Narrative elaboration makes misinformation and corrective information regarding COVID-19 more believable.

OBJECTIVE: People gather information about health topics from online channels oftentimes awash with misinformation. Investigating this problem during the COVID-19 pandemic is important, as the misinformation effect occurs when misleading details are embedded in narratives and questions. This pilot study investigated whether narrative elaboration increases believability in misinformation statements about COVID-19, and willingness to share these statements online. RESULTS: Results from our online survey (n = 80) demonstrated that narrative elaboration increased believability in both misinformation and accurate statements, with a more pronounced effect on younger adults. Future research may investigate cognitive vulnerabilities imposed by elaborate narratives embedded in online health misinformation with increased attention on developing misinformation resilience among younger adults.

Geophagy among a Cohort of Kenyan Women with Mixed HIV Status: A Longitudinal Analysis.

Geophagy, the craving and purposive consumption of earth, is commonly reported during pregnancy. To date, most studies of geophagy have been cross-sectional and have not assessed its relationship with HIV infection. Therefore, to concurrently examine proposed etiologies of geophagy, a cohort of 371 women with mixed HIV status from Nyanza region, Kenya were recruited in late pregnancy and interviewed about pica at nine time points, through 21 months postpartum. Nutritional status (hemoglobin concentration and food insecurity), physical health (HIV infection and gastrointestinal distress), and psychosocial health (depression and perceived stress) were also repeatedly assessed. Prevalence of geophagy was greatest during pregnancy and decreased significantly postpartum. In a two-level hierarchical linear model, a one-unit increase in average hemoglobin (g/dL) was associated with a 35% decrease in the odds of geophagy. The adjusted odds ratios (CI) of geophagy were 3.98 (2.99, 5.29), 2.54 (1.13, 5.69), and 1.68 (1.15, 2.44) times higher if a woman was pregnant, reported diarrhea in the prior 24 hours, or was HIV positive, respectively. The adjusted odds ratio of geophagy was 1.61 (1.06, 2.45) times higher if a woman reported geophagy during childhood. Our results lend greatest plausibility to the protection hypothesis (i.e., that geophagy occurs in response to compromised immunity and/or infection). Given the high prevalence of geophagy, clinicians should regularly screen for the behavior and measure inflammatory biomarkers before treating geophagy with iron supplements, which can exacerbate some infections.

Acute Responses to the 7-Minute Workout.

Riegler, M, Stotz, G, Fitzgerald, K, Munoz, CK, Lewis, J, Ring, S, and Astorino, TA. Acute responses to the 7-minute workout. J Strength Cond Res 31(9): 2572-2578, 2017-A popular smartphone application called the 7-Minute Workout (7Min) claims to be scientifically proven to promote weight loss and improve cardiovascular function. The application has 10 million downloads and has been reviewed by 350,000 users. However, changes in metabolic and perceptual variables in response to 7Min are unknown. Our study compared acute responses between 7Min and a time-matched session of cycling-based high-intensity interval exercise (HIIE). Fourteen active men and women (age and V[Combining Dot Above]O2max = 25.4 ± 8.3 years and 40.5 ± 6.4 ml·kg·min) initially underwent V[Combining Dot Above]O2max testing. During 2 subsequent sessions separated by ≥48 hours, they completed 7Min or HIIE. During exercise, oxygen uptake (V[Combining Dot Above]O2), heart rate (HR), blood lactate concentration (BLa), and rating of perceived exertion were measured. Peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 was higher (p < 0.001) in HIIE vs. 7Min, and HIIE yielded greater (p < 0.001) mean V[Combining Dot Above]O2 (1.83 ± 0.41 L·min vs. 1.44 ± 0.32 L·min) and HR (159.0 ± 10.7 b·min vs. 140.7 ± 18.3 b·min, p < 0.001) vs. 7Min. Blood lactate concentration increased (p < 0.001) during exercise but was similar between bouts (p = 0.07). Rating of perceived exertion was higher (p = 0.008) in response to HIIE vs. 7Min. Although 7Min yields lower peak V[Combining Dot Above]O2 and HR than HIIE, it is characterized by bursts approaching 90 %HRmax and causes significant BLa accumulation, representing vigorous exercise. Nevertheless, 7Min is on the low end of the intensity spectrum, which questions whether it represents true HIIE and will confer similar benefits if performed long term.