A Peer-Led, Narrative-Based, and Mobile-Supported Intervention in Opioid Use Disorder: Multiphase Qualitative and Longitudinal Observational Study Background: The ongoing opioid epidemic has been associated with increases in emergency department visits and hospitalizations for drug overdose and injection-related infections. These encounters with the healthcare system provide an opportunity to offer drug treatment linkage and support for people with opioid use disorder (PWOUD). There is a need for interventions that enhance linkage to and engagement in treatment with medications for OUD (MOUD) for PWOUD identified in hospital settings as they transition back to community settings. Objective: The mTools4life study aimed to develop and evaluate a peer-led intervention integrating narrative-based health communication into a mobile health (mHealth) application to increase post-hospitalization engagement in MOUD and reduce substance use. Methods: The formative phase of the study consisted of semi-structured interviews with PWOUD and clinicians who provide care to PWOUD. Interviews sought to identify salient content to include in visual narratives within the mHealth application and information that may increase motivations for behavior change related to MOUD engagement. The intervention was developed in accordance with the Information-Motivation-Behavioral Skills Model, transportation theory, and the transtheoretical model. The pilot phase of mTools4Life aimed to evaluate acceptability and #usability of the intervention. PWOUD were recruited from the Johns Hopkins Hospital Emergency Department and consented to receive the intervention for a 3-month period. Participants completed a study survey at baseline and a 3-month follow-up. Data on demographics, past 30 day substance use, MOUD, and intervention appropriateness and acceptability were obtained at both time points. Additional data on intervention uptake and frequency of use were collected at follow-up. Dependent samples t-tests were conducted on continuous data and Fisher’s exact tests were conducted on count data. Results: Twenty PWOUD piloted the intervention. The sample was mostly male (65.0%) and white (65%) with a mean age of 41.1 (SD=8.7). Most participants (80.0%) completed the 3-month follow-up. Fewer participants reported opioid use at follow-up (56.3%) compared to baseline (100.0%) (p=.001), and mean days of opioid use out of the past 30 days declined from baseline (19.9, SD=11.7) to follow-up (8.3, SD=11.4) (p=.002). MOUD treatment in the prior 3 months was reported by 65.0% of participants at baseline and 81.3% at follow-up (p=.46). Most participants used the app (68.8%) or engaged with their peer navigator (62.5%) during the intervention period. At follow-up, mean (SD) acceptability and appropriateness scores (scale 0-5; higher score indicating greater acceptability or appropriateness) were 4.5 (0.5) and 4.3 (0.8), respectively. Conclusions: This study demonstrates #feasibility of the development and deployment of a narrative-based mHealth intervention to support OUD care engagement and preliminary data in support of the intervention’s acceptability, appropriateness, and effectiveness.

JMIR Formative Res: A Peer-Led, Narrative-Based, and Mobile-Supported Intervention in Opioid Use Disorder: Multiphase Qualitative and Longitudinal Observational Study #OpioidEpidemic #HealthIntervention #PeerSupport #SubstanceUseDisorder #MentalHealth

Council approves graphic warning requirement for gun retailers, 40–7 The City Council adopted Intro 10‑16‑A on Oct. 29, requiring the Department of Health to design graphic warning imagery to accompany state‑required firearm sale warnings at dealers and licensing offices. The measure passed 40–7 after floor debate.

New York City Council just approved a groundbreaking measure to require graphic warnings on gun sales, aiming to save lives by changing how we perceive firearm safety.

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#NY #CitizenPortal #ResponsibleOwnership #HealthIntervention #NewYorkPublicHealth #GunSafety

Doctor Discusses Palmer's Emergency Treatment for Seizure and Brain Injury at Texas Children's Doctor confirms seizure and brain bleed diagnosis during Palmer's emergency treatment at hospital.

A young girl’s shocking seizure leads to a critical diagnosis of a brain bleed, revealing the urgent need for specialized pediatric care.

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#TX #CitizenPortal #HealthIntervention #PediatricCare #EmergencyMedicine #TexasChildren

Bangor officials discuss state response to rising HIV rates and funding gaps State and local leaders address rising HIV crisis and funding solutions in Bangor.

The escalating opioid crisis in Bangor has alarmed officials, revealing shocking estimates that suggest the number of affected individuals may be "more than double" previous figures.

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#BangorCityPenobscotCounty #ME #CitizenPortal #HealthIntervention #OpioidCrisis

Tucson honors gun violence awareness day with community leaders and health advocates Tucson recognizes gun violence awareness day with involvement from local healthcare and safety organizations.

Tucson takes a stand against gun violence as community leaders unite to support victims and promote healing.

