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Objective: To synthesize evidence for the effectiveness of self-management interventions for chronic health conditions that have symptom overlap with traumatic brain injury (TBI) in order to extract recommendations for self-management intervention in persons with TBI. Design: An umbrella review of existing systematic reviews and/or meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials or nonrandomized studies targeting self-management of chronic conditions and specific outcomes relevant to persons with TBI. Method: A comprehensive literature search of 5 databases was conducted using PRISMA guidelines. Two independent reviewers conducted screening and data extraction using the Covidence web-based review platform. Qpality assessment was conducted using criteria adapted from the Assessing the Methodological Qpality of Systematic Reviews-2 (AMSTAR-2). Results: A total of26 reviews met the inclusion criteria, covering a range of chronic conditions and a range of outcomes. Seven reviews were of moderate or high quality and focused on self-management in persons with stroke, chronic pain, and psychiatric disorders with psychotic features. Self-management interventions were found to have positive effects on quality of life, self-efficacy, hope, reduction of disability, pain, relapse and rehospitalization rates, psychiatric symptoms, and occupational and social functioning. Conclusions: Findings are encouraging with regard to the effectiveness of sel fmanagement interventions in patients with symptoms similar to those of TBI. However, reviews did not address adaptation of self-management interventions for those with cognitive deficits or for populations with greater vulnerabilities, such as low education and older adults. Adaptations for TBI and its intersection with these special groups may be needed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To examine the associations between health literacy and health outcomes among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at least a year post-injury. Setting: Community following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Participants: A total of 205 individuals with complicated mild to severe TBI who completed a TBI Model Systems National Database follow-up interview and a web-based health literacy measure. Design: A multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study. Main Measures: The Health Literacy Assessment Using Talking Touchscreen Technology (Health LiTD, number of comorbid conditions (Medical and Mental Health Comorbidities Interview [MMHCI]), perceived physical and mental health (PROMIS Global Physical and Mental Health subscales), Patient Health Qpestionnaire-9 (PHQ:9), and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7). Results: After controlling for sociodemographic, injury, cognition, and time post-injury, adequate health literacy was associated with higher odds of greater perceived physical health compared with participants with marginal/inadequate health literacy (odds ratio = 4.10; CI = 1.52-11.70]. Participants with inadequate/marginal health literacy had 3.50 times greater odds of depression (PHQ:9 2 10) compared with those with adequate health literacy. Participants 45 years and older reported a greater number of MMHCI physical health conditions, but fewer MMHCI mental health conditions and GAD-7 anxiety symptoms compared with those who were younger. Non-Hispanic White participants and those with mild/moderate TBI were more likely to report a greater number of MMHCI mental health conditions compared with non-Hispanic Black participants or those with severe TBI. Greater time post-injury was associated with greater number of chronic physical and mental health conditions, and less odds of good-to-excellent perceived global mental health. Conclusions: Inadequate health literacy is associated with worse perceived physical health and greater depressive symptoms among adults with TBI. Greater efforts are needed to explore the mechanisms by which health literacy influences chronic disease management and mental health after TBI to improve postinjury health status and outcomes, particularly among those with limited health literacy skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To characterize health literacy among individuals with traumatic brain injury (TBI) at least a year postinjury and to explore its relationship to sociodemographic variables, injury severity, and cognition. Setting: Community following discharge from inpatient rehabilitation. Participants: In total, 205 individuals with complicated mild to severe TBI who completed follow-up as part of a national longitudinal study of TBI and completed a web-based health literacy measure. Design: Multicenter, cross-sectional, observational study. Main Measures: Health Literacy Assessment Using Talking Touchscreen Technology. Results: Thirty-one percent of the sample demonstrated marginal/inadequate health literacy; 69% demonstrated adequate health literacy. A higher proportion of non-Hispanic White adults had adequate health literacy than non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic adults. Individuals with greater than a high school education were more likely to have