February 2008 HMCRC Newsletter

· = The 29th Annual Meetin= g= of the Society for Behavioral Medicine will be held March 26-29, 200= 8 at the Manchester Grand Hyatt in San Diego, CA. The Early Bir= d Registration Deadline February 21.

· = Looking Ahead! In May of 2007, the Urban and Regional Information Sys= tems Association (URISA) held its first GIS in Public Health Conference. The c= onference was a success, and URISA is planning its next meeting for May/Jun= e 2009 in the Southeast.

&midd= ot; 12th Annual Health & Fitness Summit, Long Beach,= California will be held March 24-27, 2008 at the Long Beach Convention and= Entertainment Center. Experts from ACSM and NASM, including Jim Sall= is, will deliver four days of dynamic sessions for health and fitness, stre= ngth training, and nutrition professionals.

&midd= ot; The ACSM Annual Meeting will be held May 28-31, 2008 in= Indianapolis, IN.

Inside This Issue

Highlights of= HMC Research

Grantee Items<= /p>

Announcements<= /p>

Reports &= Publications

Resources

Workshops &am= p; Meetings

Funding Oppor= tunities

Job Opportuni= ties

HMC Grantee Meeting - October, 2007

The 9^th HMC Grantee Meeting

Multiple Behaviors

April 7-8, 2008
= &nb= sp; = &nb= sp; =

· Meeting Sponsor & Topic - April’= ;s meeting will be sponsored by the Outcomes Supplement led by Deborah Toob= ert. The focus of the meeting is on Multiple Behaviors.

· Keynote Speaker - We are pleased to announce tha= t our keynote speaker will be Dr. Michael Goldstein. In pr= eparation for the April meeting, you may wish to review two publications fr= om Michael and HMC’s Russ Glasgow:

Multiple Behavioral Risk Factor Interventions in Primary = Care Summary of Research Evidence=

Translating What We Have Learned into Practice: Pri= nciples and Hypotheses for Interventions Addressing Multiple Behaviors in P= rimary Care

· Agenda - Click Here = to see a DRAFT agenda. We have a slightly different format for Day 1,= but that is because we are focusing the majority of the day on Multiple Be= haviors and the Outcomes Supplement.

· Hotel Accommodations - Please cont= act the Hyatt Regency Bethesda no later tha= n February 29 to make your reservations for the meet= ing; the phone number is (800)233-1234. Our group name is “Heal= th Maintenance Consortium”. The prevailing government single oc= cupancy rate is $201/night; double occupancy is $226. Reservations received= after the cut-off date will be accepted on a space-available basis at the = prevailing rate.

· Attention Supplement Chairs! Please= remember to schedule a conference call for your Supplement at least one mo= nth prior to coming to the meeting. This will enable each Supplement = to most effectively use the Supplement Session time at the meeting.<= /p>

· HMC Reporting - March 14 = is an important date.

Meeting Attendance Survey

Look for an email regarding the online = Meeting Attendance Survey by February 22. In addition to meeting atte= ndance, this survey will also gather information regarding meals. We = ask that you complete the survey no later than March 14 so that the HMCRC will have adequate pl= anning time.

Individual Site Progress Reports

The online Progress Report Surveys will= be available by February 22. In order to be included in the report w= e present to the NIH at the meeting, we ask that reports be submitted (alon= g with an updated consort diagram, new publications, and new study measures= ) by March 14. The NIH program officers report= that they find this material very useful - so please be sure to send your = material for inclusion.

Supplement and Workgroup Progress Reports

Requests will go out by February 22.&nb= sp; In order to be included in the report we present to the NIH at the meet= ing, please submit your report no later than March 14.

Grantee Items

Announcements

&m= iddot; The HMCRC has initiated a new page on t= he HMC website: Project Publications. The p= age is currently under construction. The goal is to have all HMC-rela= ted scholarly work listed with links to further information about each publ= ication or presentation. After last October’s meeting, each PI = was sent a list of reported publications and presentations to review for ac= curacy. If you have not yet done so, please email the information to = Chris = Kaunas= so that an accurate record can be kept on the webpage.

&m= iddot; A new staff scientist has joined NCI's = Health Promotion Research Branch in the Division of Cancer Control and= Population Sciences. Dr. Frank Perna will support BRP's Ob= esity and Physical Activity research agenda, projects and portfolio. <= /span>Click here to view his biosketch.

Cancer prevention in primary care: Predictors of patient = counseling across four risk behaviors over 24 months.

Sequential counselling that targeted individual health be= haviours did not differ from simultaneous counselling that targeted multipl= e behaviours.