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#TucsonCityPimaCounty #AZ #CitizenPortal #PublicSafety #CommunitySupport #TucsonGunViolence #HealthIntervention

Correction: Latino Parents’ Reactions to and Engagement With a Facebook Group–Based COVID-19 Vaccine Promotion Intervention: Mixed Methods Pilot Study

JMIR Formative Res: Correction: Latino Parents’ Reactions to and Engagement With a Facebook Group–Based #covid19 Vaccine Promotion Intervention: Mixed Methods Pilot Study #COVID19 #VaccineAwareness #PublicHealth #LatinoCommunity #HealthIntervention

A Portal-Based Intervention (PATTERN) Designed to Support Medication Use Among Older Adults: #feasibility and Acceptability Study Background: Poor medication adherence among older adults with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) and polypharmacy is a public health concern stemming from distinct challenges. Prior interventions have largely utilized a “one size fits all” approach, or resource intensive approaches inappropriate for busy primary care clinics. Objective: To address this, Phenotyping Adherence Through Technology-Enabled Reports and Navigation (PATTERN) was adapted from prior work. PATTERN is a portal-based intervention for monitoring self-reported medication adherence challenges among older adults in primary care. This study sought to implement and evaluate PATTERN’s #feasibility and acceptability. Methods: We conducted a patient randomized study with a post-test design. Primary care physicians at the participating health center were informed of the study and approval was obtained to contact their patients. Patient eligibility included being aged 60 or older, having prescription medications for ≥8 chronic conditions and an upcoming visit with a physician who had provided approval. Potentially eligible patients were identified using an electronic health record query and a research coordinator phoned them to confirm eligibility, assess interest, obtain consent, and conduct enrollment. Randomization occurred following enrollment. Those randomized to PATTERN received a medication adherence assessment in their patient portal accounts several days ahead of their visit. The assessment identified whether a patient was experiencing a medication adherence challenge, and if so, the type (cognitive, psychological, medical, regimen-related, social, or economic). Identified challenges were sent to the patient’s primary care physician. Assessment delivery several days ahead of a visit was thought to offer sufficient time for patients to complete it and clinicians to review any challenges. Approximately two weeks after visits, the coordinator re-contacted participants to conduct post-test interviews. This ensured clinicians had sufficient time to respond to challenges –during or after visits. Post-test interviews measured self-reported use of the portal, demographic and health characteristics, and for those randomized to PATTERN, intervention satisfaction. Self-reported data were captured in REDCap and analyzed descriptively. Electronic health record data were also analyzed descriptively to objectively identify #feasibility – a whether intervention arm participants completed the PATTERN assessment. Results: We enrolled 64 participants (n=32 usual care, n=32 intervention). Most were female (66%), not Hispanic or Latino (94%), and identified as White (58%). The average age was 75 years. Most participants (80%) self-reported using the patient portal ≥12 times per year. However, electronic health record data revealed less than half of all participants randomized to PATTERN (47%, n=15/32) completed the medication adherence assessment. Of those who remembered completing it, 60% were very satisfied with the experience and 20% were a little satisfied. Conclusions: PATTERN has potential for use with older primary care patients experiencing MCC and polypharmacy. Yet, further adaption is needed to ensure recipients access their patient portal accounts and complete assessments. Clinical Trial: The study was registered at ClinicalTrials.Gov, Clinical Trial number NCT05766423.

JMIR Formative Res: A Portal-Based Intervention (PATTERN) Designed to Support Medication Use Among Older Adults: #feasibility and Acceptability Study #MedicationAdherence #OlderAdults #ChronicConditions #HealthIntervention #Polypharmacy

New #IJBNPA publication explored what drives parent educators’ self-efficacy and intent to deliver healthy lifestyle programs at home! #HEALTHintervention #HealthyEating #ActiveLiving
Check this out👇
ijbnpa.biomedcentral.com/articles/10....

