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Results of the ¡Caminemos Juntas! Project

Results of the ¡Caminemos Juntas! Project

Klein Buendel researchers and collaborators from Stanford University have completed an SBIR Phase I and II project to develop and evaluate the effectiveness of the first smartphone app to use geo-location technology dedicated to walking with a social emphasis for exercise and quality of life for Latinas.

Health disparities are high among Latinas. They are more likely to be overweight, diagnosed with diabetes, and physically inactive compared to their non-Hispanic White counterparts. Despite numerous interventions designed to increase physical activity, few are specifically tailored to Latinas. Thus, this project developed ¡Caminemos Juntas!, a smartphone app that uses location-based services to connect Latinas with one another in order to improve walking habits by increasing social support and decreasing perceived barriers.

Available data suggest that community-focused interventions produce improvements in physical activity and are well-received by Latinas, especially when social and physical environments, such as social support and safe walking areas, are considered. Research suggests that Latinas respond favorably to technological-based health interventions. Thus, health promotion interventions that can address Latinas’ preferences regarding their physical and social environments while utilizing a preferred technology source have the potential to be very effective.

Phase I Project

In the Phase I project, formative research was conducted to guide development of a prototype smartphone app for the target population. Specifically, the research and development team:

(1) gathered feedback from an Expert Advisory Board to help plan and assess the feasibility of creating the app;

(2) built connections and gathered input from Latina community leaders to assist in the conceptual development of the app through a Community Advisory Board;

(3) conducted an online survey of a national sample of Latinas on their smartphone usage for health promotion, and interest in social networking and location-based technology features;

(4) conducted iterative focus groups with Latinas to guide development of app content, design, and aesthetics to fully develop a functioning prototype;

(5) conducted field usability testing with Latinas to test the app’s accuracy to establish users’ location and connect users through the ¡Caminemos Juntas! system and users’ use and satisfaction with the app; and

(6) developed a specifications document to outline the Phase II development and programming plan.

The results of the Phase I study revealed that 22.5% of Latina participants never or rarely exercised, 73.5% accessed social networking sites daily with an average of 8 times a day, and 43.9% used location-based technology every day. Ease of use (82%), informationally accurate (79.2%), and reliability (84.7%) were app features rated as highly important. Over 63% reported high likelihood of using a social networking app to connect to others with the intentions of being physically active, and 67.4% reported that this type of app would be very helpful. Focus groups showed that the app was appealing, also.

Phase II Project

In the Phase II project, the ¡Caminemos Juntas! app was fully developed and evaluated in a randomized comparative-effectiveness trial with Latinas in San Jose, CA and Denver, CO. The location-based features of the app allowed Latinas to determine a safe place to meet for a walk, connect with other users nearby, and be notified if there was an available walk in the user’s vicinity. Specifically, the research and development team:

(1) developed a full-scale, fully programmed ¡Caminemos Juntas! app;

(2) determined whether the ¡Caminemos Juntas! app can be translated and adapted to a new community environment;

(3) tested the performance, usage, and usability of the full-scale, fully-programmed app; and

(4) evaluated whether ¡Caminemos Juntas! increases physical activity, social support for exercise, and quality of life in Latinas as compared to a control app.

The ¡Caminemos Juntas! app (intervention group; n=38) was compared to use of the World Walking App (control group; n=40). Women ages 18 to 67 who identified as Hispanic or Latina were eligible to participate. Recruitment, retention, and implementation were hindered significantly by the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. The intervention was set to launch in the spring of 2020. Recruitment was delayed and when it was determined that the pandemic would be a long-term hinderance, changes were made to the app to allow participants to complete virtual walks instead of in-person. Eighty-eight percent (88%) of participants (n=69) completed measures at 4 weeks and ninety-seven percent (97%) of participants (n=76) completed measures at 8 weeks.

