The Importance of Context: Describing the Who, Where, and How of Technology-Facilitated Sexual Harassment

Many of the pervasive problems that women historically faced in person, such as sexual harassment, can now follow them everywhere through technology. The purpose of this study was to address contextual gaps in the literature about women's experiences of technology-facilitated sexual harassment (TFSH). Specifically, information about perpetrator and platform types, location, percentage of time experienced, and COVID-19 experiences were captured. Canadian women (N = 481) were recruited through a course credit system and online advertisements. Results indicated the public, private, and chronic nature of TFSH. Furthermore, social media and dating applications were identified as commonly occurring places for TFSH, with strangers and acquaintances often being reported as perpetrators. This research may help to inform future research and prevention strategies for TFSH.Copyright © 2023 Taylor & Francis.

Stress, Sleep, and Exercise Habits Among Extension Employees During the COVID-19 Pandemic

We compared perceived stress among 804 Extension employees during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic and again six months later. Work expectations, sleep and exercise habits were assessed. More than 46% of those responding believe work expectations are "much” or "moderately more” since the pandemic began. Nearly 60% report moderate levels of stress and 54% were sleeping less. Of those who were physically active (n=677) before the pandemic, 39% were exercising less. Because stress, sleep, and physical activity affect health, supervisors should recognize the impact the pandemic has on employees, and encourage the use of available resources to promote wellness and work/life balance. © This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.

RECRUITMENT OF SOMMA PARTICIPANTS: TECHNIQUES TO ENROLL OLDER ADULTS IN A COMPLEX STUDY

We screened approximately 4200 individuals to enroll 881 including 41% men and 59% women with a mean age =73.4 ± 5SD years;13% were Black, 85% White and 2% of other race and ethnic groups. We will add 80 individuals aged 30-69 years. Exclusions included unstable medical conditions and inability to walk 400 meters(m). The median baseline 400m gait speed at usual pace was 1.05 ± 0.18SD m/s. Techniques to recruit and enroll a diverse population for this complex project included the use of in-person and video-conference information sessions to explain the complicated study to interested adults and to screen potential participants as needed The COVID pandemic created numerous challenges;while SOMMA was able to meet its recruitment goals, the enrollment period lasted 33 months (instead of the originally planned 18 months). Attendance at follow-up in-person and phone-based assessments is excellent.

Add to Cart: Problematic Shopping and Behavioral Addictions in a Canadian Sample During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Objective: Problematic shopping can include uncontrollable and frequent urges to shop. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic may have influenced these behaviors in several ways, such as through increased online shopping opportunities and pandemic-related stress. The purpose of this exploratory study was to examine shopping and other behavioral addictions in the context of COVID-19. Method(s): Canadian participants (n=546) reported on shopping, gambling, and gaming behaviors, using an online questionnaire. Result(s): Many participants reported that they shopped more overall (42%), shopped more online (57%), and shopped more for nonessential goods (38%) during the pandemic. Online shoppers also demonstrated greater scores on 2 measures of problem shopping behavior: the Bergen Shopping Addiction Scale, and the Richmond Compulsive Buying Scale. Further, female participants were more likely to report problematic shopping behaviors, whereas male participants were more likely to report problematic gaming behaviors. However, both problematic gambling and gaming were associated with problematic shopping. Conclusion(s): The present findings may shed light on how individuals are faring in relation to behavioral addictions and consumerism during COVID-19. The clinical implications are that a number of individuals may be struggling with problematic shopping, which may overlap with other behavioral addictions (ie, gambling, gaming), and which could be exacerbated by the current economic pressures of the pandemic. Copyright © 2022 Lippincott Williams and Wilkins. All rights reserved.

Enhancing Pandemic-Sensitive Recruitment Strategies for a Remote, Randomized Placebo Controlled Trial for Fracture Prevention in Patients with Neurodegenerative Parkinsonisms

Objective: To develop a diversified recruitment model for the ongoing Trial of Parkinson's and Zoledronic Acid (TOPAZ) during the COVID-19 pandemic. Background: TOPAZ is a home-based trial examining the efficacy of zoledronate in preventing fractures in people with neurodegenerative parkinsonisms, who have up to 4-fold increased fracture risk. Design/Methods: Consent is obtained online (https://www.topazstudy.org). After eligibility is determined by movement disorders specialists using medical records and/or telemedicine, study drug is infused by research nurses at home. Fractures are ascertained by email or telephone. The 2/2020 onset of recruitment coincided with COVID-19 restrictions, with a nearly 7 months pause. To randomize 3,500 participants by 12/2023, we developed multiple methods to recruit potential participants via: 1) 46 Parkinson Study Group (PSG) sites, 2) 11 health care systems with integrated research networks, 3) community outreach organizations (i.e. support groups, social media, newsletters, etc.), 4) outreach by the Parkinson's Foundation (PF), 5) Fox Trial Finder (FTF), and 6) the 23andMe Parkinson's disease research program. Results: By 10/1/2021, 2002 had registered on the website, 1333 consented, 992 were eligible per expert diagnostic confirmation, and 632 were randomized, exceeding our goal of 600 for 9/30/21. Registered participants came from the multiple sources: 1) 609 (27.7%) from PSG sites, 2) 529 (24%) from health care systems with integrated research networks, 3) 213 (9.7%) from community outreach, 4) 34 (1.5%) from PF, 5) 16 (0.7%) from FTF and 6) 601 (27.3%) from 23andMe. The largest source of recruitment was PSG. A single study invitation emailed from 23andMe to its 19,733 PD research participants led to nearly the same number of referrals as PSG but in only a few weeks'time. Conclusions: Using diverse referral sources to the TOPAZ study website, we are succeeding in achieving enrollment targets for a Parkinson's trial amidst the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.