Lack Of Behavioral Changes Research Articles

The Influence of Metaphorical Frames on Americans’ Adherence to COVID-19 Public Health Guidelines

Metaphors more-effectively influence people’s perceptions and behavior than normal language. The type of metaphor used is important in maximizing persuasion. Two common public health metaphors are family and war. War metaphors generally evoke more fear than family metaphors, and family metaphors generally evoke more empathy than war metaphors. The current study investigates whether family metaphors are more effective than war metaphors in promoting adherence to COVID-19 guidelines. Participants were assigned to a condition in which they read a single COVID-19-related paragraph. The paragraph included either family, war, or no metaphorical frame. All groups rated the extent to which reading the paragraph would change an average person’s adherence to a variety of public health guidelines. After reading the paragraph, participants reported their perceptions regarding the danger of COVID-19 and their feelings of unity with others to determine whether the metaphor manipulation effectively influenced fear and empathy. There was no observable effect of metaphor type on adherence to public health guidelines. Feelings of unity and fear were not higher, on average, in one group compared to another. Thus, one metaphorical condition or even the presence of a metaphor was not observed to be more effective in changing people’s adherence to public health guidelines. Additionally, the metaphors did not evoke their intended emotions, which may explain the lack of change in behavior. Future research investigating the effect of numbing on metaphor effectiveness may help explain these results and indicate whether metaphors should be used for persuasion in future public health crises.

Existence of wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) that are indifferent to novel objects.

Exposure to novel objects typically evokes avoidance behavior in wild animals, which is called neophobia. We previously found that wild brown rats (Rattus norvegicus) that were trapped in a park in downtown Tokyo, Japan, exhibited neophobia. We also found that this behavior was accompanied by the activation of the basolateral complex of the amygdala (BLA). Previous studies have suggested that genetic factors are the primary determinants of neophobia. Since rats in cities form populations with distinct genetic characteristics, it is reasonable to assume that wild rats caught at different locations in urban centers will exhibit different levels of neophobia. Here we assessed the intensity of neophobia in wild rats trapped at a wholesale market in Tokyo. Although we performed exactly the same experiment in which neophobia was observed in wild rats trapped at the park, the presence of novel objects did not affect the behaviors of wild rats trapped at the market. Conversely, laboratory rats showed approach and exploratory behaviors as seen in the previous study, suggesting that the experiment was performed appropriately. Compared to the laboratory rats, the lack of behavioral changes in the wild rats was accompanied by fewer Fos immunoreactive cells in the BLA. In addition, the numbers of Fos immunoreactive cells in the bed nucleus of the stria terminalis and ventromedial hypothalamus were similar between the two types of rats. The results demonstrated the existence of wild rats that were indifferent to novel objects.

Modulation of compatibility effects in response to experience: Two tests of initial and sequential learning.

Attentional control is a key component of goal-directed behavior. Modulation of this control in response to the statistics of the environment allows for flexible processing or suppression of relevant and irrelevant items in the environment. Modulation occurs robustly in compatibility-based attentional tasks, where incompatibility-related slowing is reduced when incompatible events are likely (i.e., the proportion compatibility effect; PCE). The PCE implicates dynamic changes in the measured compatibility effects that are central to fields of study such as attention, executive functions, and cognitive control. In these fields, stability in compatibility effects are generally assumed, which may be problematic if individual or group differences in measured compatibility effects may arise from differences in statistical learning speed or magnitude. Further, the sequential nature of many studies may lead the learning of certain statistics to be inadvertently applied to future behaviors. Here, we report tests of learning the PCE across conditions of task statistics and sequential blocks. We then test for the influence of feedback on the development of the PCE. We find clear evidence for the PCE, but no conclusive evidence for its slow development through experience. Initial experience with more incompatible trials selectively mitigated performance decreases in a subsequent block. Despite the lack of behavioral changes associated with patterns of learning, systematic within-task changes in compatibility effects remain an important possible source of variation in a wide range of attention research.

Prepartum Lying Behavior of Holstein Dairy Cows Housed on Pasture through Parturition.