The primary outcome measure was change in physical activity at 4 and 8 weeks using the Community Healthy Activities Model Program for Seniors (CHAMPS) questionnaire. The CHAMPS is a 41-item questionnaire that measures self-reported minutes-per-week of physical activity calculated as total weekly caloric expenditure for all physical activity. It was developed for underactive populations and validated among older adults. The CHAMPS asks about activities undertaken for exercise, daily activities that are physical in nature, and physically active recreational activities during a typical week in the past 4 or 8 weeks. Each question has six answer options that range from “Less than 1 hour” to “9 or more hours.” At the 8-week follow-up, participants in ¡Caminemos Juntas!  reported 5.2 hours per week of moderate-intensity exercise related activities per week compared to 4.3 hours in the control group, though this result is not statistically significant.

Participants in the intervention group reported living in more walkable (35.3% of intervention participants rated their sidewalks very well maintained compared to 17.7% of control participants (p=0.04) and safer neighborhoods (63.6% of participants in the intervention rated the public recreation facilities in their neighborhood as very safe compared to 31.6% in the control (p=0.03). However, ¡Caminemos Juntas! users reported significantly lower street connectivity than the control group.

Overall, the ¡Caminemos Juntas! app was found to have the potential to impact Latinas’ health by providing them with real-time opportunities to connect socially with the goal of walking. Interventions that target improving health access and ameliorating chronic diseases among Latinas are of high public health importance.

This research was supported by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (MD009652; Dr. Valerie Myers, former Klein Buendel Senior Scientist) at the National Institutes of Health. Dr. Myers’ primary collaborator was Dr. Abby King from Stanford University.

The Grow, Eat, Thrive School Gardening Curriculum is Now Free

The Grow, Eat, Thrive School Gardening Curriculum is Now Free

September is National Childhood Obesity Month because increasing awareness about how to prevent overweight and obesity children is a public health priority. To help with the effort, Klein Buendel is making its Grow, Eat, Thrive elementary school curriculum available to teachers for free online. Grow, Eat, Thrive pairs nutrition and physical activity education with container gardening for children in grades Kindergarten through 5. It teaches students about the benefits of eating fruits and vegetables and engaging in daily exercise for overall good health.

Grow, Eat, Thrive can stand alone or complement a teacher’s existing lesson plans. While completing lessons, students plant their own container or outdoor garden, care for it, and harvest what they have grown. This hands-on approach provides students with a sense of where fresh produce comes from, an appreciation for healthy foods and daily activity, and a connection to making healthy life choices. The lessons are age and grade level appropriate, and relate to a variety of content standards for easy implementation.

The evidence-based curriculum was created and tested by Klein Buendel with students at six Colorado elementary schools and was found to increase knowledge of a healthy diet in all grades. In younger grades, the curriculum improved attitudes toward a healthy diet and increased intake of healthier foods.

“As obesity rates continue to rise, education that addresses nutrition and physical activity in elementary schools is essential,” said Ms. Mary Buller, one of the curriculum collaborators from Klein Buendel. “Grow, Eat, Thrive helps makes that education easy and fun for everyone.”

Grow, Eat, Thrive was created with a grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA 2005-33610-16469; Ms. Lee Stiffler-Myer, Principal Investigator). To access the free lesson plans, visit the Grow, Eat, Thrive website.

African Heritage and Health Week

African Heritage and Health Week

The first week of February is African Heritage and Health Week – a celebration of the flavors and healthy cooking techniques that were central and vital to the well-being of African ancestors from Africa, South America, the Caribbean, and the American South. February is the perfect time to honor and explore this healthy culinary history because it is also Black History Month.

African Heritage and Health Week was pioneered by Oldways to promote healthier, happier living through cultural food traditions. Studies have shown that many chronic conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, and obesity, now prevalent in African American communities, tend to appear in populations as traditional diets are changed or abandoned. The program is designed to raise awareness about the health benefits and exciting flavors of traditional African heritage cuisines, and to invite people everywhere to taste these traditional foods, whether at a restaurant, a community event, or at home with friends and family.

Klein Buendel’s Real Health Photos® can help increase the effectiveness of health campaigns – such as those promoting healthy cultural cooking in African American communities – by providing photographs for print and digital media that represent and appeal to the target population. This unique stock photography enterprise includes numerous images of people shopping, cooking, and eating in healthy ways. Real Health Photos show diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, income level, and health condition.

