Health Behavior

This study aims to examine the effects of added sugar warning labels on sugary drinks. Participants will be assigned to view either added sugar warning labels or control labels, applied on sugary drinks in an experimental store. Participants will shop for beverages in the store and take a computer survey at 4 visits spaced approximately 1 week apart.

The goal of this clinical trial is to determine the effects of a 12-week sleep behavioral program for adults ages 25-65 with poor sleep and elevated cardiometabolic risk. The main questions it aims to answer are: To evaluate the feasibility of recruitment, enrollment, retention, and data collection; program fidelity; and participant engagement with coaching sessions, text messages, and weekly check-ins; and to assess preliminary pre-post program changes in participant self-reported sleep, sleep self-efficacy, action and coping constructs, and Brain Care Score. Participants will: Complete seven structured sleep coaching sessions by telephone; complete a brief weekly check-in questionnaire received by text message; and receive weekly automated one-way text messaging support.

The goal of this observational study is to learn more about changes in health, wellness, and substance-use behaviors as teenagers get older. Participants, ages 13 to 16, will be asked to use a smartphone application developed for this research study. Participants will also come to Brown University or meet via video conference to answer questions about specific behaviors, choices, and feelings that may change over time.

The overall objectives of this study are to better define the construct of psychological resilience in the military, to identify potential modifiable risk factors and trainable skills of psychological resilience in Soldiers, and provide a scalable, integrated physical and mental optimization training app to be integrated into relevant systems. The proposed work would be a first step in identifying predictive risk factors that can be modified to increase the future resilience of Soldiers. With this crucial information, the investigators aim to gather data that will inform the development of a resilience-focused intervention (e.g., a skills training program) and test the feasibility of that intervention.

Age-related cerebral small-vessel disease (CSVD) is a major cause of dementia, predominantly affecting individuals over 60 years of age, with a prevalence exceeding 70% in the elderly population. However, the correlation between the burden of CSVD and the progression of cognitive impairment in young and middle-aged individuals remains uncertain. DREAM-10 is an observational, prospective study that enrolled individuals aged 30-60 years, who were free from known dementia but exhibited imaging markers related to CSVD. Through prospective registration and follow-up, this study will collect data on patients with CSVD, including clinical information, neuropsychological assessments, multimodal Magnetic Resonance Images (MRI) and retinopathy characterized by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography (OCTA). CSVD related features seen on neuroimaging include recent small subcortical infarcts, lacunes, white matter hyperintensities, perivascular spaces, microbleeds, brain atrophy, cortical superficial siderosis. Utilizing this data, the researchers aim to investigate the potential dementia risk among young and middle-aged individuals with CSVD over the forthcoming decade, along with identifying its predictive factors.

This is a Phase 2 prospective, randomized, controlled, double-arm study to assess personalized self-management training (PSMT) intervention efficacy and patient experiences compared to standardized self-management training (SSMT). A total of 120 gastrointestinal (GI) cancer patients will be enrolled and randomized 1:1 to complete a 6-week self-management training program (either PSMT or SSMT) to be carried out by licensed occupational therapists with doctoral training. This study aims to examine whether PSMT is more effective in increasing adherence to healthy behavior recommendations compared to SSMT in GI cancer patients.

The Health Ahead Comparative Effectiveness Study is a pragmatic, parallel-arm interventional platform that systematically compares successive changes to preventive health screening on the path toward a fully automated screening system deployable in any environment, including the most isolated and resource-limited communities. Each change is isolated as a single variable against current practice, and every comparison is evaluated with a common set of engagement, behavior-change, experience, cost, and longitudinal outcome measures, so results accumulate on a consistent yardstick across the life of the platform. The first comparison evaluates AI-assisted versus human-only interpretation ("reads") of screening data. Subsequent pre-planned comparisons, added by protocol amendment, evaluate static versus interactive personalized report delivery; mobile community versus fixed laboratory screening; and a hybrid medical-droid-plus-human delivery model versus human-only screening.

