scholarly journals A Smartphone App for Attentional Bias Retraining in Smokers: Mixed Methods Pilot Study

10.2196/22582 ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e22582
Author(s):  
Carol C Choo ◽  
Yi Zhuang Tan ◽  
Melvyn W B Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe

Background Smoking is a global health threat. Attentional bias influences smoking behaviors. Although attentional bias retraining has shown benefits and recent advances in technology suggest that attentional bias retraining can be delivered via smartphone apps, there is a paucity of research on this topic. Objective This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use of attentional bias retraining via a novel smartphone app using a mixed methods pilot study. In the quantitative phase, it is hypothesized that participants in the training group who undertake attentional bias retraining via the app should have decreased levels of attentional bias, subjective craving, and smoking frequency, compared with those in the control group who do not undertake attentional bias retraining. The qualitative phase explores how the participants perceive and experience the novel app. Methods In all, 10 adult smokers (3 females and 7 males) between the ages of 26 and 56 years (mean 34.4 years, SD 9.97 years) were recruited. The participants were randomly allocated to the training and control groups. In weeks 1 and 3, participants from both groups attempted the standard visual probe task and rated their smoking frequency and subjective craving. In week 2, the participants in the training group attempted the modified visual probe task. After week 3, participants from both groups were interviewed about their views and experiences of the novel app. Results The results of the quantitative analysis did not support this study’s hypothesis. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results yielded 5 themes: ease, helpfulness, unhelpful aspects, barriers, and refinement. Conclusions Findings from the qualitative study were consistent with those from previous studies on health-related smartphone apps. The qualitative results were helpful in understanding the user perspectives and experiences of the novel app, indicating that future research in this innovative area is necessary.

scholarly journals A Smartphone App for Attentional Bias Retraining in Smokers: Mixed Methods Pilot Study (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carol C Choo ◽  
Yi Zhuang Tan ◽  
Melvyn W B Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe

BACKGROUND Smoking is a global health threat. Attentional bias influences smoking behaviors. Although attentional bias retraining has shown benefits and recent advances in technology suggest that attentional bias retraining can be delivered via smartphone apps, there is a paucity of research on this topic. OBJECTIVE This study aims to address this gap by exploring the use of attentional bias retraining via a novel smartphone app using a mixed methods pilot study. In the quantitative phase, it is hypothesized that participants in the training group who undertake attentional bias retraining via the app should have decreased levels of attentional bias, subjective craving, and smoking frequency, compared with those in the control group who do not undertake attentional bias retraining. The qualitative phase explores how the participants perceive and experience the novel app. METHODS In all, 10 adult smokers (3 females and 7 males) between the ages of 26 and 56 years (mean 34.4 years, SD 9.97 years) were recruited. The participants were randomly allocated to the training and control groups. In weeks 1 and 3, participants from both groups attempted the standard visual probe task and rated their smoking frequency and subjective craving. In week 2, the participants in the training group attempted the modified visual probe task. After week 3, participants from both groups were interviewed about their views and experiences of the novel app. RESULTS The results of the quantitative analysis did not support this study’s hypothesis. The qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis. The results yielded 5 themes: ease, helpfulness, unhelpful aspects, barriers, and refinement. CONCLUSIONS Findings from the qualitative study were consistent with those from previous studies on health-related smartphone apps. The qualitative results were helpful in understanding the user perspectives and experiences of the novel app, indicating that future research in this innovative area is necessary. CLINICALTRIAL

scholarly journals Effects of mindfulness training on regulatory and academic abilities in preadolescents: Results from a pilot study

2018 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 69-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lena Wimmer ◽  
Lisa von Stockhausen ◽  
Silja Bellingrath
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Verbal Memory ◽  
Passive Control ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Mindfulness Training ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Coping With Stress ◽  
Stress Regulation ◽  
Diurnal Cortisol

AbstractRegulatory abilities such as self-regulation and stress regulation are key predictors of essential developmental outcomes, including intellectual and socioemotional milestones as well as academic achievement. Preadolescence has been proposed as a period that is crucial for training these abilities. The present pilot study investigated the effects of mindfulness training on preadolescents‘ regulatory abilities and school-related outcomes. A group of 34 fifth graders received either mindfulness training (experimental group), Marburg Concentration Training (alternative treatment group), or no treatment (passive control group) and were monitored over a four-month intervention period. Regulatory abilities were assessed first, with two self-report questionnaires that operationalized impulsivity and coping with stress, respectively. Second, physical stress regulation was examined on the basis of diurnal cortisol as well as salivary α-amylase (sAA) profiles. Finally, school-related outcomes were measured with a paperpencil based performance test of verbal memory. Results show that impulsivity increased in all groups over time, whereas there were no significant training effects on self-reported coping with stress. Both training groups showed more adaptive physiological stress regulation in terms of steeper diurnal cortisol slopes and marginally less pronounced sAA awakening responses, however, with respect to physiological measures, no data of the passive control group are available. With respect to school-related outcomes, the results indicate a slight superiority regarding verbal memory for the mindfulness training group compared to the Marburg Concentration Training group.

