Objective. The current study examined the use of stimulus control, self-monitoring, and reinforcement by youth, parents, and interventionists as related to weight management in lifestyle intervention programs. Design. Secondary analysis of an existing data set was used to integrate the results of 14 published, randomized treatment–control intervention trials for overweight youth aged 2 to 18 years. Main outcome measure. Between-group differences in weight-related outcomes, including weight, body mass index (BMI), and percentage overweight, measured at the end of treatment, were used to calculate effect sizes for each treatment–control comparison. Additionally, average effect sizes were calculated among sets of comparisons sharing similar approaches to implementing behavioral techniques. Results. Treatment programs that taught youth to use stimulus control, taught youth to self-monitor, and taught parents to use reinforcement, produced significantly larger effect sizes than programs that did not include these components. The beneficial effects of these specific behavioral techniques appeared to be amplified when used with multiple key individuals. Conclusion. This initial study quantitatively demonstrated significant benefits associated with teaching youth stimulus control and self-monitoring, and teaching parents reinforcement to shape health behaviors in lifestyle interventions for pediatric overweight. Furthermore, teaching youth and parents the same techniques may contribute to better weight-related outcomes. These findings and descriptive information on how techniques were described, taught, and delivered may guide future research efforts aimed at identifying and examining the most effective behavioral components to include in brief interventions.

Behavioral Modification and Relapse Rates in Opioid-Dependent Pregnant Women Managed with Subutex by Tammy Minor MSN, Walden University, 2009 BSN, Marshall University, 1986 Project Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Nursing Practice Walden University March 2016 Opioid dependency affects not only the individual who is dependent on opioids but negatively impactsalso the family unit, the community, and society as a whole. Opioid use in the prenatal period can have devastating effects on both the mother and the fetus. The purpose of this paper is to perform a secondary analysis of the effectiveness of behavioral modification in reducing relapse rates and improving compliance of treatment regimen in opioid- dependent pregnant women who were being managed in a FamilyCare Health Center in West Virginia. The transtheoretical model was used as a framework to determine participants' behavioral readiness to change. The Stetler model was used to evaluate outcomes and goal achievement. The sample consisted of 43 pregnant opioid-dependent women who had participated in the Subutex-assisted program at 3 Family Care Health Centers in West Virginia. Descriptive statistics and regressive analysis were used to analyze relapse data at weeks 2, 6, and 10. A secondary analysis was conducted to determine if behavioral modification contributed to a reduction in relapse rates and improved compliance with the treatment regimen using ANOVA and MANOVA. The results of ANOVA and MANOVA tests showed that behavioral modification has a potential to influence a reduction in relapse rates in the target population. The information obtained from this analysis can be used to influence social change by assisting healthcare providers in revising or modifying existing programs; this information can also and inform the help to design of future programs that effectively meet the needs of this target population .

Objective: To perform systematic review of the effects of screening for coronary artery calcium (CAC), a subclinical marker of coronary artery disease (CAD), on behavioral or lifestyle modification, risk perception, and medication adherence. Methods: We searched through CINAHL, PsychInfo, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Control Trials, and PubMed (Medline) for studies on the effects of CAC screening in asymptomatic individuals across three major domains: behavioral modification, risk perception for CAD, and medication adherence. We extracted data from the retrieved studies, assessed and synthesized the information. Results: Of the 15 retrieved studies, three were randomized control trials and 12 were observational studies. CAC score was ascertained either as total score, quartiles, or standardized Agatston's ordinal scale. While all the 15 studies involved issues related to behavioral and medication adherence, four involved risk perception of CAD. Although no standardized approach was used in these studies, CAC screening enhanced medication adherence in 13 of the 15 studies, while the others were mixed. Conclusion: CAC screening improved medication adherence and could likely motivated individuals for beneficial behavioral or lifestyle changes to improve CAD. The mixed results suggest the need for further research because screening for subclinical atherosclerosis has significant implications for early detection and prevention of future cardiovascular events by aggressive risk factors modification.

