Appalachians Together Restoring the Eating Environment: Improving Healthy Diet in Rural Appalachian...
Feeding BehaviorDrinking BehaviorMost of the nation's serious chronic health challenges and causes of death, including diabetes, heart disease, cancer, and obesity, are directly linked to sub-optimal diet. Both poor diets and associated disease are disproportionately common in the Appalachian counties of eastern Kentucky, a region with stark health inequities, including elevated rates of obesity, overweight, and premature mortality. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a multi-component intervention developed through community-based participatory research methods for improving access to healthy foods and enhancing dietary intake in eastern Kentucky. The intervention components evaluated in this study consist of: 1) a school-based campaign to promote water consumption in middle and high schools and 2) a series of group cooking classes for adults.
Microstructural Analysis of Ingestive Behavior After Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass - Pilot
MealObesity7 moreThe ability to assess ingestion in fine detail over the time course of a liquid meal allows for comparison of early and late meal features of drinking and may help dissociate manipulations (surgical, neural, pharmacological, etc.) that affect orosensory properties from those that are modulating postoral processes in the control of intake. The aim of the study is to asses microstructural changes in liquid meal intake over 1-year in severely obese patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB).
A Social Media Intervention for Risky Drinking
Drinking BehaviorThis study is being completed to pilot prevention methods to promote wellness and reduce risky behaviors, including the use of substances such as alcohol and other drugs. This study will help the study team learn about ways of delivering this information that is both appealing and helpful to young adults.
Evaluating Perceived Fitness to Drive While Intoxicated
Alcohol DrinkingAlcohol Intoxication6 moreThe goal of this study is to conduct a laboratory-based pilot randomized control trial of smartphone-enabled breath alcohol monitoring on perceived fitness to drive a vehicle among intoxicated adults. The study team will enroll up to 30 adults aged > 21-44 who are frequent drinkers without dependence who drive more than four times per week to complete a standardized alcohol drinking protocol in a monitored setting collecting breathalyzer measurements. The protocol involves consuming three weight-based doses of alcohol with a target BAC of 0.10 and completing breathalyzer measurements every 20 minutes until a BAC of 0.03 is reached. The control group will complete a visual analog scale on their perceived fitness to drive and be blinded to their breath alcohol readings with the BACtrack Mobile Pro breathalyzer device, while the intervention group would do the same, but be shown their breath alcohol readings on the paired BACtrack smartphone application. The research team's previous research has validated the accuracy of the BACtrack Mobile Pro device to measure BAC within +/- 0.001 of police-grade breathalyzer and estimate BAC within +/- 0.01 of a blood test.
Using Counter Attitudinal Advocacy to Change Drinking Behavior
Alcohol DrinkingAlcohol AbuseHigh volume drinking by young adults has proven resistant to change, so new approaches are needed. We adapt a theory-based attitude change strategy for use in alcohol prevention. This research tests the impact of brief writing and advocacy activities on subsequent drinking and negative consequences.
Social Media Alcohol Intervention
Drinking BehaviorRisky DrinkingSocial media provides frequent interaction with online social networks, increasing exposure to peer influences, which could affect alcohol use in negative or positive ways. The proposed study will recruit adolescents and emerging adults using social media ads, and conduct online screening, enrolling 975 risky drinkers in a randomized controlled trial comparing three conditions: 8-week Social Media Intervention + Incentives, 8-week Social Media Intervention Only, and an e-news attention control condition. These innovative design features will provide the critical next step in harnessing social media to reduce alcohol misuse, which could have enormous public health impact by altering the alcohol use trajectories of youth.