Background: The United States Department of Health and Human Services (USDHHS)recommends that adults achieve 150 minutes per week of moderate-intensity aerobic activity.Most African American women do not meet these guidelines. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of an intervention based on the fourth generation, multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change for initiating and sustaining physical activity among African American women when compared to a first generation, knowledge-based intervention. Methods: The randomized controlled trial (RCT) utilized a pre-test, post-test and 6-week followup evaluation with an experimental (n=25) group and a comparison group (n=23). Process evaluation for satisfaction and program fidelity was conducted along with impact evaluation for changes in MTM constructs, intent to initiate and sustain physical activity, minutes of physical activity, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference and blood pressure in hypertensives. Results:The MTM-based intervention proved significantly efficacious in increasing the minutes of physical activity from pre-test mean of 37 minutes to 172 minutes at follow-up (mean difference135.08 minutes, 95% CI: 106.04 to 164.13, P<0.0001), reducing waist circumference from pretest mean of 39 inches to 38 inches at follow-up (mean difference -1.12 inches, 95% CI: -1.70 to-0.545, P<0.001) and modifying the MTM construct of changes in physical environment from a mean of 7 units at pre-test to 9 units at follow-up (mean difference 2.08 units, 95% CI: 0.73 to 3.43, P<0.004) when compared to the knowledge-based intervention over time. Conclusion: There were directional improvements in the mean scores for most of the study variables over time for the MTM intervention group and statistically significant improvement in minutes of physical activity and waist circumference.

Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and is the second leading cause of cancer-associated deaths. While colorectal cancer is on the decline in the United States (US), disparities still exist, despite the non-invasive screening modalities, such as stool-based tests have shown themselves to be effective in the detection of colorectal cancer. Many of the existing stool-based test interventions lack the use of a contemporary theory-based approach. Given the paucity of theory-based interventions intended to promote stool-based tests, this cross-sectional study utilizes the multi-theory model (MTM) of health behavior change to explain the seeking of stool-based tests for colorectal cancer (CRC) screening. An online 57-item questionnaire with an established psychometric validity was used to collect responses from the US-based sample (n = 640) of adults aged 45–75 years old. The data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariate statistical methods. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to test the construct validity of the survey instrument. In this nationwide sample, 39.2% (n = 251) of participants reported having received some form of a stool-based test. Among the participants who did not undergo stool-based CRC screening, the MTM subscales, including “participatory dialogue”, “behavioral confidence”, and “changes in the social environment”, were significant predictors of initiating screening behavior and explained 48% of the variance in the initiation among this group (R² = 0.579, F = 5.916, p < 0.001; adjusted R² = 0.481). The MTM may be a useful framework with which to design educational, mass media, social media, and clinical interventions for the promotion of stool-based CRC screening among adults aged 45–75 years old.

The NIH-funded Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) program is currently funding 18 academic institutions to strengthen the research environment and contribution to health disparities research. The purpose of this multiphase mixed-methods study was to establish a uniform evaluation framework for demonstrating the collective success of this research consortium. Methods included discussions of aims and logic models at the RCMI Evaluators’ Workshop, a literature review to inform an evaluation conceptual framework, and a case study survey to obtain evaluation-related information and metrics. Ten RCMIs participated in the workshop and 14 submitted responses to the survey. The resultant RCMI Evaluation Conceptual Model presents a practical ongoing approach to document RCMIs’ impacts on health disparities. Survey results identified 37 common metrics under four primary categories. Evaluation challenges were issues related to limited human resources, data collection, decision-making, defining metrics, cost-sharing, and revenue-generation. There is a need for further collaborative efforts across RCMI sites to engage program leadership and community stakeholders in addressing the identified evaluation challenges and measurement. Program leadership should be engaged to apply the Evaluation Conceptual Framework and common metrics to allow for valid inter-institutional comparisons and consortium-wide evaluations. Stakeholders could ensure evaluation metrics are used to facilitate community impacts.