Lorsque deux espèces exploitent la même niche écologique, elles entrent en compétition pour l'accès aux ressources. Or, un accès limité aux ressources réduit la fitness des individus. La compétition interspécifique va donc agir comme une pression de sélection qui peut mener à des modifications physiologiques ou comportementales pour partager les ressources, car si elles ne sont pas partagées la compétition entraînera le déplacement ou la disparition d'une des deux espèces. Aleochara bilineata et A. bipustulata sont deux coléoptères staphylins parasitoïdes qui s'attaquent à la mouche du chou Delia radicum. Elles ont des paramètres biologiques différents, notamment au niveau des traits d'histoire de vie (qui semblent avantager A. bipustulata) et du spectre d'hôtes (plus généraliste chez A. bipustulata). Ces deux espèces partagent cependant la même stratégie d'exploitation des hôtes et présentent l'originalité que la femelle pond ses œufs à proximité des hôtes et non à l'intérieur, ce qui les distingue des hyménoptères parasitoïdes qui font l'objet de nombreuses études. La larve Aleochara de premier stade est donc mobile et doit trouver et sélectionner elle même un hôte pour s'y développer. Il y a ainsi des possibilités d'adaptations comportementales à la compétition à la fois pour les adultes et les larves de premier stade. Dans ce projet de thèse, nous avons donc choisi d'explorer la niche écologique de ces deux espèces de façon originale en étudiant les modifications comportementales induites par la présence de compétiteurs à la fois chez les femelles adultes et les larves de premier stade. Nous avons également identifié les communautés bactériennes associées aux deux espèces en compétition mais aussi à leur hôte D. radicum et à un autre compétiteur parasitoïde, l'hyménoptère Trybliographa rapae, dans le but d'étudier ultérieurement les impacts des différents partenaires bactériens sur la niche écologique des deux espèces de coléoptères en compétition. Nos résultats montrent que les femelles de l'espèce spécialiste A. bilineata adaptent leurs comportements aux compétiteurs qu'elles rencontrent et sélectionnent les sites de ponte présentant les meilleures chances de succès parasitaire pour leurs larves. Par ailleurs, les larves de premier stade de l'espèce spécialiste dominent largement la compétition larvaire lorsqu'elles sont en compétition avec les larves de l'espèce généraliste. Enfin, les communautés bactériennes des deux espèces de coléoptères sont plus proches entre elles qu'avec les autres membres du réseau trophique étudiés mais comportent des différences à explorer. Ces résultats sont discutés dans le cadre de l'adaptation des choix comportementaux des individus d'une espèce spécialiste à la présence de compétiteurs généralistes et de la coexistence de ces deux espèces dans le milieu naturel. / When two species live in the same ecological niche, they compete for resources. Since a limited access to resources reduces fitness, interspecific competition represents a selection pressure that can lead to physiological or behavioral changes to share resources, because not sharing them will cause the displacement or disappearance of the weaker competitor. Aleochara bilineata and Aleochara bipustulata are two coleopteran parasitoids and attack the same host, the cabbage root fly Delia radicum. These two species have different biological parameters, particularly in their life history traits (which seem to favor A. bipustulata) and host spectrum (A. bipustulata is more generalist). These two species share the same strategy to exploit their host (idiobiont ectoparasitoid). Unlike parasitoid wasps (the object of most studies on parasitoids) coleopteran parasitoid females do not lay their eggs directly inside the host but in locations likely to harbour hosts. Aleochara first instars are mobile and need to find and select a host where they will develop. There is thus the possibility of behavioral adaptations to competition for both for adults and first instars. In this project, we have chosen to explore the ecological niche of these two species in an original way by studying behavioral changes induced by the presence of competitors both in adult females and first instars. We also studied bacterial communities associated to the two competing species but also those of their host D. radicum and of another competitor, the parasitoid wasp Trybliographa rapae, in order to later study the impacts of different bacterial partners in the ecological niche of the two beetle species in competition. Our results show that females of the specialist A. bilineata adapt their behavior to the competitors they face and select oviposition sites with the best probability of parasitism success. Moreover, first instars of A. bilineata dominate the larval competition when competing with larvae of the generalist A. bipustulata. Finally, bacterial communities of the two rove beetles are closer to each other than other members of the food web studied and their differences should be investigated. These results are discussed in the context of behavioral adaptation of specialists to the presence of generalist competitors and the coexistence of these two species in the field.

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