Adolescent depression is a major public health problem. Depression affects adolescents' emotional well-being now and in the future, and it also affects their physical health, especially the risk for heart disease and other cardiovascular and metabolic health problems. In adolescents with depression and obesity, evidence-based programs for depression, like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), might improve physical health, in part by supporting healthy behaviors such as physical activity, nutritious eating, and getting enough sleep. Our preliminary studies provide support for this overarching hypothesis. If adolescents have access to a digital app to support practicing CBT skills in between program sessions, it might especially help them to learn skills that help to feel better and be healthier in their day-to-day lives. We are tailoring a digital app for this purpose and we will make changes to the app based on feedback from adolescents, their parents, and their doctors. Once the app is well-liked and helpful, and works well as a support for taking part in CBT, we will randomly assign 60 adolescents with depression and overweight/obesity to either "CBT+" - a CBT group program plus the app, or "CBT-only" - the CBT group program only. We will pilot test whether this research is feasible, likeable, and credible, learning information that will inform a larger study to test of CBT+ can support emotional well-being, health behavior, and cardiovascular and metabolic health in adolescents.

Previous work by the study team has shown that informing patients of their high risk of flu and flu-related complications increases their likelihood of getting a flu shot (Rosenbaum et al., 2026). In this work, an artificial intelligence (AI)-based algorithm determined which patients were at high risk for flu. This year, the team will test whether risk messages remain effective when a non-algorithmic rule-based additive risk index (McGovern et al., 2024) is used to identify patients at high risk.

Exercise is routinely recommended because of its benefits for physical, cognitive, and mental health. It is especially beneficial for older adults due to its potential buffering effects against Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (Luck et al., 2014). However, little is known about how to best encourage older adults to exercise. Based on behavior change theory, different intrapersonal and interpersonal motivational factors are likely to be relevant during the contemplation, action, and maintenance stages of behavior change. Generally, as a result of motivational shifts toward prioritizing positivity and socially meaningful goals with advancing age (Carstensen, 2006), socioemotional aspects of decision making may become more salient and influential for older adults (Mikels et al., 2015; Peter et al., 2011). Our previous work has demonstrated that positive affect (Mikels et al., 2020) and social goals (Steltenpohl et al., 2019) play a critical role in older adults' motivation to exercise, but these two lines of research have not been integrated to date. Recent work indicates that positive affect is particularly beneficial for health when shared in social connections (Fredrickson, 2016; Major et al., 2018), and the proposed work will, for the first time, examine how shared interpersonal positivity may impact exercise decision making and behavior, especially during the contemplation and action/maintenance stages of behavior change. But who are the older adults that benefit the most from exercise in terms of physical, cognitive, and mental health (and should be hence be targeted with messages)? Not all older adults reap the benefits of exercise (Sparks, 2014) and, conversely, sedentary older adults have the most to gain. Overall, the current proposed research program is innovative in its (a) translational application of insights from affective, cognitive, and aging theory and research to understand the antecedents and outcomes of exercise decision making in younger and older adults, (b) conceptualization of both the social and emotional aspects of decision making, (c) development of novel methods for health messaging that incorporate social influences, and (d) novel assessments of the exercise-health link.

Dime la Verdad (Tell me the truth) will evaluate the use of storytelling by community health workers as a communication strategy to disseminate reliable health information on social media and encourage informed decision-making in favor of recommended immunizations in communities with high morbidity and mortality due to respiratory virus infections. Dime La Verdad is an innovative social media capacity-building program based on theoretical frameworks related to health communication that empowers community health workers to disseminate reliable information about respiratory virus protection strategies through the use of personal narratives on social media. The proposed work will use a rigorous stepped wedge design to 1) deliver a scalable program of science communicators using an adapted curriculum grounded in principles of health communication, 2) evaluate how diffusion of health messaging is perceived on social media, and 3) discern how use of personal narratives to enhance science communication can encourage informed decision-making to promote evidence-based immunization practices and improve health outcomes.

This cluster-randomized controlled trial tests whether a short, standardized disaster-education video improves two psychological precursors of disaster preparedness among senior high-school students in a hazard-prone district of West Kalimantan, Indonesia. Twelve intact classes at one senior high school will be randomized 1:1, stratified by grade level, either to view a purpose-built audiovisual disaster-education module (approximately 20 minutes, shown twice in a single classroom session) or to view an attention-matched general adolescent-health video of similar length on an unrelated topic. Randomization is at the class level to reduce contamination between students, and the individual student is the unit of analysis. All students in a participating class view the video allocated to that class; a randomly drawn subsample of twelve students per class, 144 in total, completes the study questionnaires. Two co-primary outcomes are measured in every participant. The first is disaster preparedness belief, measured by the General Disaster Preparedness Belief (GDPB) scale. The second is disaster risk perception, measured by the Disaster Risk Perception Scale (DRPS). Both are collected at baseline before allocation, immediately after the session, and again four weeks later. The intervention and both instruments are grounded in the Health Belief Model, which predicts that raising perceived threat contributes to readiness to act. An exploratory mediation analysis will test whether change in risk perception explains part of any effect on preparedness belief. After the four-week assessment, control classes are offered the full disaster-education intervention.

