Using a counterfactual-based intervention to change eating intentions: Results from Hispanic and non-Hispanic undergraduate and community samples.

Finding ways to improve eating behavior has become a major focus of interventions designed to improve health outcomes. Counterfactual thinking (i.e., mental simulations of how a past outcome could have been different) is a cognitive strategy that has been shown to improve behavior regulation and could be a promising intervention to improve eating behavior. The purpose of the current research was to examine the effect of a counterfactual-based intervention to shift contemplation to change eating behavior, motivation towards eating healthier, and intentions to engage in healthier eating behaviors. Participants in both studies were randomly assigned to either a counterfactual-based intervention or a control condition. In Study 1, those in the counterfactual-based intervention condition reported an increase in readiness to change their eating behavior, higher extrinsic motivation towards eating healthy, and higher intentions to eat healthy compared to those in the control condition. Within the counterfactual condition, individuals who self-identified as Hispanic had higher intentions to use their counterfactual strategies than those who identified as non-Hispanic. Study 2 found similar results using a more diverse community sample. Those in the counterfactual-based intervention condition reported an increase in readiness to change, intentions to eat healthy, and intentions to use their counterfactual strategies, with this effect being stronger for self-identified Hispanic participants. These studies provide initial evidence for the use of a counterfactual-based intervention to improve eating behavior in diverse populations.

Group differences in binge eating, impulsivity, and intuitive and mindful eating among intermittent fasters and non-fasters.

Intermittent fasting (IF) is an increasingly popular diet involving short-term fasting and/or caloric restriction. While published research highlights physiological effects (e.g., weight, body fat) of IF, hardly any research has examined its associations with psychological factors. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between IF and binge eating, impulsivity, intuitive eating, and mindful eating. An undergraduate sample (N = 298) was recruited through a large southwestern university psychology subject pool. The sample was divided into three groups based on IF status: Current IF (n = 70), Past IF (n = 48), and No IF (n = 182). Current IF was negatively associated with lack of perseverance (e.g., "I generally like to see things through to the end"; p < .01) and intuitive eating (p < .05), varying by subscale, compared to the other groups. Notably, Past-IF, but not Current IF, participants were more likely to binge eat than individuals who reported never fasting (p = .03). These findings add credence to the rapidly developing area of research suggesting IF is associated with increased disordered eating behaviors. Notably, the findings from this study are limited due to the lack of diversity sample, such that generalizations can only be made toward White, middle-to-high income, college students. Future longitudinal studies are needed to test the directionality of these relationships.

A Systematic Review of Patient-Perceived Barriers and Facilitators to the Adoption and Use of Remote Health Technology to Manage Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease among Disproportionately Affected Populations.

As noncontact health interventions have become critical during the Covid-19 pandemic, our study aimed to systematically review the published literature for barriers and facilitators influencing the adoption and use of remote health intervention and technology, as perceived by adult patients with diabetes or cardiovascular diseases (CVD) belonging to groups that are socially/economically marginalized and/or medically under-resourced. We searched Medline, Embase, CINAHL, and PsychINFO for peer-reviewed articles published from 2010 to 2018. We employed content analysis to analyze qualitative patient feedback from the included studies. We adhered to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. A total of 42 studies met the inclusion criteria. The design of the remote health technology used was the most frequently mentioned facilitator and barrier to remote health technology adoption and use. Our results should draw the attention of technology developers to the usability and feasibility of remote technology among populations that are socially/economically marginalized and/or medically under-resourced.

Problematic Mobile Phone and Smartphone Use Scales: A Systematic Review.

The popularity of smartphones is undeniable in nearly all facets of society. Despite the many benefits attributed to the technology, concern has grown over the potential for excessive smartphone use to become problematic in nature. Due to the growing concerns surrounding the recognized and unrecognized implications of smartphone use, great efforts have been made through research to evaluate, label and identify problematic smartphone use mostly through the development and administration of scales assessing the behavior. This study examines 78 existing validated scales that have been developed over the past 13 years to measure, identify or characterize excessive or problematic smartphone use by evaluating their theoretical foundations and their psychometric properties. Our review determined that, despite an abundance of self-report scales examining the construct, many published scales lack sufficient internal consistency and test-retest reliability. Additionally, there is a lack of research supporting the theoretical foundation of many of the scales evaluated. Future research is needed to better characterize problematic smartphone use so that assessment tools can be more efficiently developed to evaluate the behavior in order to avoid the excessive publication of seemingly redundant assessment tools.