Simple SummaryDairy cows experience meaningful biological changes during gestation that impact cow comfort and alter behavior, particularly during late gestation and leading up to calving. The housing environment can also have a positive or negative effect on cow comfort. Pasture access allows cows the freedom of movement and an ability to express natural grazing and resting behaviors. After observing cows housed on pasture during the late gestation and calving periods, this study found that lying behaviors only differed on the day of calving and the day prior to calving. Additionally, the proportion of time spent lying per hour decreased in the hour prior to calving compared to 6 h prior to parturition. The altered lying behaviors and activity observed in the hours before calving may indicate a decrease in cow comfort experienced by the cow during parturition. However, discomfort is typical of parturition. These data suggest that cows were able to express natural behaviors associated with calving and pasture when provided an adequate environment for cows during the prepartum period.Utilizing pasture-based systems may increase cow comfort during late gestation and calving as it lacks the constraints of confinement housing. The objective of this study was to quantify lying behavior and activity of Holstein dairy cows housed on pasture during the 6 d before calving. Sixteen Holstein dairy cows were moved to pasture 3 weeks before their projected calving date. Data loggers were attached 14 d prior to projected calving date. Behavior was evaluated 6 d before calving for all cows (n = 16) and 6 h prior to calving for a subset of cows (n = 6) with known calving times. Data loggers recorded at 1-min intervals to determine lying time (h/d and %/h), lying bouts (n/d and n/h), lying bout duration (min/bout), and steps (n/d and n/h). A repeated measures analysis of variance with contrasts was performed to determine if lying behaviors and activity differed between baseline and day or hour of interest. Lying time was greater 6 d prior to calving compared to the day of and before calving. Cows had longer lying bouts 6 d prior to calving compared to day of calving. Cows spent less time lying in the hour before calving compared to 6 h prior to parturition. The lack of change in behavior and activity during the 7 d prior to calving may indicate that pasture provided an adequate environment for cows during the prepartum period but did not impact cow welfare in the hours leading up to calving.

Operationalizing compensation over time in neurodegenerative disease.

Operationalizing compensation over time in neurodegenerative disease.

Sun-protective behaviors in populations at high risk for skin cancer

Over 3 million new cases of skin cancer are diagnosed in the US annually. Melanoma, a subtype of skin cancer that can be fatal if the disease is not detected and treated at an early stage, is the most common cancer for those aged 25–29 years and the second most common cancer in adolescents and young adults aged 15–29 years. The primary carcinogen for the genesis of skin cancers is ultraviolet light from solar radiation and tanning beds. In spite of massive health campaigns to raise public awareness on ultraviolet radiation, sun-protective practices still fall behind. A plausible explanation is the lack of behavioral change in the populations at risk; in this review article, we examine sun-protective behavior in the four high-risk skin cancer groups: skin cancer survivors, individuals with a family history of melanoma, individuals with physical characteristics associated with skin cancer risk, and organ transplantation patients. Findings in the literature demonstrate that increased knowledge and awareness does not consequently translate into behavioral changes in practice. Behavior can differ as a result of different attitudes and beliefs, depending on the population at risk. Thus, intervention should be tailored to the population targeted. A multidisciplinary health team providing consultation and education is required to influence these much needed changes.

Evaluation of a web-based asthma management intervention program for urban teenagers: reaching the hard to reach.

Asthma interventions targeting urban adolescents are rare, despite a great need. Motivating adolescents to achieve better self-management of asthma is challenging, and the literature suggests that certain subgroups are more resistant than others. We conducted a school-based, randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate Puff City, a Web-based, tailored asthma intervention, which included a referral coordinator, and incorporated theory-based strategies to target urban teens with characteristics previously found to be associated with lack of behavior change. To identify eligible teens, we administered questionnaires on asthma diagnoses and symptoms to ninth through 12th graders of participating schools during a scheduled English class. We randomized eligible, consenting students to Puff City (treatment) or generic asthma education (control). We randomized 422 students (98% African-American, mean age= 15.6 years). At 12-month follow-up, adjusted odds ratios (aORs) (95% confidence intervals) indicated intervention benefit for treatment teens for symptom-days and restricted activity days (analyzed as categorical variables) as aOR= .49 (.24-.79), p= .006 and .53 (.32-.86), p= .010, respectively. Among teens meeting baseline criteria for rebelliousness, treatment teens reported fewer symptom-days, symptom-nights, school absences, and restricted activity days: aOR= .30 (.11-.80), .29 (.14-.64), .40 (.20-.78), and .23 (.10-.55); all p < .05. Among teens reporting low perceived emotional support, treatment students reported only fewer symptom-days than controls: aOR= .23 (.06-.88), p= .031. We did not observe statistically significant differences in medical care use. Results suggest that a theory-based, tailored approach, with a referral coordinator, can improve asthma management in urban teens. Puff City represents a viable strategy for disseminating an effective intervention to high-risk and hard-to-reach populations.