scholarly journals Measuring Food-Related Attentional Bias

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefania Franja ◽  
Anna E. McCrae ◽  
Tina Jahnel ◽  
Ashley N. Gearhardt ◽  
Stuart G. Ferguson
Keyword(s):  
Reaction Time ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Reaction Times ◽  
Test Reliability ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Retest Reliability ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
The Stability ◽  
Test Retest Reliability

Objective: Food-related attentional bias has been defined as the tendency to give preferential attention to food-related stimuli. Attentional bias is of interest as studies have found that increased attentional bias is associated with obesity; others, however, have not. A possible reason for mixed results may be that there is no agreed upon measure of attentional bias: studies differ in both measurement and scoring of attentional bias. Additionally, little is known about the stability of attentional bias over time. The present study aims to compare attentional bias measures generated from commonly used attentional bias tasks and scoring protocols, and to test re-test reliability.Methods: As part of a larger study, 69 participants (67% female) completed two food-related visual probe tasks at baseline: lexical (words as stimuli), and pictorial (pictures as stimuli). Reaction time bias scores (attentional bias scores) for each task were calculated in three different ways: by subtracting the reaction times for the trials where probes replaced (1) neutral stimuli from the trials where the probes replaced all food stimuli, (2) neutral stimuli from the trials where probes replaced high caloric food stimuli, and (3) neutral stimuli from low caloric food stimuli. This resulted in three separate attentional bias scores for each task. These reaction time results were then correlated. The pictorial visual probe task was administered a second time 14-days later to assess test-retest reliability.Results: Regardless of the scoring use, lexical attentional bias scores were minimal, suggesting minimal attentional bias. Pictorial task attentional bias scores were larger, suggesting greater attentional bias. The correlation between the various scores was relatively small (r = 0.13–0.20). Similarly, test-retest reliability for the pictorial task was poor regardless of how the test was scored (r = 0.20–0.41).Conclusion: These results suggest that at least some of the variation in findings across attentional bias studies could be due to differences in the way that attentional bias is measured. Future research may benefit from either combining eye-tracking measurements in addition to reaction times.

scholarly journals Use of smartphone applications to improve quality of bowel preparation for colonoscopy: a systematic review and meta-analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 07 (02) ◽  
pp. E216-E224 ◽  
Author(s):  
Madhav Desai ◽  
Venkat Nutalapati ◽  
Ajay Bansal ◽  
Daniel Buckles ◽  
John Bonino ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Bowel Preparation ◽  
Meta Analysis ◽  
Smartphone App ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Smartphone Apps ◽  
Standard Education ◽  
Bowel Cleansing ◽  
Bowel Prep

Abstract Introduction Smartphone-based applications (apps) have been used to improve the quality of bowel preparation (prep) but the success rates have been variable. We have performed a systematic review and meta-analysis to evaluate the impact of smartphone apps on bowel preparation. Methods Electronic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Cochrane) were reviewed for eligible studies of smartphone apps versus standard education before colonoscopy. The following outcomes were analyzed: pooled rate of adequacy of bowel prep among both arms and Boston bowel preparation score (BBPS) when reported. Pooled analysis was reported as odds ratio (OR) or mean difference in random effect model with Review Manager 5.3 (P ≤ 0.05 for statistical significance). Results Six studies were eligible with smartphone app (810 patients) vs. standard education (855 patients, control group) for bowel prep. The smartphone app group had a higher proportion of adequate bowel prep compared to the control group: 87.5 % vs 77.5 % (five studies), pooled OR 2.67; 95 %CI 1.00 – 7.13 with P = 0.05. There was substantial heterogeneity in studies with I 2 = 78 %. When analysis was limited to randomized controlled trials (RCTs), smartphone app users had a numerically higher rate of bowel cleansing: 87.1 % vs 76.9 %; however, pooled OR was not statistically significant (OR 2.66, 95 %CI 0.92 – 7.69, P = 0.07). When studies using BBPS were evaluated (n = 3), smartphone app users had higher mean scores (better bowel prep) with a mean difference of 0.9 (95 %CI 0.5 – 1.3), which was statistically significant (P < 0.01). Conclusion The smartphone app is a novel educational tool that can assist in achieving adequate and better bowel cleansing before colonoscopy.

scholarly journals Limited generalisation of changes in attentional bias following attentional bias modification with the visual probe task

