2007 Final Program - Society of Behavioral Medicine

2007 SBM Annual Meeting & Scientific Sessions March 21-24, 2007 FINAL PROGRAM
Rapid Communications Posters Friday, March 23, 2007 • 6:30 PM-8:00 PM • Poster Session C
to develop a measure of communication channel preference by
generating items reflecting current technology in addition to
items from previous learning styles inventories. A sample of 202
individuals at the University of Rhode Island completed a 62-item
inventory. A principal component analysis was used to reduce the
initial item pool, resulting in an18-item instrument with 6 items
measuring three basic channels: Auditory, Print, and Internet. The
Coefficient Alpha for the three scales was: Auditory = .768, Print,
= .743, and Internet, = .598. These findings provide preliminary
support for the psychometric structure and construct validity of
the survey. In addition, this provides an important foundation
to guide the matching of intervention programs to the preferred
communication channel of the user.
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Jennifer Doucet, Master of Arts,
University of Rhode Island, Kingston, RI, 02881; jdoucet@mail.uri.
edu
3420
AFRICAN AMERICAN WOMEN AND BREAST CANCER
EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES: IS THERE A MATCH
BETWEEN READING ABILITY AND WRITTEN MATERIALS?
Ramona K. Finnie, MPH, CHES 1 , 2 and Barbara D. Powe, PhD 2
1
Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research, University
of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX and 2 Behavioral
Research Center, American Cancer Society, Atlanta, GA.
Recently, there has been a growing interest in health literacy, defined
as the ability of individuals to obtain, process, and understand
basic health information. However, limited research has been done
to evaluate the match between written breast cancer materials
and the ability of women to read them. The Patient / Provider /
System Model guided this exploratory pilot study that assessed the
readability of two breast cancer pamphlets found at the study site
and the women’s ability to comprehend the content. Data were
collected using the breast cancer test of functional health literacy
(BC-TOFHLA) and a demographic questionnaire.
A non-random sample of African American women (N = 34,
mean age = 31 years, mean education = 13 years), was recruited
during a visit to their primary care provider. The mean score on
the BC -TOFHLA was 13 out of 40 points. Literacy level of the
pamphlets was assessed at the 10th grade level using the SMOG
readability formula. These findings suggest that the reading level of
the pamphlets may be too high which may influence the women’s
ability to understand the information.
Despite the ongoing reliance on the written word for patient
education, health literacy remains an underexamined aspect of
breast cancer control efforts. Intervention at the organizational level
is needed to identify more sustainable ways to target materials to
specific populations.
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Ramona K. Finnie, MPH,
CHES, Center for Health Promotion and Prevention Research,
University of Texas School of Public Health, Houston, TX, 77030;
ramona.k.finnie@uth.tmc.edu
3421
INFORMATION-SEEKING PREFERENCES AND HEALTH
BEHAVIORS AMONG PROSTATE CANCER PATIENTS
Mary Politi, PhD, 1 Carolyn Rabin, PhD, 2 Peter Brawer, PhD, 2
Bernardine Pinto, PhD 2 and Justin Nash, PhD 2
1
DGIM, Rhode Island Hospital/Brown Medical School, Providence,
RI, RI and 2 CBPM, Miriam Hospital/Brown Medical School,
Providence, RI.
Background. Prostate cancer is the second most common type of
cancer in men in the US. As many as 73% of men diagnosed with
prostate cancer seek information from sources other than physicians.
However, few studies have examined information-seeking and its
relation to health behaviors. Given that the 5-year survival rate for
early-stage prostate cancer is as high as 99%, many men may seek
information about behavioral strategies to enhance their health.
The purpose of this study was to develop a better understanding of
information-seeking behaviors of prostate cancer patients and the
relation of these behaviors to diet and exercise.
Method. Secondary data analysis was conducted using a clinical
database that included 38 prostate cancer patients. Dietary fat was
measured through a self-report measure estimating of the percent
of calories from fat consumed in the past month. Moderate and
vigorous exercise stages of change were assessed using measures
based on the Transtheoretical Model of Behavior Change.
Information-seeking behaviors were assessed using items extracted
from the Health Information National Trends Survey (HINTS).
Results. Many (66%) patients sought information about their
cancer. The most common places to seek information were from the
internet (45%), followed by health care providers (42%), brochures
(37%), family (26%), and friends (26%). The majority (79%) were
satisfied with the information they received. Some engaged in health
behaviors; 26% reported maintaining a low-fat diet, 35% engaged
in moderate-intensity exercise, and 15% engaged in vigorousintensity
exercise. There were no statistically significant relationships
found between information-seeking behaviors, diet, and exercise.
Conclusions. The study provided useful descriptive information
about information-seeking and health behaviors among prostate
cancer patients. However, the sample size may have limited the
ability to find significant associations between these variables.
Suggestions for future research are also discussed.
CORRESPONDING AUTHOR: Mary Politi, PhD, Department
of General Internal Medicine, Brown Medical School/Rhode Island
Hospital, Providence, RI, RI, 02906; mary_politi@brown.edu
3422
METHODOLOGICAL STEPS FOR INVESTIGATING
MODERATORS AND MEDIATORS IN A RANDOMIZED
CONTROLLED TRIAL COMPARING DIALECTICAL
BEHAVIOR THERAPY AND SUPPORTIVE GROUP THERAPY
FOR BINGE EATING DISORDER
Athena Robinson, PhD and Debra L. Safer, MD
Stanford University, Stanford, CA.
Identifying moderators and mediators of treatments is essential in
understanding how and for whom interventions work. The present
study delineates the hypothesis generating methodological steps
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