Creating a Usable and Effective Digital Intervention to Support Men to Test for HIV and Link to Care in A Resource-Constrained Setting: Iterative Design Based on A Person-Based Approach and Human Computer Interaction Methods Background: It is challenging to design usable and effective digital health interventions (DHIs). The person-based approach (PBA) has been proposed to incorporate users’ perspectives for the design of DHIs. However, it does not explicitly describe the iterative stages of design and evaluation that are essential in moving from early planning to deployment. For this, we draw on methods from human computer interaction (HCI) that have been developed for various situations. Objective: This study aimed to reflect on the adaptation and synthesis of PBA and HCI approaches to developing DHIs. We present a case study applying both approaches to develop Empowering People through Informed Choices for HIV (EPIC-HIV1), a DHI designed for men living in rural KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa, intended to support them in making an informed choice about whether to take an HIV test and, if necessary, engage in care. Methods: We conducted a retrospective analysis of the documentation generated during the development of EPIC-HIV1 including findings about requirements, design representations, and the results of iterative rounds of testing. We developed an account of the process, the outcomes, and the strengths and limitations of the design and evaluation techniques applied. We also present the design of EPIC-HIV1 and summarize considerations when designing for hard-to-reach people in such settings. Results: The PBA was applied to deliver a first prototype. This helped identify key messages to convey and how to manage issues such as user privacy, but the resulting prototype was judged by the team not to be engaging for potential users, and it was unclear whether the design was inclusive of people with low digital or health literacy. We therefore introduced methods from HCI to iteratively test and refine the app. Working with local community representatives, we conducted four refinement cycles with 29 participants, adapting and retesting the app until no further changes were needed. Key changes included making it clearer what the consequences of selecting options in the app were and changing wording to minimize misconceptions (eg, that the app would test for HIV) while addressing common concerns about testing and emphasizing long-term benefits of engaging with care, if needed. Conclusions: Techniques for developing DHIs need to be situationally appropriate. The PBA enabled us to establish both empirical data and theory to design the content of EPIC-HIV1, but it did not directly inform interaction design to make the app usable and effective for the intended users; HCI techniques tailored to the setting enabled us to refine the app to be easy for men with little familiarity with digital technologies to use within the constraints of the setting. Iterative testing ensured the app was easy to use and that the intended clinical messages were communicated effectively.

JMIR Formative Res: Creating a Usable and Effective Digital Intervention to Support Men to Test for HIV and Link to Care in A Resource-Constrained Setting: Iterative Design Based on A Person-Based Approach… #DigitalHealth #HIVTesting #HealthIntervention #UserCenteredDesign #HumanComputerInteraction

Govt Prioritises Malaria Intervention [New Era] Katima Mulilo -- Health and Social Services minister Dr Esperance Luvindao has confirmed the deployment of 165 health workers.

#Namibia #Malaria #HealthIntervention #PublicHealth #HealthWorkers

City Manager Modica highlights World TB Day amid rising Long Beach tuberculosis cases Long Beach acknowledges World TB Day as tuberculosis cases surge by 84 percent.

Long Beach faces a staggering 84% rise in tuberculosis cases, highlighting an urgent public health crisis that demands our attention.

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#LongBeachLosAngelesCounty #CA #CitizenPortal #InfectiousDisease #LongBeachPublicHealth #HealthIntervention #CommunityAwareness

Montana committee reviews child care subsidies bill to aid families in need Committee discusses bill supporting child care subsidies to reduce financial stress for families.

Montana is taking a bold step to support families by discussing a groundbreaking bill that could transform child care assistance and improve health outcomes for children.

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#MT #ChildCareSupport #PovertyAlleviation #CitizenPortal #MontanaFamilies #HealthIntervention

Mobile Phone App to Promote Lifestyle Change in People at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: #feasibility 3-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial Background: The use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions, such as applications (apps) are proposed to meet the challenges faced by preventive health care services due to the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D). Thus, we developed and…

JMIR Formative Res: Mobile Phone App to Promote Lifestyle Change in People at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: #feasibility 3-Arm Randomized Controlled Trial #Type2Diabetes #mHealth #LifestyleChange #HealthIntervention #FeasibilityStudy

A Very Low–Carbohydrate Program in Adults With Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Phospholipase Domain–Containing Protein 3 Risk Genotype: Pre-Post Intervention Study Background: Insulin resistance and the G allele of rs738409 interact to create a greater risk of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease (MASLD). One promising way to reduce insulin resistance is by following a very low-carbohydrate (VLC)…

JMIR Formative Res: A Very Low–Carbohydrate Program in Adults With Metabolic Dysfunction–Associated Steatotic Liver Disease and Phospholipase Domain–Containing Protein 3 Risk Genotype: Pre-Post Intervention Study #LowCarbDiet #InsulinResistance #LiverHealth #MasldAwareness #HealthIntervention

Text messages with financial rewards boost weight loss in obese men, study finds Study found that combining behavioral text messages with financial incentives promotes significant weight loss in obese men, while text messages alone do not.

Text messages with financial rewards boost weight loss in obese men, study finds 💡📱💰 www.news-medical.net/news/2024051... #Obesity #WeightLoss #MensHealth #FinancialIncentives #BehavioralScience #ClinicalTrial #HealthIntervention #Wellness #PublicHealth