Real Health Photos is a stock photography service owned and operated by Klein Buendel. It was developed with a research grant (MD003338, Mary Buller, Principal Investigator) from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Real Health Photos is designed to capture the diversity of health through photography and promote the inclusion of all populations in health promotion materials and media – and the effectiveness of the intended health message.

For more images, visit Real Health Photos.

Ms. Mary Buller, President and Owner of Klein Buendel, and her coauthors recently published a paper on their photographic research in the Journal of Health Communication.

Real Health Photos – Yoga Awareness Month

Real Health Photos – Yoga Awareness Month

September is National Yoga Awareness Month. Yoga is a mind and body practice with historical origins in ancient Indian philosophy. Like other meditative movement practices used for health purposes, various styles of yoga typically combine physical postures, breathing techniques, and meditation or relaxation.

According to the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health at the National Institutes of Health, millions of Americans of all ages practice yoga each year. Many people who practice yoga do so to maintain their health and well-being, improve physical fitness, relieve stress, and enhance quality of life. They may also be addressing specific health conditions, such as back pain, neck pain, arthritis or anxiety.

KB’s Real Health Photos stock photography enterprise includes thousands of images to help organizations visually illustrate people being physically active for better health. Real Health Photos images show diversity of gender, race, ethnicity, age, income level, and health condition.

Use Real Health Photos for improving the impact of health campaigns for all kinds of people, including people practicing yoga.

Woman Sitting Doing YogaMan and Woman Standing On Rock Outstretching Arms Doing YogaTwo Women Holding Hands Standing On One Foot Each Doing YogaWoman Reaching for Sky Doing Yoga
For more images, visit Real Health Photos.

Real Health Photos is a stock photography service owned and operated by KB. It was created and evaluated with a research grant (R44MD003338, Mary Buller, Principal Investigator) from the National Institute of Minority Health and Health Disparities at the National Institutes of Health. Real Health Photos is designed to capture the diversity of health through photography and promote the inclusion of all populations in health promotion materials and media.

Precision Pain Management App for Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease

Precision Pain Management App for Adolescents with Sickle Cell Disease

Dr. Valerie Myers, KB Senior Scientist, is presenting a poster on the Pinpoint Project at the 39th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the Society of Behavioral Medicine, April 11-14, 2018 in New Orleans, Louisiana.

“Pinpoint: Gaming Technology to Engage Adolescent Sickle Cell Patients in Precision Pain Management” was a Phase I SBIR project that examined the feasibility and acceptability of a gamified tablet application intended to encourage teens (aged 13-17) to assess and talk about their sickle cell disease (SCD) pain. SCD is the most common inherited blood disorder in the U.S. and affects primarily African Americans and Hispanics. Approximately, 1,000 U.S. children are born with SCD annually. SCD complications can be serious and have a significant impact on well-being and quality of life.

Pain is the hallmark symptom associated with SCD and is the primary cause of SCD-related hospital admissions. Accurate assessment of pain specifiers (type, frequency, and intensity of pain) can help with ameliorating pain quickly and effectively. Reducing barriers to collection and promoting the value of accurate SCD pain assessment is a need in pediatric medicine. The interactive games for health literacy among youths have shown video games can improve self-efficacy; stimulate health discussions with friends, family, and clinical team; encourage seeking support and advice, and can emphasize behavior acquisition via experiential learning. Interactive games can provide information about causes, treatments, and self-care options, and can improve self-care and reduced emergency clinical utilization.

The Pinpoint app prototype for tablets and smartphones consisted of a Pain Assessment Tool, vocabulary game, body scanner reflection, educational self-disclosure activity, and excerpts from the Hope and Destiny Jr. book authored by Hsu, Rodrigues, and Brandalise. Four healthcare providers were interviewed on the app’s acceptability and potential function within the clinical practice. Sixteen teens participated in cognitive interviews, focus groups, and usability testing. The System Usability Scale (SUS), a validated tool for assessing the usability and acceptability of technological products, served as the primary outcome. The preliminary SUS score well above average, suggesting a high level of acceptability and usability among users. The conference poster will include final project outcomes and the plan for the future development of the full Pinpoint app.