Is physical activity a gateway behavior for diet? Finding= s from a physical activity trial.

Cue the gluttony

The Public Health Approach to Eliminating Disparities in = Health.

A qualitative study of physicians' engagement in reducing= healthcare disparities.

Reducing Disparities Downstream: Prospects and Challenges= .

Use of smoking-cessation treatments in the United States<= /span>=

New smoking restriction ignites debate

The Effect of Working for Pay on Adolescent Tobacco Use=

Proactive interventions for smoking cessation in general = medical practice: a quasi-randomized controlled trial to examine the effica= cy of computer-tailored letters and physician-delivered brief advice.

Association between obesity and depression in middle-aged= women

For Girls, Eating with Family Is Eating Healthy

Prison study could show better diet reduces violence

The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies = in Epidemiology (STROBE) statement: guidelines for reporting observational = studies.

Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in E= pidemiology (STROBE): explanation and elaboration.

Reports & Publications

&midd= ot; DCCPS has new step-by-step guides on th= eir website to assist researchers in completing Progress Reports and Final Reports.

&midd= ot; The National Institutes of Health has i= ssued a Revised Policy on Enhancing Public Access to Archived Publications = Resulting from NIH-Funded Research. The full text of the revised policy is available onl= ine.

&midd= ot; OBSSR released their most recent resear= ch agenda: The document was developed over a year of consensus b= uilding and deliberation. The prospectus addresses strategic rec= ommendations for future research priorities in the behavioral and social sc= iences. If addressed, these priorities can make a substantial and cri= tical contribution to the mission of the National Institutes of Health to i= mprove the Nation's health and wellbeing. Click Here for the full rep= ort: The Contributions of Behavioral and Social Sciences Resea= rch to Improving the Health of the Nation: A Prospectus for the Future= . = ; &n= bsp;

&m= iddot; Health Behavior Change in People with Mental Disorders (R= 01)= - The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) encourages studies = on health behavior change related to function, disability, morbidity, and m= ortality in people with mental disorders. An important goal of this Funding= Opportunity Announcement (FOA) is to identify potent, modifiable risk and = protective health behavior factors amenable to intervention, and to transla= te the results of such studies into initial tests of theory-driven preventi= on and early intervention strategies aimed at improving function and decrea= sing disability, morbidity, and mortality among people with mental disorder= s.

&m= iddot; Behavioral and Social Science Research on Understanding a= nd Reducing Health Disparities (R21)= - To encourage behavioral and social science research on the causes and so= lutions to health and disabilities disparities in the U. S. population. Hea= lth disparities between, on the one hand, racial/ethnic populations, lower = socioeconomic classes, and rural residents and, on the other hand, the over= all U.S. population are major public health concerns. Emphasis is placed on= research in and among three broad areas of action: 1) Public policy, 2) he= alth care, and 3) disease/disability prevention. Particular attention is gi= ven to reducing “health gaps” among groups. Proposals that util= ize an interdisciplinary approach, investigate multiple levels of analysis,= incorporate a life-course perspective, and/or employ innovative methods su= ch as system science or community-based participatory research are particul= arly encouraged.

&m= iddot; Dissemination and Implementation Research in Health (R01)= = - This Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) encourages investigators to = submit research grant applications that will identify, develop, and refine = effective and efficient methods, structures, and strategies that test model= s to disseminate and implement research-tested health behavior change inter= ventions and evidence-based prevention, early detection, diagnostic, treatm= ent, and quality of life improvement services into public health and clinic= al practice settings.

&m= iddot; Small Grants for Behavioral Research in Cancer Control (R= 03)= - The objective of the NCI Small Grants Program for Behavioral Research in= Cancer Control is to provide support for new investigators or established = scientists refocusing their research interests to behavioral research in ca= ncer control. The award is designed to aid and facilitate the growth of a n= ationwide cohort of scientists with a high level of research expertise in b= ehavioral cancer control research. The award provides support for pilot or = feasibility studies, development and testing of new methodologies, developm= ent and testing of new research technology, secondary analysis of existing = data, self-contained research projects, or innovative studies that provide = a basis for more extended research (see also http://dccps.nci.nih.gov/small= grants/). Examples of behavioral investigations in cancer control activitie= s supported by this funding opportunity include, but are not limited to, th= e following areas: basic and biobehavioral research health disparitie= s research, health promotion research, and tobacco control research.=

To search for further funding opportunities, visit the NIH Grants website.