Risk and rationalization—The role of affect and cognitive dissonance for sexual risk taking

In spite of increased awareness of HIV/AIDS, high levels of sexual risk taking persist among individuals in HIV susceptible groups. The lack of behavioral change has long puzzled both researchers and policy makers. In this paper, an attempt is made to disentangle mechanisms underlying excessive sexual risk taking. Drawing on ideas from psychology, related to decision-making processes and risk evaluation, an intertemporal model is developed and analyzed. More specifically, the theoretical model merges psychological theories of affect-induced myopia and cognitive dissonance with economic theory of utility maximization. The results of the theoretical analysis suggest that, if sexual arousal is associated with shortsighted behavior, the fear of an HIV infection may reduce the effect of HIV information campaigns via the effect of cognitive dissonance. The results further suggest that policy aimed to increase awareness of rationalization tendencies may constitute an important complement to existing AIDS policies.

Communication and Behavior Change Challenges to Limiting the Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Communication and Behavior Change Challenges to Limiting the Development of Antibiotic Resistance

Factors Associated With Nonresponse to a Computer-Tailored Asthma Management Program for Urban Adolescents With Asthma

Background. The ability to identify potentially resistant participants early in the course of an intervention could inform development of strategies for behavior change and improve program effectiveness. Objective. The objective of this analysis was to identify factors related to nonresponse (i.e., lack of behavior change) to an asthma management intervention for urban teenagers. The intervention targeted several behaviors, including medication adherence, having a rescue inhaler nearby, and smoking. Methods. A discriminate analysis was conducted using data from a randomized trial of the intervention. Included in this analysis are participants who reported a physician diagnosis of asthma, completed a baseline questionnaire, were randomized to the treatment group, completed ≥2 of 4 educational sessions, and completed ≥2 of 3 follow-up questionnaires. Ninety students met criteria for inclusion in this subgroup analysis. Results. In logistic regression models for medication adherence, nonresponse was related to low baseline asthma self-regulation, odds ratio = 3.6 (95% confidence interval = 1.3–9.5). In models for having an inhaler nearby, nonresponse was related to low baseline self-regulation and to rebelliousness, OR = 4.7 (1.6–13.2) and 5.6 (1.7–18.0), respectively. Nonresponse to smoking messages was related to rebelliousness, low emotional support, and low religiosity, ORs = 7.6 (1.8–32.3), 9.5 (1.4–63.5), and 6.6 (1.5–29.8) respectively. Conclusions. Certain variables had the ability to discriminate the likelihood of response from that of nonresponse to an asthma program for urban, African American adolescents with asthma. These variables can be used to identify resistant subgroups early in the intervention, allowing the application of specialized strategies through tailoring. These types of analyses can inform behavioral interventions.

Evaluation of a toolkit to improve cardiovascular disease screening and treatment for people with type 2 diabetes: protocol for a cluster-randomized pragmatic trial.

