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Month: December 2020

KLEIN BUENDEL’S 2020 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

KLEIN BUENDEL’S 2020 RESEARCH HIGHLIGHTS

In the year of COVID-19, Klein Buendel scientists and staff continued to conduct rigorous behavioral science research with numerous collaborators from across the country – sometimes under modified conditions. Our investigators launched 5 new projects, published (or e-published ahead of print) 15 research manuscripts in peer-reviewed journals, and presented their research findings at 5 national and international conferences (many of them virtual this year).

In the spring, Dr. Valerie Myers, KB Senior Scientist, was appointed as the Education, Training, and Career Development Council Chair on the Society of Behavioral Medicine (SBM) Board of Directors. SBM is a non-profit organization that brings together multiple independent disciplines to provide new perspectives and progress on human behavior, health, and illness. 

In November, Dr. David Buller, KB’s Director of Research, gave a Grand Rounds presentation at the Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, entitled “Cancer Prevention Policy: Promoting Adoption and Implementation of Sun Safety Policy.” And in December, Dr. Buller presented during a webinar hosted by the National Cancer Institute Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences. The webinar was part of a series designed to explore Policy Implementation Science highlighting the importance of adoption of evidence-based policy in governmental and non-governmental sectors. 

KB was recognized in 2020 as #50 on Colorado Biz Magazine’s Top 100 Woman-Owned Companies list, and as #115 on their Top 200 Private Companies list.

And WayToServe, KB’s evidence-based online responsible alcohol server training program, sold its 100,000th training.

Publications

(KB investigators and staff are indicated in bold type)

  • Kitt-Lewis E, Loeb SJ, Myers V, Jerrod T, Wion RK, Murphy JL. Barriers to and Strategies for Gaining Entry to Correctional Settings for Health Research. Nurs Leadersh (Tor Ont). 2020 Mar;33(1):71-80. doi: 10.12927/cjnl.2020.26190.
  • Reynolds KD, Buller DB, Berteletti J, Massie K, Ashley J, Buller MK, Meenan RT, Liu X. School-level factors associated with sun protection practices in California elementary schools. J Sch Health. 2020 May;90(5):386-394.
  • Buller DB, Pagoto S, Baker K, Walkosz B, Hillhouse JJ, Berteletti J, Bibeau JL, Henry K. Knowledge and support for indoor tanning laws among mothers and teen daughters in 34 states in a randomized trial. Ann Behav Med. 2020 May;54(Suppl 1): S59.
  • Myers VH, Loeb SJ, Kitt-Lewis E, Murphy JL, Wion R, Jerod T. An e-training package to enhance care of aged and dying prisoners. Ann Behav Med. 2020 May;54(Suppl 1): S178.
  • Arroyo KM, Goetz J, Waring ME, Berteletti J, Buller DB, Walkosz B, Baker K, Hillhouse JJ, Henry K, Stapleton J, Pagoto S. Frequency and type of health misinformation in participant comments in a Facebook-delivered cancer risk reduction intervention. Ann Behav Med. 2020 May;54(Suppl 1): S186.
  • Buller DB, Woodall G, Saltz RF, Grayson AM, Buller MK, Svendsen SN, Liu L, Cutter GR. Effects of an online responsible vendor training for recreational marijuana stores on sales to pseudo-underage customers. Ann Behav Med. 2020 May;54(Suppl 1): S492
  • Gonzalez CD, Walkosz BJ, Dellavalle RP. Aftercare instructions in the tattoo community: An opportunity to educate on sun protection and increase skin cancer awareness. J Clin Aesthet Dermatol. 2020 Jun;13(6):22-23.
  • Buller DB, Reynolds KD, Buller MK, Massie K, Berteletti J, Ashley J, Meenan R. Parent reports of sun safety communication and behaviour for students in a randomized trial on a school policy implementation intervention. Aus N Z J Public Health. 2020;44(3):208-214.
  • Kaphingst KA, Khan E, White KM, Sussman A, Guest D, Schofield E, Dailey YT, Robers E, Schwartz MR, Li Y, Buller D, Hunley K, Berwick M, Hay JL. Effects of health literacy skills, educational attainment, and level of melanoma risk on responses to personalized genomic testing. Patient Educ Couns. 2020 Aug 1:S0738-3991(20)30392-X. doi: 10.1016/j.pec.2020.07.019.
  • Reynolds KD, Buller DB, Buller MK, Massie K, Berteletti J, Ashley J, Meenan R. Randomized controlled trial evaluating an intervention supporting implementation of sun safety policies in California public elementary schools. Prev Med. 2020 Aug;137:106125. doi: 10.1016/j.ypmed.2020.106125.
  • Buller DB, Woodall WG, Saltz R, Grayson A, Svendsen S, Cutter GR. Sales to apparently alcohol-intoxicated customers and online responsible vendor training in recreational cannabis stores in a randomized trial. Int J Drug Policy. 2020 Sep;83:102860. doi:10.1016/j.drugpo.102860.
  • Manne S, Buller D, Devine K, Heckman C, Pagoto S, Frederick S, Mitarotondo A. Sun Safe Partners Online: pilot randomized controlled clinical trial. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Sep;22(9):e18037. doi: 10.2196/18037.
  • Buller DB, Buller MK, Meenan R, Cutter GR, Berteletti J, Eye R, Walkosz BJ, Pagoto S. Design and baseline data of a randomized trial comparing two methods for scaling-up an occupational sun protection intervention. Contemp Clin Trials. 2020 Sep 14:106147. doi: 10.1016/j.cct.2020.106147.
  • Walkosz BJ, Dellavalle RP. Scented lotions may cause scaring and premature fading of tattoos. Dermatol Online J. 2020 Oct;26(10): 13030/qt5d2676s2.
  • Meenan RT, Reynolds KD, Buller DB, Massie K, Berteletti J, Buller MK, Ashley J, Liu X. Economic evaluation of a sun protection program in California elementary schools. Am J Health Promot. 2020 Nov;34(8):848-856. doi: 10.1177/0890117120905217.