Purpose: Given the increased exposure to e-cigarettes and nicotine among young adults, difficulty in quitting vaping is likely, which supports the need for effective behavioral interventions. Therefore, this cross-sectional study aims to assess the testability of the contemporary multi-theory model of health behavior change in predicting the vaping quitting behavior among young adults in the United States. Methods: A nationally representative sample of 619 young adults engaged in vaping behavior and aged 18–24 years was recruited to complete a 49-item web-based survey. A structural equation model was used to test relationships between MTM constructs. Hierarchical multiple regression was utilized to predict the variance in the initiation and sustenance of vaping quitting behavior by predictor variables, such as demographic characteristics, history of behaviors, and MTM constructs. Results: Of 619 respondents, over 75% were White and nearly 70% had educational attainment equal to high school or some college. In total, 62% of respondents were using nicotine, followed by 33.3% were using cannabis. About 80% of the respondents reported being engaged in drinking alcohol, and nearly 45% were engaged in cigarette smoking. The predictive effect of all MTM constructs on vaping quitting initiation (adjusted R² = 0.417, F (23, 595) = 20.215, p < 0.001) and sustenance (adjusted R² = 0.366, F (23, 595) = 16.533, p < 0.001) was statistically significant. Conclusions: The findings of this study point to the usability and applicability of MTM in operationalizing and developing vaping quitting behavior interventions targeting young adults.

Trust is critical to the development and maintenance of effective research collaborations and community engagement. The purpose of this study was to assess the current attitudes and level of trust pertaining to health research among residents of Central Mississippi, the priority health region for the Research Centers in Minority Institutions (RCMI) Center for Health Disparities Research (RCHDR) at Jackson State University. The cross-sectional study was conducted from November 2021 to April 2022. The data were analyzed using descriptive statistics carried out by SPSS statistical software. A total of 146 participants responded to the survey. The participants were predominately African American (99%) and female (75%). Historical research studies, the researchers’ qualities, and potential benefits from participation were factors affecting the level of trust in the research process. Ninety percent (n = 131) expressed that it was important to be involved in the research process, and 98.5% (n = 144) agreed that discussing the research findings with the participants was important for establishing trust in the research process. While trust in the research process does not guarantee participation, trust is a precursor for those who decide to engage in health disparities research. Key findings will be integrated into the RCHDR research agenda to foster further development and implementation of innovative community-based participatory research toward the control and/or prevention of diseases that disproportionately affect minority and under-represented populations in Mississippi.

In the realm of behavioral interventions, a combined approach of yoga and a cognitive-behavioral strategy in the form of introspective meditation (manan-dhyana) may offer benefits as a stress management tool. This pilot study focuses on introspective meditation performed before seeking pleasurable activities, which is a self-reflection about whether to pursue a goal that will bring sensory pleasure in life. A non-probability sample of college students was recruited from a mid-sized Southern University of the United States using a 52-items web-based survey built in Qualtrics. Univariate, bivariate, and multivariate statistics were used to analyze data. Of total 65 students, only 21.5% students reported being engaged in the introspective meditation. The sample constituted predominantly females (75.4%), White (64.6%), and undergraduate students (87.7%). The proportions of anxiety, depression, and moderate/high stress were 50.8%, 40.0%, 86.1% respectively. In the hierarchical regression for initiation, the final model explained nearly 21.1% of variance in initiating introspective meditation among participants (n = 51) who had not been practicing it. With each unit increment in subscales of initiation (i.e., changes in physical environment), the conditional mean for initiating introspective meditation behavior increased by 0.373 units. In the hierarchical regression for sustenance, the final model explained nearly 50.5% of variance in sustaining introspective meditation behavior among participants (n = 51) who had not been practicing it. With each unit increment in subscales of sustenance (i.e., emotional transformation), the conditional mean for sustaining introspective meditation behavior increased by 0.330 units. This study can pave a way for designing interventions for college students to promote introspective meditation directed toward seeking pleasurable activities before engaging in them. This has implications for the reduction of stress as well as a preemptive measure for sexual risk-taking, indulgence in maladaptive behaviors such as smoking, vaping, alcohol, and substance use.