BackgroundThe gap between the level of care recommended by evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and the actual care delivered to patients in practice has been well established. The Canadian Diabetes Association (CDA) created an implementation strategy to improve the implementation of its 2008 guidelines. This study will evaluate the impact of the strategy to improve cardiovascular disease (CVD) screening, prevention and treatment for people with diabetes.DesignA pragmatic cluster-randomized trial will be conducted to evaluate the CDA's CVD Toolkit. All family physicians in Ontario, Canada were randomly allocated to receive the Toolkit, which includes several printed educational materials targeting CVD screening, prevention and treatment, either in spring 2009 (intervention arm) or in spring 2010 (control arm). Randomization occurred at the level of the practice. Forty family physicians from each arm will be recruited to participate, and the medical records for 20 of their diabetic patients at high risk for CVD will be retrospectively reviewed. Outcome measures will be assessed for each patient between July 2009 and March 2010. The primary outcome will be that the patient is receiving a statin. Secondary outcomes will include 1) the receipt of an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor or angiotensin receptor blocker, 2) various intermediate measures (A1c, blood pressure, LDL-cholesterol, total-/HDL-cholesterol ratio, body mass index and waist circumference), and 3) clinical inertia (the failure to change therapy in response to an abnormal A1c, blood pressure or cholesterol reading). The analysis will be carried out using multilevel hierarchical logistic regression models to account for the clustered nature of the data. The group assignment will be a physician-level variable. In addition, a process evaluation study with six focus groups of family physicians will assess the acceptability of the CDA's Toolkit and will explore factors contributing to any change or lack of change in behaviour, from the perspectives of family physicians.DiscussionPrinted educational materials for physicians have been shown to exert small-to-moderate changes in patient care. The CDA's CVD Toolkit is an example of a practice guideline implementation strategy that can be disseminated to a wide audience relatively inexpensively, and so demonstrating its effectiveness at improving diabetes care could have important consequences for guideline developers, policy makers and clinicians.Trial RegistrationThe trial is registered with http://www.clinicaltrials.gov, ID # NCT01026688

The European dimension in French public opinion

This article examines the position of Europe and European issues in French public opinion. It considers existing research on the effect of Europe on national politics at élite and mass level, and the reasons for an apparent lack of change in behaviour or structure at either level in the French case. Using the 2002 French Election Panel survey, it examines the social and attitudinal structure to perceptions of European threats to France in order to identify the existence of an independent European dimension. It finds that, on many issues relating to Europe, views simply replicate traditional delineations in social structure and mass ideological views, but that the issue of social protection does not correspond to these existing dimensions. However, in keeping with previous research, it concludes that the likelihood of this dimension fundamentally altering electoral behaviour and consequently party alignment may be low, precisely given the heterogeneous profile of those concerned with this issue.

Knowledge, attitude and practices of STIs including HIV/AIDS among adolescents in Ghana

This study examined knowledge, attitude and practices of sexually transmitted infections including HIV/AIDS among adolescents in Ghana. A convenient sampling of 150 students from five schools in two suburbs within the Greater Accra Metropolis was used. Findings of the study show that adolescents in the sample have a wide gap between knowledge, attitude and practice with regards to STIs and HIV/AIDS though they become sexually active at an early age. There is also a lack of behavioural change which is reinforced by perceptions and misconception regarding STIs and HIV/AIDS. In the light of the findings of study, continuous and sustained multi-dimensional and holistic education is highlighted as important ingredient in the campaign against HIV/AIDS.Keywords: Knowledge, Attitude, Practices, Adolescents, STIs, HIV/AIDS, Ghana Gender and Behaviour. Vol. 4 (2) 2006: pp. 953-974

Communication for HIV/AIDS Prevention in Kenya: Social–Cultural Considerations

ABSTRACT The acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) epidemic is spreading fast in Africa in spite of the various efforts and resources put in place to prevent it. In Kenya, reproductive health programs have used the mass media and other communication interventions to inform and educate the public about the disease and to promote behavior change and healthy sexual practices. This effort has led to a discrepancy between awareness and behavioral change among people of reproductive age. In this article I examine the discrepancy in Kenya from a communications perspective addressing social cultural and related factors contributing to the lack of change in behavior and sexual practices. I draw on the theoretical framework of Grunig's model of excellence in communication, the importance of understanding and relationship building between programs and their stakeholders. Data were gathered qualitatively using focus groups and in-depth interviews among men and women in rural Kenya. Key findings indicate that although awareness of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS is high in Kenya, a majority of the population, particularly those in the rural communities, lack understanding of the communicated messages. They also lack the knowledge of other ways of transmitting HIV particularly among those not sexually involved. Cultural beliefs, values, norms, and myths have played a role in the rapidly increasing epidemic in the rural communities and yet HIV/AIDS communication programs have not addressed these factors adequately. I conclude that successful behavior change communication must include strategies that focus on increasing understanding of the communicated messages and understanding of the audience through application of appropriate methodologies. Building a relationship with the audience or stakeholders through dialogues and two-way symmetrical communication contributes toward this understanding and the maintenance of the newly adopted behaviors and practices.