adequate health literacy than those with a high school education or less. Better executive functioning performance was related to adequate health literacy. Better episodic memory performance was related to adequate health literacy, but only for those with complicated mild to moderate injury. Conclusions: A substantial proportion of individuals with TBI have marginal/inadequate health literacy, which may impact their understanding, appreciation, and use of health-related information and recommendations. While low health literacy may be preexisting, directly related to TBI, or a combination of both, it should be screened and considered by professionals when communicating with persons with TBI. Healthcare providers should tailor their communication approaches and presentation of health information, particularly for those with low hedth literacy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To determine if the interaction of opiate misuse and marijuana use frequency is associated with behavioral health outcomes. Setting: Community. Participants: Three thousand seven hundred fifty participants enrolled in the Traumatic Brain Injury Model Systems who completed the Pain Survey and had complete opioid use and marijuana use information. Design: Cross-sectional, secondary analysis from a multisite observational cohort. Main Outcome Measure(s): Clinically significant behavioral health symptoms for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, and sleep quality. Results: Three thousand five hundred thirty-five (94.3%) participants did not misuse opiates, 215 (5.7%) did misuse opiates (taking more opioid pain medication than prescribed and/or using nonprescription opioid pain medication); 2683 (70.5%) participants did not use marijuana, 353 (9.3%) occasionally used marijuana (less than once a week), and 714 (18.8%) regularly used marijuana (once a week or more frequently). There was a statistically significant relationship (P < .05) between the interaction of opiate misuse and marijuana use frequency and all behavioral health outcomes and several covariates (age, sex, cause of injury, severity of injury, and pain group category). Pairwise comparisons confirm that statistically significant associations on behavioral health outcomes are driven by endorsing opiate misuse and/or regular marijuana use, but occasional marijuana use was not associated. Conclusions: Higher odds of clinically significant PTSD, depression, anxiety, and poor sleep quality are present in people with traumatic brain injury (TBI) who misuse opiates and/or who use marijuana regularly. In the absence of opiate misuse, regular marijuana use had higher odds of worse behavioral health outcomes than occasional and no use. The interaction of opiate misuse and regular marijuana use yielded the highest odds. Individuals with TBI should be informed of the relationship of substance use and behavioral health outcomes and that current chronic pain may mediate the association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of mobile health (mHealth) apps for enhancing participation of people with chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the Group Lifestyle Balance (GLB-TBI) weight loss intervention and Brain Health Group (BHG-TBI) active control intervention. Setting: Community. Participants: n = 56 overweight/obese adults with moderate-severe TBI. Design: The GLB-TBI is a 12-month group- and community-based program to promote healthy eating and physical activity. The BHG-TBI is a 12-month group- and community-based program to promote general brain health, designed as an active control condition matched on time, structure, and perceived benefit to the GLB-TBI. In a randomized controlled trial testing the efficacy of the GLB-TBI for weight loss, participants used a group-specific mHealth app providing daily tips customized according to their intervention allocation. Main Measures: Compliance (percentage of daily prompts read and completed) and participant-reported satisfaction and usability. Results: In conjunction with relevant stakeholders, we developed the content and structure of the GLB-TBI and BHG-TBI apps based on core curriculum components. We incorporated cognitive strategies (app notifications) to address potential cognitive impairment common after TBI. Both apps delivered brief daily educational and motivational "tips" derived directly from their respective curricula. Daily use of the apps varied greatly across participants, with most participants who used the apps completing 10% to 50% of daily content. Participants found the apps to be easy to use, but only some found them helpful. App use was substantially different for those who participated in the intervention during (2020) versus before (2019) the COVID-19 pandemic. Conclusions: Although enhancing an intensive lifestyle intervention with mHealth technology may be helpful, further refinement is needed to optimize the frequency and delivery methods of mHealth content. Although one might expect remote app use to have been higher during the pandemic, we observed the opposite, potentially due to less hands-on training and ongoing support to use the app and/or general technology fatigue with social distancing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]