Conference Presentations

Research by KB scientists, staff, and collaborators was presented at the following conferences this year:

  • Society of Research on Adolescence Biennial Meeting (March 2020)
  • Eastern Nursing Research Society (March 2020)
  • International Papillomavirus Conference & Basic Science, Clinical and Public Health Workshops (July 2020)
  • American Public Health Association (October 2020)
  • Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health (December 2020)
Written Policy Predicts Worksite Sun Safety Training and Actions in State Departments of Transportation

Written Policy Predicts Worksite Sun Safety Training and Actions in State Departments of Transportation

Dr. David Buller, Klein Buendel Director of Research, presented a poster on workplace sun safety policies at the virtual 13th Annual Conference on the Science of Dissemination and Implementation in Health December 15-17, 2020.  

The U.S. Surgeon General and Community Guide recommend implementation of interventions to protect outdoor workers from solar ultraviolet radiation (UV) exposure to prevent skin cancer. For the research presented in this poster, written policies at state Departments of Transportation (DOTs) were examined and analyses tested the hypothesis that presence and strength of sun safety policy would be associated with greater implementation of workplace sun safety actions. 

Written policies from 21 U.S. state DOTs were coded for 15 sun safety components including engineering controls (physical work environment), administrative controls (workplace procedures), and personal protection practices (workers’ sun safety). Managers supervising outdoor workers in 138 regional DOT districts reported on workplace sun safety training and actions (monitoring UV Index to adjust work schedules, employees wearing UV-protective clothing, hats, eyewear, and sunscreen, sun safety messages to employees, employer provides sun protection resources and temporary/permanent shade, employer requests contractor staff comply with policy, employer encourages employees to regularly check skin, and employer conducts a risk assessment). 

Twenty state DOTs had a policy with at least one sun protection component (e.g., sunscreen, clothing, hat, shade provision, adjusting schedules), but almost none included training of employees, managers or supervisors. Many policies were also not explicitly intended for sun safety, except for sunscreen. Though not written, some reported unwritten standard operating, administrative, or training procedures on sun protection. Sun safety training and actions were predicted by a written sun safety policy and unwritten procedure, managers’ behaviors, job responsibilities, and characteristics. 

Policies are essential for implementation and maintenance of employee sun safety. While many state DOTs have policies, they could be improved by explicitly referencing sun safety. Also, training should be added to policy to create collective commitment among managers to support policy implementation and improve employees’ sun safety skills on the job. 

This research is funded by a grant from the National Cancer Institute (CA134705; Dr. David Buller, Principal Investigator). Additional poster coauthors included Dr. Barbara Walkosz, Mary Buller, Rachel Eye, Andrew Grayson, Alishia Kinsey, Xia Liu, and Savanna Olivas from Klein Buendel. 

Listen to the poster presentation.