scholarly journals A Mobile-Based Mindfulness and Social Support Program for Adolescents and Young Adults With Sarcoma: Development and Pilot Testing (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Donovan ◽  
Sarah R Martin ◽  
Laura C Seidman ◽  
Lonnie K Zeltzer ◽  
Tara M Cousineau ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND Approximately 70,000 adolescents and young adults (AYA) are diagnosed with cancer each year in the United States. Sarcomas carry a particularly high symptom burden and are some of the most common cancers among AYA. Recent work has documented significant levels of unmet needs among AYA with cancer, particularly the need for psychosocial support. Mobile technology may be a cost-effective and efficient way to deliver a psychosocial intervention to AYA with cancer and cancer survivors. OBJECTIVE The two aims of this study were to (1) develop a pilot version of a mobile-based mindfulness and social support program and (2) evaluate program usage and acceptability. An exploratory aim was to examine change in psychosocial outcomes. METHODS Thirty-seven AYA with sarcoma or sarcoma survivors, parents, and health care providers participated in the study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 AYA, parents of five of the adolescents, and six health care providers. Themes from the interviews helped to inform the development of a mobile-based mindfulness pilot program and a companion Facebook-based social support group. Twenty AYA consented to participate in a single-arm pre-post evaluation of the program; 17 downloaded the app and joined the Facebook group. Seven of these participants had participated in the semistructured interviews. Six additional health care providers consented to participate in the evaluation stage. RESULTS On average, participants completed 16.9 of the 28 unique sessions and used the mindfulness app for a mean 10.2 (SD 8.2) days during the 28-day evaluation period. The majority of participants (16/17) engaged in the social group and posted at least one reply to the moderator’s prompts. The mean number of responses per person to the moderator of the social group was 15.2 of 31 (49%, range 0%-97%). Both AYA and health care providers responded positively to the Mindfulness for Resilience in Illness program and offered useful recommendations for improvements. Exploratory psychosocial analyses indicated there were no significant differences from pretest to posttest on measures of perceived social support, mindfulness, body image, or psychological functioning. CONCLUSIONS This study offers preliminary support for the feasibility and acceptability of a mobile-based mindfulness and Facebook-based social support program for AYA with sarcoma. The feedback from AYA and health care providers will assist in creating a fully developed intervention. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03130751; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03130751

2020 ◽  
Vol 59 (4-5) ◽  
pp. 388-395
Author(s):  
Samantha P. Bento ◽  
MaryJane S. Campbell ◽  
Olivia Soutullo ◽  
Fran R. Cogen ◽  
Maureen Monaghan

Pediatric health care providers are in a unique position to discuss the health implications of alcohol, tobacco, and drug use with adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with type 1 diabetes (T1D). This study evaluated the frequency of self-reported substance use and associated demographic and clinical characteristics in a sample of AYAs with T1D and patient-provider discussions of substance use in T1D care. Sixty-four AYAs completed questions about substance use from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). Corresponding diabetes clinic visits were audio-recorded, transcribed, and reviewed to examine substance use discussions. A total of 56.3% of AYAs reported ever engaging in substance use; 40.6% reported substance use within the past 30 days. Five AYAs had discussions about substance use during their most recent diabetes clinic visit. Substance use should be proactively addressed by pediatric health care providers and AYAs should be encouraged to raise questions related to substance use during clinic visits.


2020 ◽  
Vol 67 (2) ◽  
pp. 262-269 ◽  
Author(s):  
John S. Santelli ◽  
Stephanie A. Grilo ◽  
Jonathan D. Klein ◽  
Yutao Liu ◽  
Hanying Yan ◽  
...  

Children ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 135
Author(s):  
Androniki Stavridou ◽  
Evangelia Kapsali ◽  
Eleni Panagouli ◽  
Athanasios Thirios ◽  
Konstantinos Polychronis ◽  
...  

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to special circumstances and changes to everyday life due to the worldwide measures that were imposed such as lockdowns. This review aims to evaluate obesity in children, adolescents and young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A literature search was conducted to evaluate pertinent studies up to 10 November 2020. Results: A total of 15 articles were eligible; 9 identified 17,028,111 children, adolescents and young adults from 5–25 years old, 5 pertained to studies with an age admixture (n = 20,521) and one study included parents with children 5–18 years old (n = 584). During the COVID-19 era, children, adolescents and young adults gained weight. Changes in dietary behaviors, increased food intake and unhealthy food choices including potatoes, meat and sugary drinks were noted during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Food insecurity associated with financial reasons represents another concern. Moreover, as the restrictions imposed reduced movements out of the house, physical activity was limited, representing another risk factor for weight gain. Conclusions: COVID-19 restrictions disrupted the everyday routine of children, adolescents and young adults and elicited changes in their eating behaviors and physical activity. To protect them, health care providers should highlight the risk of obesity and provide prevention strategies, ensuring also parental participation. Worldwide policies, guidelines and precautionary measures should ideally be established.


Author(s):  
Heba Shaaban ◽  
Mohsina Bano Shaikh

Abstract Electromagnetic radiation is the fastest growing environmental factor due to the vast development in technology in the last decades. Awareness about radiation has received more attention worldwide due to its health hazards. Adolescents are exposed to radiation from various sources on a daily basis. The number of studies conducted to assess the knowledge and perception of adolescents and young adults regarding radiation and its risks is limited, especially in the Middle East. The aim of this study was to assess the knowledge and perception about radiation and its associated hazards among adolescents and young adults. Additionally, our aim was to identify the best methods of education regarding radiation and its protective measures. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 506 participants in Saudi Arabia. It was found that the overall knowledge and awareness on radiation sources and its hazards among adolescents and young adults is inadequate. The majority of participants had misconceptions regarding radiation sources and its detriments to health. Socio-demographic variables were associated with the participants’ perception. Educating adolescents on radiation and its safety measures is much needed. It was found that the most preferred methods of education are social media and health care providers. The findings of this study will provide insight when designing future interventions to promote specific messages to enhance knowledge and improve awareness regarding radiation.


2007 ◽  
Vol 16 (5) ◽  
pp. 474-486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Neeraj K. Arora ◽  
Lila J. Finney Rutten ◽  
David H. Gustafson ◽  
Richard Moser ◽  
Robert P. Hawkins

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