Tooth decay is one of the most common health problems in young children in Saudi Arabia. Brushing twice a day with fluoride toothpaste is one of the most effective ways to prevent it, but preschool children cannot do this properly on their own and depend on their mothers to brush for them and to supervise them. Mothers usually receive oral health advice only once, during a dental visit, and a single session may not be enough to change daily habits at home. This study will test whether short oral health messages sent to mothers on WhatsApp, in addition to the usual face-to-face advice, help mothers know more about toothbrushing and help their children brush better. Mothers of children aged 3 to 6 years attending the Pediatric Dentistry Clinics at King Abdulaziz University Hospital in Jeddah will be invited to take part. All mothers will first answer a short questionnaire about what they know about toothbrushing and how their child currently brushes. All mothers will then receive the same 10 to 15 minute face-to-face oral health education session. After the session, each mother will be placed into one of two groups by chance, like flipping a coin. Mothers in the first group will also receive two WhatsApp messages a week for eight weeks, sixteen messages in total, covering how often to brush, how much fluoride toothpaste to use, correct brushing technique, and how to help and supervise their child. Mothers in the second group will not receive these messages. After eight weeks, all mothers will answer the same questionnaire again, and the answers of the two groups will be compared. Taking part involves no dental treatment or procedures beyond the child's normal care, and mothers may withdraw at any time.

The study will be based from a newly formed NHS service, the children's environmental health service. Participants will be children with a known chronic respiratory condition. Participants will undergo personal environmental exposure monitoring as well as home environmental assessments, before personalised exposure reports will be provided including a summary of their exposure and advising mitigation strategies based on exposure patterns and behaviours. The monitoring will be repeated after introduction of mitigation strategies. This will allow a comparison of the effectiveness of each method of mitigation.

This will be a proof-of-concept randomised control trial (RCT) study, where 100 pregnant women will be recruited in the first trimester of pregnancy and followed-up until delivery. It aims to test these following hypotheses: 1. pregnancy is a window of opportunity to implement good lifestyle habits of physical activity and exercise as pregnant women are in regular contact with health professionals and are likely motivated and be more confident to carry out these activities according to the guidelines 2. this integrated programme will effective in a healthcare setting, and will bring Singapore's "Guidelines on Physical Activity and Exercise in Pregnancy" guidelines to implementation 3. with enhanced self-efficacy and motivation, the proportion of women engaging in adequate physical activity during pregnancy will increase to meet recommended guidelines.

The goal of the Reset trial is to learn about the optimal combination of dietary behavior strategies in a fully digital weight loss intervention. The intervention is designed for adults with overweight or obesity. The investigators will examine the impact on weight loss of four dietary strategies: 1) limiting Red Zone Foods (i.e., foods that are high in calories and low in nutrition), 2) limiting eating windows, 3) increasing protein intake, and 4) increasing fiber intake. Each of these strategies will include goal setting, daily self-monitoring, and tailored feedback. The investigators will recruit 208 participants. Broadly, adults with overweight or obesity who live in the U.S. will be eligible. The weight loss intervention will last 12 weeks. All participants will be asked to track their body weight daily and complete weekly behavioral lessons and action plans to promote healthy eating and physical activity. All study tasks will occur remotely. Assessment of body weight and survey measures will occur at the beginning of the trial ("baseline"), and at 1 month and 3 months. The Multiphase Optimization Strategy (MOST) framework will be used to identify which combination of the dietary behavior strategies results in the greatest weight loss. In total, there will be 16 treatment conditions.

We will conduct a two-group randomized controlled trial to examine the eMocha DOT intervention with pediatric HT recipients.In this population, medication nonadherence remains a primary cause of late acute rejection (LAR) episodes, increased number of hospitalizations, graft failure, and patient mortality. Herein, we propose an innovative approach to promote medication adherence and improve patient and graft outcomes.