Does mindfulness reduce the effects of risk factors for problematic smartphone use? Comparing frequency of use versus self-reported addiction.

BACKGROUND: There is growing concern regarding problematic smartphone overuse. Practiced mindfulness, the state of being aware of the present moment, may protect against problematic smartphone use by reducing the strength of risk factors. PURPOSE: We hypothesized that trait mindfulness can reduce the impact of risk factors on a) objective smartphone use and b) subjective problematic smartphone use. METHODS: Our sample (n = 135, Mage = 19.15, 68% female) consisted of college students from a large university. Participants completed self-report measures of boredom proneness, impulsivity, technology-related anxiety (nomophobia), trait mindfulness, smartphone use frequency, and problematic use. RESULTS: Higher mindfulness was significantly associated with lower boredom proneness, impulsivity, and problematic use (F = 12.12, p < .01). Hierarchical regression revealed that the positive relationships between nomophobia, and problematic use decreased as mindfulness levels increased. A similar protective effect was observed for boredom proneness, although the effect dissipated as impulsivity rose. A second regression revealed no significant predictors of weekly smartphone use. CONCLUSIONS: Effects of nomophobia and boredom proneness on problematic smartphone use diminish with increased mindfulness, but impulsivity may interfere with this. Risk and protective factors for 'addiction' appear unrelated to smartphone use frequency. Future research should examine benefits of mindfulness-based interventions in promoting emotional and cognitive self-regulation, focusing on those who use smartphones in dysfunctional ways.

Sensation seeking, sexual orientation, and drug abuse symptoms in a community sample of emerging adults.

Increased use of drugs is associated with a number of factors including high sensation seeking and sexual minority status (through group-specific minority stress). We sought to examine how personality traits like sensation seeking may influence drug abuse among sexual minority individuals. Participants were 217 emerging adults (Mage = 20.23, SD = 0.85) recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk). Of these participants, 67.7% identified as heterosexual, 9.7% as gay or lesbian, 21.2% as bisexual, and 1.4% indicated other sexual orientations. Sensation seeking and drug abuse were self-reported using the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale and the Drug Abuse Screening Test, respectively. A preliminary multiple analysis of variance indicated no significant mean differences for these variables as a function of sex or sexual orientation. Next, sexual minority status, Brief Sensation Seeking Scale scores, sex and their interactions were entered into a linear regression predicting Drug Abuse Screening Test scores. Results revealed a significant moderation, such that the positive relationship between Brief Sensation Seeking Scale total scores and Drug Abuse Screening Test total scores was stronger for sexual minorities (ß = 0.14, P = 0.00) compared to heterosexuals (ß = 0.04, P = 0.04), controlling for sex. These results demonstrate, while sensation seeking and sexual minority status may selectively indicate risk for drug use, sexual minorities high in sensation seeking may be at especially high risk for problems related to drug abuse. More research examining the addiction etiology of sexual minority individuals would inform targeted interventions for this population.

Thinness pressures in ethnically diverse college women in the United States.

While research consistently supports the negative impact of thinness pressures on body image, this work has primarily utilized White samples in the United States, limiting generalizability to other ethnicities. Further, limited research has examined ethnic differences in thinness pressures from distinct sociocultural influences. This study examined distinct sources of thinness pressures in 598 White, 135 Black, and 131 Hispanic college women in the United States. Mean levels of thinness pressures significantly differed across ethnicity, with Black women generally reporting the lowest levels of each pressure. Additionally, distinct sources of thinness pressures were more highly related to negative outcomes within ethnic groups. For White women, each source was salient for disordered eating. For Black women, family pressure was particularly salient for appearance evaluation. For Hispanic women, family pressure was particularly salient for disordered eating and appearance evaluation. Findings suggest possible ethnic differences in the relative salience of some pressures over others.