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Background: Hookah is one of the most commonly used tobacco products among U.S. young adults due in part to widespread misperceptions that it is not harmful or addictive. There is growing evidence that hookah tobacco is associated with health harms and can lead to addiction. Research on interventions to address these misperceptions by communicating the harms and addictiveness of hookah use is needed. Aims: This study developed and pretested mobile multimedia message service (MMS) message content communicating the risks of hookah tobacco use to young adult hookah smokers. Method: Message content, delivery, and pretesting were tailored to participants' risk beliefs, hookah use frequency, and responses to simulated text message prompts. Participants viewed 4 of 12 core MMS messages randomized within-subjects and completed postexposure measures of message receptivity and emotional response (e.g., worry). Results: The sample included 156 young adult (age 18-30 years) hookah smokers; 31% smoked hookah monthly and 69% weekly/daily. Prior to viewing messages, a majority endorsed beliefs reflecting misperceptions about the risks of hookah tobacco. Postexposure measures showed participants were receptive to the messages and the messages evoked emotional response. As anticipated, messages produced similar receptivity and there were few differences in emotional response between the messages tested. Discussion: Young adult hookah tobacco smokers were receptive to tailored mobile MMS messages and messages evoked emotional response, two critical precursors to behavior change. Conclusion: Findings indicate that research testing the efficacy of tailored MMS messaging as a strategy for reducing hookah tobacco use in young adults is warranted.

One-on-one peer coaching/support programs hold promise in promoting healthy outcomes among women at risk for and surviving with breast cancer, with the potential to bridge gaps in "whole person care." Although popularly cited for their benefits, emerging evidence is mixed and suggests that peer support program impacts may be attenuated by individual- and community-specific factors. We evaluated a national not-for-profit breast cancer organization's peer support program outcomes (2015–2018) serving women from predominantly Jewish backgrounds to examine program engagement, facilitation, and satisfaction. Of the N = 392 women sampled, 37% utilized the peer support program: the majority were referred by a family member/friend (40%) or had connected with the program online (34%). Logistic regression modeling revealed that mothers (odds ratio [OR] = 1.82; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.04 to 3.19), women at increased genetic risk for breast cancer (OR = 2.07; 95% CI = 1.08 to 3.94), and those who connected with the organization through a family member/friend (OR = 1.97; 95% CI = 1.23 to 3.15) were significantly more likely to utilize peer support (all p 's <.05). Satisfaction with peer support was high and reliably measured (M = 42.8 out of possible 50; α =.95). These findings emphasize opportunities for peer support programs to serve a range of needs among breast cancer previvors and survivors and increase health care's organizational capacity to reach and impact this community through trusted and well-trained lay coaches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many young adult hookah tobacco users do not consider themselves hookah "smokers," but data on this topic are limited. There are no existing measures of young adults' mental schemas of hookah "smokers." We examined the factor structure and reliability of the Hookah Smoker Scale and examined associations with perceived harm and addictiveness and attitudes toward hookah. Two hundred and forty-six young adult (ages 18–30) hookah smokers participated in a cross-sectional online study. Participants completed items assessing schemas characterizing hookah smokers and valid measures of perceived harm and addictiveness of hookah smoking, risk appraisals, and attitudes toward hookah. Exploratory factor analysis using principal axis factoring with oblique rotation extracted a 12-item scale with three dimensions (Regular Use, Social-Enabled Use, and Self-Enabled Use). The scale explained 69.7% of the variance (eigenvalue = 9.2). Cronbach's α for the scale was.89, with Cronbach's α ≥.80 for four-item subscales. Higher subscale scores indicate stronger beliefs that the dimension characterizes a hookah smoker. Higher Regular Use scores (score variance = 46.9%; eigenvalue = 5.6) were associated with greater perceived harm and addictiveness (β = 0.21, p =.01), greater risk appraisals (β = 0.20, p =.02), and more negative attitudes toward hookah (β = −0.18, p =.03). The Hookah Smoker Scale is a promising measure that can be used to identify targets for preventing and reducing young adults' hookah tobacco use. Findings also suggest young adults associate health risks of hookah with daily smoking, but not with intermittent social smoking patterns. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) are one of the fastest‐growing populations in the United States, yet these communities comprise less than one percent of participants in NIH's Alzheimer's disease and Alzheimer's disease related dementias (AD/ADRD) clinical research. This underrepresentation is due to numerous barriers well‐documented in the literature, with a key deterrent being a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach materials. This abstract presents findings from focus groups conducted by the National Institute on Aging (NIA) to identify culturally and linguistically appropriate message concepts that raise awareness, address barriers and motivate Asian American and Pacific Islanders to consider participation in AD/ADRD research studies. Method: Eighteen virtual focus groups (N = 103 individuals) were conducted with Chinese Americans, Filipino Americans, and Indian Americans who are at‐risk for AD/ADRD or are caregivers to people living with dementia. Focus groups were conducted in Chinese, Hindi, Tagalog and English. The sessions tested multiple audience‐tailored message concepts designed to increase interest and encourage participation in AD/ADRD clinical research. These discussions also examined participants' preferred language, terminology and communication approaches. Result: Overall, message concepts that 1) emphasized the value of caring for family members; 2) offered a sense of hope; 3) communicated a clear call to action; and 4) provided opportunities to learn more information about clinical research resonated across all groups. Between participant audiences, there were some important differences, including around terminology preferences. For example, Chinese‐American participants expressed concern about the term "caregiver" as it implied that taking care of a loved one was a burden or a professional job, rather than a familial responsibility. Concept visuals will be presented. Conclusion: This research conducted by NIA improves our understanding of messaging concepts that do and do not resonate with AAPI, providing valuable insight into themes that should be leveraged to effectively promote awareness about AD/ADRD clinical research with these communities. The finding from this study were used to develop, finalize and make available to the research community a suite of culturally and linguistically appropriate materials to increase awareness and interest in AD/ADRD clinical research among AAPI communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Family-centered substance use treatment (FCSUT) may have benefits for parents, children, and their families, and have the potential to decrease adverse childhood experiences (ACEs). Few treatment programs use FCSUT, even those that aim to serve pregnant and postpartum people., Objectives: To understand how families are integrated into FCSUT services for pregnant and postpartum people, explore the perceived benefits of FCSUT for families and parents, and identify challenges to implementing FCSUT., Participants and Settings: Interviews with 26 administrators and providers working at FCSUT facilities and 27 pregnant and postpartum people who were currently receiving or had previously received services in the last two years from FCSUT facilities., Methods: A qualitative thematic analysis was conducted using data from semi-structured in-depth interviews., Results: The analysis revealed four themes: (1) the importance of families in treatment and recovery; (2) benefits of FCSUT for parents; (3) benefits of FCSUT for families; and (4) additional areas for FCSUT program growth. Despite reported benefits (e.g., improving parenting and communication skills; promoting healthy relationships with children, partners, and other family members; and facilitating a support system for long-term recovery), facilities and families face challenges integrating whole family units into treatment., Conclusions: FCSUT may offer a range of benefits to pregnant and postpartum people and their families. Addressing challenges, such as fully integrating all family members into treatment, may improve FCSUT programs. Meeting the needs of all family members during treatment supports safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments for children that may decrease ACEs., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest Funding support for this project was provided by the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) through a contract to Fors Marsh Group, LLC, Contract Number 47QRAD21DU200, OMB Control Numbers 0920-1154 and 0990-0421., (Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.)