THRIVE-Belize is a school-based program being developed to support the health and well-being of adolescents in the Toledo District of southern Belize. The program covers seven topics: communication and emotional regulation, healthy expressions of masculinity, sexual and reproductive health, healthy relationships, mental and physical health, substance use prevention, and environmental health. Before testing whether the program works, the research team needs to learn whether students, teachers, parents, school staff, and community members find it acceptable, appropriate, and practical to deliver at Toledo Community College. This study (Phase I) does not deliver the program to anyone. Instead, it gathers feedback through surveys, focus groups, and interviews with about 280 participants across these five groups. The information collected will be used to refine the program and decide whether to move forward to a future pilot study. No medical or educational intervention is given to participants in this phase.

Childhood cancer survivors who received certain treatments are at a higher risk of developing heart problems in the future. This study is looking at ways to educate childhood cancer survivors about that risk and encourage them to receive a recommended heart screening test.

The purpose of this study is to compare two approaches for tracking dietary intake in a 12-month fully digital weight loss intervention: (1) Simplified approach: track Red Zone Foods (e.g., foods high in calories and low in nutritional value) vs. (2) Detailed approach: track all foods and their corresponding calories. In essence, this is a head-to-head comparison of two tracking approaches; the investigators are evaluating whether weight loss is comparable over 12 months, or whether one approach will have greater weight loss. The investigators will recruit 328 adults. Broadly, adults with overweight or obesity who live in the United States will be eligible. The weight loss intervention will last 12 months. All participants will be asked to track their dietary intake + body weight + steps daily as well as complete weekly behavioral lessons and action plans to promote healthy eating and physical activity. All study tasks will occur remotely. Assessment of body weight and survey measures will occur at the beginning of the trial ("baseline"), and at 1, 6, 12, and 18 months.

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the reliability, usability, and feasibility of the MEVA Cognitive Wellness Platform in community-dwelling adults aged 55 to 75. The main questions it aims to answer are: How consistent is the MEVA Global Cognitive Index when participants complete the MEVA activities again approximately 14 days later? How usable and acceptable is the MEVA platform for older adults in community settings? What completion rates, data quality patterns, and participant feedback are observed during use of the platform? Participants will: Complete a baseline study visit lasting approximately 45 to 60 minutes Complete a 7-activity digital cognitive wellness battery Answer questionnaires about usability, technology acceptance, and wellness experience Complete the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) examination as an exploratory comparison measure If selected for the retest group, return approximately 14 days later to complete the MEVA activities again MEVA is being evaluated as a cognitive wellness platform. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, screen for, or monitor any disease or medical condition.

The purpose of this study is to develop an artificial intelligence-based chatbot application to support exercise behavior in individuals aged 60 and over who do not regularly exercise, and to evaluate its effectiveness. In addition, the study aims to examine the effects of changes in exercise habits on the cognitive (mental) functions of older adults. In this study, the impact of a chatbot-supported personalized exercise program on cognitive functions in older individuals will be evaluated. A total of 90 participants is planned for inclusion in this study. If you agree to participate in this study, depending on the group you are assigned to, you may receive: * An artificial intelligence-based chatbot program, along with educational materials about the importance of exercise, or * Only educational materials (brochures) prepared by the researchers about the importance of exercise. At the beginning of the study, you will be asked to complete a data collection form. The same form will also be administered at week 12 and week 24. This form will include: * Basic information such as your age and gender, * Questions about your exercise habits, * A brief test to assess your cognitive (mental) functions, * Questions evaluating your level of physical activity. The study duration is 24 weeks, including 12 weeks of intervention and 12 weeks of follow-up.

Emory Spiritual Health has developed a Compassion-Centered Spiritual Health group-based intervention, called CCSH Interventions for Teams, and are enrolling staff and providers into the groups in this randomized study design. The groups will meet once every other week for 60 minutes for 8 weeks (4 sessions total). The investigators will evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of this novel team-based intervention that includes mindfulness and compassion-based approaches with mixed-role oncology teams. Employees (n = 80; nurses, advanced practice providers (APPs), physicians, staff) working at an NCI- designated Comprehensive Cancer Center will be randomized by team (8-12 employees/group) to Compassion Centered Spiritual Health Team Intervention (CCSH-TI) or TAU (Treatment as Usual) group. The research objective is to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CCSH-TI, and to develop and validate a novel, low-burden ambulatory assessment "toolkit" to improve the measurement of psychological safety and burnout.

The main purpose of this trial is to evaluate the impact of a menthol cigarette ban accompanied by a quit smoking campaign on tobacco purchasing behavior. Investigators will conduct a randomized clinical trial with \~1,185 US adults (ages 21+ years) who currently smoke menthol cigarettes.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the safe wearability and basic functions of the multi-modality sensors fabricated in the PI lab.