest reliability, and (c) establishing a factor structure and convergent validity. Because of the increase of chronic disease in the United States, the Family HF-PSCB was created and tested with samples of individuals having chronic disease(s). Using a mixed methods approach, in-depth interviews with 12 participants generated 91 items for psychometric analysis. These items were tested through expert content review, and in pilot testing (n = 23), the remaining 84 items demonstrated test- retest and internal reliability. Through factor analysis (n = 209), two factors emerged to explain 72.1% of the variance. The final Family HF-PSCB contains 13 items, which indicates an individual’s perception of family health-focused support and communication behaviors. The factor explaining 63.2% of the variance has 8 items demonstrating healthfocused communication behaviors, and the second factor has 5 items demonstrating health-focused instrumental support. The developed scale suggests that family healthfocused communication behaviors may be a more explanatory variable in the family system for someone with chronic disease(s). The 13-item Family HF-PSCB demonstrates convergent validity through significant correlations with the Perceived Social Support Family Scale and the General Functioning Scale of the McMaster Family Assessment Device. Future studies should explore the correlation of the Family HF-PSCB with health outcomes attributed to symptom management in populations of chronic disease patients.

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Individuals with weight statuses approaching obesity may be at risk for chronic health problems. Diet, weight, health behaviors, level of knowledge, and attitudes or perceptions have been identified as key factors influencing body weight. The purpose of this study was to determine which factors were related to BMI in adults in north Mississippi and to determine if there were relationships between those factors. A telephone survey was conducted with 500 participants (mean age 46.3 ± 18.5). The average BMI was 27.5 ± 6.2 kg/m2. Knowledge and attitude/perception-based data were associated with a higher BMI in the population more than dietary behaviors. Significant correlations (p < .05) existed between fried food consumption and knowledge of overweight and obesity consequences, dietary attitudes and fruit and vegetable intake and fried food intake, self-reported risk for type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease and perception of health.

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