This research was funded by a grant from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (R43MD010746; Dr. Valerie Myers, PI). Research collaborators included Mary Buller from KB, and Dr. Hilton Hudson and Megan Lippert from the Hilton Publishing Company, publishers of the Hope & Destiny and Hope & Destiny Jr. sickle cell disease management books.

KB to Co-Host International UV Conference May 1-4, 2018

KB to Co-Host International UV Conference May 1-4, 2018

Klein Buendel is a proud North American organizer and host of the 4th International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention being held May 1-4, 2018 in Toronto, Canada. The 2018 conference is being organized by a joint planning committee of skin cancer prevention experts in Canada and the United States from Ryerson University in Toronto, the Canadian Dermatology Association, and Klein Buendel.

The UV and Skin Cancer Prevention conferences provide an innovative scientific program that showcases the work of the international skin cancer prevention community. The previous conferences have been held in Copenhagen, Denmark (2011), Berlin, Germany (2013), and Melbourne, Australia (2015) and have attracted international experts in skin cancer prevention, UV radiation science, dermatology, allied behavioral and clinical disciplines and members of the environmental planning and design communities who are working in the field of UV and skin cancer prevention. The conferences have been organized by local planning committees dedicated to advancing skin cancer prevention.

The Toronto conference will feature multiple concurrent sessions and poster sessions addressing primary and secondary prevention, school settings, worksites, shade design, sun safety campaigns, indoor tanning trends, sunscreen, and more.

Special plenary sessions will address:

  • New Research Methods for Skin Cancer Prevention
  • Issues in Dissemination of Skin Cancer Prevention Interventions
  • Second Generation Audiences for Skin Cancer Prevention
  • Environmental Issues in Skin Cancer Prevention
  • Screening for Skin Cancer Prevention

Four additional workshops will be held on May 1st:

  • Sun Safety and Skin Health in Youth
  • Young Adulthood Physical Activity
  • Skin Smart Campus
  • Online, Mobile, and Social Media Interventions

To see the program-at-a-glance, speakers, and registration information, visit…

4th International Conference on UV and Skin Cancer Prevention

 

KB’S 2017 Research and Outreach Accomplishments and Other Highlights

KB’S 2017 Research and Outreach Accomplishments and Other Highlights

The year 2017 flew by, but we have taken time to reflect on what we have done at Klein Buendel (KB) to achieve our primary goal of creating and evaluating effective programs and products for health promotion and disease prevention. We are thankful for the research, education, and outreach opportunities that we have participated in, and we are looking forward to continuing our efforts in 2018. Details of some of our 2017 accomplishments and publications are listed below. The names of KB investigators and staff are bolded.

SUMMARY OF KLEIN BUENDEL’S 2017 RESEARCH AND OUTREACH ACCOMPLISHMENTS

  • In June, KB celebrated its 15th anniversary as a small woman-owned business.
  • In August, one of our Senior Scientists, Valerie Myers, was made a Fellow of the Society of Behavioral Medicine.
  • We were awarded 3 new prime grants and 1 subcontract.
  • We completed 7 prime and subcontract research projects.
  • KB scientists and staff presented research findings at 6 national and international conferences (19 posters or presentations).
  • KB scientists, collaborators, and staff published 12 papers of research findings in peer-reviewed journals.

…

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Welcome to the new KB Collaboratory!

Welcome to the new KB Collaboratory!

Welcome to the new KB Collaboratory – a fresh new edition of Klein Buendel’s blog. The KB Collaboratory complements our newly-designed website and disseminates timely information about our behavioral health research and collaborations.

Because we’re a “small bunch,” KB’s behavioral scientists, research staff, and developers collaborate with researchers, clinicians, and creatives from companies, universities, research institutes, and cancer centers around the world to design programs and products to prevent chronic disease. Along with our research publications, conference presentations, website, and social media, this blog is a dynamic outlet for sharing the health communication, education, and technology research that we do in collaboration with our distinguished research, business, and creative partners.

Watch for articles and features in the KB Collaboratory on our:

  • Research collaborators
  • Abstracts and conference presentations
  • Publications
  • New research projects
  • Technology and products
  • Outreach and education
  • News and announcements

If you’d like to get in touch, please email Mary Buller at mbuller@kleinbuendel.com.