2015 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 369-376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bram Van Bockstaele ◽  
Elske Salemink ◽  
Susan M. Bögels ◽  
Reinout W. Wiers
Keyword(s):  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Attentional Bias Modification ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
Bias Modification

scholarly journals Effect of Aerobic Training and Resistance Training on Circulating Irisin Level and Their Association With Change of Body Composition in Overweight/Obese Adults: a Pilot Study

2016 ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
H.-J. KIM ◽  
H.-J. LEE ◽  
B. SO ◽  
J. S. SON ◽  
D. YOON ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Composition ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Resistance Training ◽  
Aerobic Training ◽  
Exercise Program ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Anthropometric Parameters ◽  
Obese Adults ◽  
Before And After

The novel myokine irisin has been reported as a therapeutic target for metabolic disease. The objective of this study is to reveal the effects of aerobic training (AT) and resistance training (RT) on circulating irisin levels and their associations with change of body composition in overweight/obese adults. Twenty eight overweight/obese adults (BMI>23 kg/m2) were included in this study and compared before and after 8 weeks of exercise program (60 min/day, 5 times in a week). The subjects, in both aerobic and resistance training, showed significant improvement in anthropometric parameters and exercise capacities including maximal oxygen uptake and muscle strength. Interestingly, the circulating irisin was significantly increased in resistance training group (p=0.002) but not in aerobic training (p=0.426) compared to control group. In addition, we found the positive correlation between change of the circulating irisin and muscle mass (r=0.432, p=0.022) and the negative correlation between change of the circulating irisin and fat mass (r=−0.407, p=0.031). In the present pilot study, we found that circulating irisin level was increased by 8 weeks of resistance training in overweight/obese adults, suggesting that resistance training could be the efficient exercise type in overweight/obese considering positive change of body composition concomitant with increase of irisin levels.

scholarly journals Impact of online Internet Training on the Prevention and Control of the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xiaoli Wang ◽  
Haiyan Zhang ◽  
Hongmei Xu ◽  
Yao Wang ◽  
Ping Wang
Keyword(s):  
Prevention And Control ◽  
Patient Management ◽  
Online Training ◽  
Training Group ◽  
Medical Waste ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Theoretical Knowledge ◽  
The Novel ◽  
Novel Coronavirus ◽  
And Control

Abstract Background To observe the impact of online internet training on the prevention and control of the novel coronavirus pneumonia, and to supply clinical evidence for an effective safety training model for emergent public safety situations. Methods A total of 2,080 medical technicians of the Third People’s Hospital of Yancheng, affiliated to Southeast University, were enrolled and divided into two groups based on the training mode (online vs. routine). They were evaluated based on the rate of excellence in five aspects: medical technicians’ prevention and control, patient management, disinfection, medical waste disposal, and hand hygiene. A questionnaire was used to check the theoretical knowledge of both groups of the prevention and control of the new coronavirus pneumonia. Results The online training group had a higher excellence rate for medical technicians’ prevention and control, patient management, disinfection, and medical waste disposal than the control group (p < 0.05). However, there was no statistically significant difference in hand hygiene assessment between the two groups. Based on the self-made questionnaire star-based survey, the online training group was more informed than the control group on the theoretical knowledge of the new coronavirus pneumonia. Conclusion Online training can effectively and safely improve the awareness regarding the infection-related knowledge and compliance of preventive measures. Thus, it should be implemented in hospitals to minimize the risk of cross-transmission among people.

scholarly journals Spatial Anticipatory Attentional Bias for Threat: Reliable Individual Differences with RT-based Online Measurement

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas Edward Gladwin ◽  
Matthijs Vink
Keyword(s):  
Individual Differences ◽  
General Population ◽  
Attentional Bias ◽  
Online Measurement ◽  
Emotional Stimuli ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Probe Task ◽  
Significant Bias ◽  
Visual Probe ◽  
Online Data Collection

Cues that predict the future location of emotional stimuli may evoke an anticipatory form of automatic attentional bias. The reliability of this bias towards threat is uncertain: experimental design may need to be optimized or individual differences may simply be relatively noisy in the general population. The current study therefore aimed to determine the split-half reliability of the bias, in a design with fewer factors and more trials than in previous work. A sample of 63 participants was used for analysis, who performed the cued Visual Probe Task online, which aims to measure an anticipatory attentional bias. The overall bias towards threat was tested and split-half reliability was calculated over even and odd blocks. Results showed a significant bias towards threat and a reliability of around .7. The results support systematic individual differences in anticipatory attentional bias and demonstrate that RT-based bias scores, with online data collection, can be reliable.

scholarly journals Pilot study of a randomised trial of a guided e-learning health promotion intervention for managers based on management standards for the improvement of employee well-being and reduction of sickness absence: the GEM (Guided E-learning for Managers) study