&m= iddot; Five Postdoctoral Fellowships - Scott &= ; White and Texas A&M Health Science Center seek applications for its 2= 008/2009 class of postdoctoral fellows. Fellows will work within one of fou= r research programs focused on the scientific study of factors that influen= ce health and wellness throughout the life-span using multi-layered, system= -wide interventions and multidimensional outcome measures. Fellows will be = mentored by leading translational scientists in the fields of gerontology, = behavioral and social sciences, pharmacy and women’s health. Research= topics will include healthy aging, caregiving, long term care, chronic dis= ease management, obesity prevention, community-based health & wellness,= and translation of evidence-based programs and practices.

&m= iddot; Research Scientists, Program= on Aging and Care = - Scott & White and Texas A&M Health Science Center are seeking out= standing Research Scientists to join our nationally recognized Program on A= ging and Care at the rank of Assistant Professor. Successful candidates wil= l join a team of researchers conducting trials on interventions for older a= dults with chronic illness and their caregivers. Collaboration with cl= inicians, scientists, and community organizations is expected. Applicants m= ust have a PhD or comparable graduate degree, plus a minimum of two years r= esearch experience. The position is open to candidates with training in beh= avioral and social sciences, public health, health services research, nursi= ng and related areas. For additional information regarding these posi= tions, please contact: Alan B. Stevens, PhD, Director, S&W Program on A= ging and Care, c/o Jason Culp, Recruiter, Scott & White Clinic, 2401 S.= 31st, Temple, TX 76508. (800) 725-3627 jculp@swmail.= sw.org= . Scott & White is an equal opportunity employer.

&m= iddot; Physical Activity Researcher - Risk Facto= r Monitoring and Methods Branch, Applied Research Program, The National Can= cer Institute (NCI)

&m= iddot; <= span lang=3Den-US style=3D'font-size:11.0pt;font-family:Arial;text-decoration:= underline; language:en-US'>Faculty Position in Chronic Disease Epidemiology= - The Hubert Department of Global Health (HGH), Rollins School of Public H= ealth (RSPH), Emory University announces an international search for a tenu= re-track Assistant/Associate Professor actively involved in cardio-metaboli= c health, with a focus on issues related to diabetes and obesity. Potential= focus areas for the position include epidemiology and prevention, migratio= n and cardio-metabolic risk, behavioral sciences, health services research = and economics as they relate to diabetes/obesity. Multiple opportunities fo= r multidisciplinary collaboration exist with other academic departments at = Emory, locally, nationally, and globally. Global Health is one of a small n= umber of signature themes selected to guide Emory University's strategic de= velopment. Diabetes/Obesity has been identified as one of the key faculty n= eeds for advancing the University's considerable strengths in global health= .

Let us hear about any pertinent job postings! We are happy t= o circulate employment opportunities via email or post them to the HMC webs= ite. Email announcements to Chris = Kaunas= .

While there have been new breakthroughs in the design of effective= HIV risk-reduction interventions for African American adolescent females, = an adolescent subgroup at high risk of HIV, there are no published maintena= nce strategies with demonstrated evidence of effectiveness in sustaining ne= wly acquired HIV-preventive behaviors over protracted periods of time. Whil= e showing a capacity to reduce HIV-associated risk behaviors, many HI= V interventions also report observing decay in treatment effects over time.= Unfortunately, for behavior change to be meaningful, it must be endu= ring. HIV Prevention Maintenance for African A= merican Teens= (1R01 MH070537) is a randomized controlled trial<= span lang=3Den-US style=3D'font-size:7.3259pt;font-family:Arial;language:en-US= '>= evaluating the efficacy of an HIV prevention maintenance strategy, tailored= telephone-delivered HIV prevention education sessions, relative to a time-= equivalent comparison (telephone-delivered general health promotion educati= on sessions), to sustain the effects of a CDC-defined evidence-based, group= -delivered HIV intervention (known as SiHLE), in reducing incident STDs and= enhancing condom-protected vaginal sex acts among African-American adolesc= ent females over an 18-month follow-up period.

This research design provides a conceptually and methodologically = rigorous evaluation of the HIV prevention maintenance strategy. = An interim data analysis has shown promising treatment advantages for the = HIV prevention maintenance strategy for the primary biological and behavior= al outcomes over an 18-month follow-up: (1) a significant reduction in labo= ratory-confirmed incident STDs (OR=3D.56; P=3D .03); and (2) a significant = effect in amplifying percent condom-protected vaginal sex acts (11% relativ= e mean difference; P=3D.03) (see Fig. 1). A significant reduction = in pregnancy (OR=3D .64; P=3D.05) was also observed. Overall, t= he observed magnitude and consistency of effects, for both the primary biological and behavioral = outcomes, strengthen confidence in the efficacy of the HIV-TES as an HIV pr= evention maintenance strategy.