Lack of behavior change after disclosure of hepatitis C virus infection among young injection drug users in Baltimore, Maryland.

We evaluated behavior change after disclosure of a positive hepatitis C virus (HCV) antibody test result among a cohort of young injection drug users (IDUs). Participants underwent semiannual interviews, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and HCV antibody testing, and pretest and posttest counseling. We used chi(2) statistics to study changes in the frequencies of high-risk behaviors from baseline to a 6-month follow-up visit among 46 IDUs who had a positive HCV test result and among 60 IDUs who did not have a positive HCV test result or who were unaware of their test result. No significant differences were detected between the 2 groups. Both groups continued to share syringes, needles, and other injection paraphernalia. These findings suggest that young IDUs may not be aware of the risk of HCV infection and highlight the urgent need for post-HCV test guidelines and behavioral interventions to reduce ongoing high-risk behavior that perpetuates the risk of HCV transmission.

Behavioral and biochemical studies in rats following prenatal treatment with β-adrenoceptor antagonists

Increased motor activity and poor performance in the active avoidance test were observed in the offspring of rats treated with d1-propranolol or sotalol during pregnancy, but not with atenolol and d-propranolol. All substances were administered in drinking water from days 8–22 of gestation. A significant increase in the density of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors in the hippocampus was found for dl-propranolol and sotalol, at 35 and 20 days of age, respectively. Twenty-day-old pups bom to dl-propranolol-treated rats exhibited a non-significant decrease in the number of β-adrenoceptors in the frontal cortex. Assuming that all the β-adrenoceptor antagonists tested had access to the developing fetal brain, the effect of dl-propranolol and sotalol on behavior could stem from central β 2-adrenoceptor blockade. In view of the lack of behavioral changes after atenolol, a β 1-selective adrenoceptor antagonist, it is suggested that the clinical use of β 1-selective adrenoceptor antagonists during pregnancy might be safer for the fetus than β 2-adrenoceptor antagonists.

On the nature of the “absence” in centrencephalic epilepsy: A study of some behavioral, electroencephalographic and autonomic factors

1. (1) A group of eighteen centrencephalic patients were examined on tests designed to measure the effects of spike and wave type EEG activity on sustained attention, sensory input, memory and simple motor behavior. In addition, measurements were made simultaneously of the following autonomic variables: blood pressure, heart rate, finger plethysmogram, skin resistance, esophageal and gastric motility and respiration. 2. (2) A total of 1,267 bursts of spike and wave were recorded in conjunction with the several tests. The behavioral correlates of the bursts were analyzed from the point of view of character (form), organization, maximal discharge, voltage, frequency, length, the background activity and several time-related variables. All of these were shown to be related to behavior on one or more of the tests. 3. (3) Bursts which are symmetrical, regular and bilaterally synchronous tend to produce more behavioral deficit than other bursts; tests requiring the complete attentive act (reception, discrimination, motor response) are more impaired during bursts than those which require only a part of this sequence; the motor task tended to be affected least. In addition, there is a retrograde amnestic effect. 4. (4) The most frequent autonomic changes were arrest of respiration, finger vasoconstriction, fall in skin resistance and increase in esophageal motility. These were not related in a one-to-one fashion to the behavioral modifications. 5. (5) In addition to the systematic relation between burst characteristics and the measures of behavior, three lines of evidence argue for the spike and wave pattern and attention impairment being considered as separable symptoms: These patients were impaired on the attention test in the absence of observable bursts; the behavior loss tends to lead the electrographic symptom in time; in some patients, lack of behavioral change was observed even in the presence of well-organized symmetric bursts. 6. (6) These findings were discussed in relation to previous studies of the behavioral effects of spike and wave complexes and to possible pathophysiological mechanisms in centrencephalic epilepsy.