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 1-114 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephen A Stansfeld ◽  
Lee Berney ◽  
Kamaldeep Bhui ◽  
Tarani Chandola ◽  
Céire Costelloe ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Mixed Methods ◽  
Pilot Study ◽  
Sickness Absence ◽  
Health Research ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Public Health Research ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Management Standards ◽  
E Learning

BackgroundPsychosocial work environments influence employee well-being. There is a need for an evaluation of organisational-level interventions to modify psychosocial working conditions and hence employee well-being.ObjectiveTo test the acceptability of the trial and the intervention, the feasibility of recruitment and adherence to and likely effectiveness of the intervention within separate clusters of an organisation.DesignMixed methods: pilot cluster randomised controlled trial and qualitative study (in-depth interviews, focus group and observation).ParticipantsEmployees and managers of a NHS trust. Inclusion criteria were the availability of sickness absence data and work internet access. Employees on long-term sick leave and short-term contracts and those with a notified pregnancy were excluded.InterventionE-learning program for managers based on management standards over 10 weeks, guided by a facilitator and accompanied by face-to-face meetings. Three clusters were randomly allocated to receive the guided e-learning intervention; a fourth cluster acted as a control.Main outcome measuresRecruitment and participation of employees and managers; acceptability of the intervention and trial; employee subjective well-being using the Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Wellbeing Scale (WEMWBS); and feasibility of collecting sickness absence data.ResultsIn total, 424 employees out of 649 approached were recruited and 41 managers out of 49 were recruited from the three intervention clusters. Of those consenting, 350 [83%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 79% to 86%] employees completed the baseline assessment and 291 (69%, 95% CI 64% to 73%) completed the follow-up questionnaires. Sickness absence data were available from human resources for 393 (93%, 95% CI 90% to 95%) consenting employees. In total, 21 managers adhered to the intervention, completing at least three of the six modules. WEMWBS scores fell slightly in all groups, from 50.4 to 49.0 in the control group and from 51.0 to 49.9 in the intervention group. The overall intervention effect was 0.5 (95% CI –3.2 to 4.2). The fall in WEMWBS score was significantly less among employees whose managers adhered to the intervention than among those employees whose managers did not (–0.7 vs. 1.6, with an adjusted difference of 1.6, 95% CI 0.1 to 3.2). The intervention and trial were acceptable to managers, although our study raises questions about the widely used concept of ‘acceptability’. Managers reported insufficient time to engage with the intervention and lack of senior management ‘buy-in’. It was thought that the intervention needed better integration into organisational processes and practice.ConclusionsThe mixed-methods approach proved valuable in illuminating reasons for the trial findings, for unpacking processes of implementation and for understanding the influence of study context. We conclude from the results of our pilot study that further mixed-methods research evaluating the intervention and study design is needed. We found that it is feasible to carry out an economic evaluation of the intervention. We plan a further mixed-methods study to re-evaluate the intervention boosted with additional elements to encourage manager engagement and behaviour change in private and public sector organisations with greater organisational commitment.Study registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN58661009.FundingThis project was funded by the NIHR Public Health Research programme and will be published in full inPublic Health Research; Vol. 3, No. 9. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

scholarly journals Novel Method of Remotely Monitoring the Face-Device Distance and Face Illuminance Using Mobile Devices: A Pilot Study

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosa María Salmerón-Campillo ◽  
Mateusz Jaskulski ◽  
Sergio Lara-Cánovas ◽  
José Manuel González-Méijome ◽  
Norberto López-Gil
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Control Group ◽  
The Novel ◽  
The Face ◽  
Environmental Lighting ◽  
Recorded Data ◽  
Novel Method ◽  
Near Work ◽  
Handheld Electronic Devices

Specially developed software (app) was written for handheld electronic devices that uses the device camera and light detector for real-time monitoring of near-work distance and environmental lighting. A pilot study of this novel app employed children using tablet computers in a classroom. Measurements of face-device distance and face illuminance were obtained from two schools where tablets were used regularly. Children were divided randomly into a control group (CG) and intervention group (IG). The app was calibrated in a lab and configured to store average values every 20 seconds in a remote database. In both groups, the app recorded data only when a child’s face was present in the camera image. The app darkened the screen for the IG when the face-device distance was shorter than 40 cm. The total mean face-device distance was 36.8 ± 5.7 cm in CG and 47.2 ± 6.5 cm in IG. Children in IG had to accommodate approximately 0.6 D less when using their devices. The mean classroom face illuminance was 980 ± 350 lux in School #1 and 750 ± 400 lux in School #2. The novel method of remotely monitoring and controlling the face-device distance and illuminance can potentially open new paths for myopia prevention and myopia control.

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