Funded Proposals--2009
Jeni L. Burnette, Department of Psychology, University of Richmond
Title: Implicit Theories of Body Weight: Fostering Beliefs for Healthy Behavior
Abstract: The rapid escalation in obesity has become a major public health concern especially considering the association of obesity with serious medical problems such as heart disease and Type II diabetes. Accordingly, interventions are needed to reduce the prevalence of this widespread problem. Instilling knowledge about nutrition and exercise are important first steps that past interventions have employed. However, incorporating proper nutrition and exercise into one's lifestyle is difficult to maintain as it requires motivation (the desire to lose weight) and self-regulation (the strategies and abilities required to achieve one's goals). Thus, in the current proposal, I suggest an intervention aimed at fostering belief systems that lead to long term motivational and self-regulatory strategies that contribute to weight-loss success. One type of intervention that has been successful in encouraging last motivation, self-regulation and achievement in an academic context, but that has yet to be applied to an obesity intervention program, focuses on individuals' implicit theories. Implicit theories are specific beliefs about the degree to which one's ability in a certain domain is fixed or amenable to improvement. Building on past successful interventions in an academic context, in the current proposal, I suggest that an intervention focused on changing implicit theories of body-weight could could increase dieting success and ultimately impact long term weight loss. The primary aim is to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed Fostering Beliefs for Health intervention in improving self-regulation, motivation and ultimately weight-loss success (e.g., BMI, body-fat) compared to a knowledge-based activity control and a no-treatment control.
Elizabeth A. Sharp, Department of Human Development and Family Studies, Texas Tech University
Title: Ever Single Women in their 20s and 30's Who Resist Conventional Family Ideologies: A Grounded Theory Analysis of Identity and Development
Abstract: Despite the growing number of singles in the United States, the idealization of marriage and childrearing remains strong, pervasive, and largely unquestioned. Guided by life course framework, the purpose of the proposed study is to examine identity and development of ever single women between the ages of 25 - 39 who are actively resisting ideologies of marriage and children. Using grounded theory, findings will provide initial theorizing of ever single women's development. Arguably, theorizing about younger, ever single women is underdeveloped in the existing literature. Findings will increase understanding and promote healthy development among ever single women and serve to disrupt the marginalization of single women in the social science literature and the larger culture.
Beverly E. Thorn, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama
Title: Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy for the Treatment of Chronic Headache Pain: A Feasibility Study
Abstract: The literature on the efficacy of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for the treatment of chronic pain is well established. Support for the efficacy of Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) and other mindfulness based treatments for chronic pain is building. Recently, research has demonstrated the efficacy of Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) in simultaneously addressing the outcome variables targeted by both CBT and mindfulness based treatment modalities. Although the efficacy of MBCT for depression and other populations has been investigated, there is no extant literature reporting on MBCT for chronic pain. The current application proposes to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of an MBCT protocol adapted for chronic pain in a series of pilot groups with headache pain patients. We selected headache pain patients for this trial because headache pain is a common complaint in the general population, is the most frequently reported cause of pain in medical practice, and is one of the most disabling conditions for both genders combined. To examine the feasibility of the adapted protocol, we will investigate a number of treatment related outcomes such as recruitment/participation ratio, completion rates, and number of sessions attended. Both primary and secondary outcome variables will be investigated to determine treatment efficacy. This study will provide a research base examining the feasibility and efficacy of MBCT for pain. Results from this study will lay the foundation for future randomized controlled trials comparing MBCT to attention control, and future comparative effectiveness studies of MBCT and CBT.
Robert R. Weaver, Program in Health Sciences, University of Ontario Institute of Technology
Title: Diabetes Self-Management: The Effects of Social Capital, Social Support, and Self-Efficacy
Abstract: Diabetes, with its related complications, constitutes a major threat to human health in the 21st century. Our sedentary lifestyles, computerization, higher rates of obesity, and aging population surely will expand the already-high burden of the disease (Zimmet et al., 2001). Some 24 million Americans (8% of the population) and 2 million Canadians (about 5.5% of the population) have diagnosed diabetes, costing each nation billions of dollars (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008; Public Health Agency of Canada, 2009). Diabetes self-management and training is one key to reducing related complications, lowering healthcare costs, and improving the quality of life (Center for Disease Control and Prevention, 2008). Patients' capacity to manage diabetes varies, however, and may largely depend upon the social (social capital and support) and cognitive (self-efficacy) resource available to them. The proposed project aims to: (1) examine how social capital, social support, and self-efficacy affects health behaviours and perceived health status for diabetes patients; and (2) establish baseline information about diabetes patients' self-management capacity to enable broader investigations of the impact of computer tools on healthcare decision support and patient education. In collaboration with a family health centre, the study will use questionnaires and interviews to explore how social capital, social support, self-efficacy interact to effect change in diabetes-related health behaviours and health status. Further, this baseline information will enable us later to assess how we might improve health behaviours using computer tools to support patient-specific decision making and education.