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Background: Beginning in 2019, the Saudi Government required restaurants to post caloric information on menus to facilitate informed meal choices by Saudi consumers. Purpose: To assess the impact on consumer food choices, leveraging TPB, related to caloric information on menus among restaurants in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A cross-sectional study among adult Saudi consumers was conducted. Theoretically based on TPB, data were gathered on the use of caloric information on menus in restaurants across Riyadh. Results: Only 24.4% of participants utilized caloric information on menus to make a meal decision. "Attitude" (r = 0.65), and "perceived behavioral control" (r = 0.62) significantly correlated with "intention." Multiple regression analysis showed that "attitude" (R[superscript 2] = 0.47, P = 0.05), and "perceived behavioral control" (R[superscript 2] = 0.11, P = 0.03) were significant predictors of using caloric information on menus for meal selection. Discussion: Among Saudi participants, the use of caloric information on menus was low in their meal decision. Interestingly, "attitude" was found to be a significant predictor of utilizing caloric information in making a meal decision. Translation to Health Education Practice: Consumer education should consider constructs of the TPB in intervention development and evaluation strategies to influence attitudes toward healthy eating behaviors and enhance the use of caloric information on restaurant menus in making informed meal decisions.

Despite established benefits, colorectal cancer (CRC) screening is underutilized among Latinos/Hispanics. We conducted a pilot 2-arm randomized controlled trial evaluating efficacy of two intervention conditions on CRC screening uptake among Latinos receiving care in community clinics. Participants (N = 76) were aged 50-75, most were foreign-born, preferred to receive their health information in Spanish, and not up-to-date with CRC screening. Participants were randomized to either a culturally linguistically targeted Spanish-language fotonovela booklet and DVD intervention plus fecal immunochemical test [FIT] (the LCARES, Latinos Colorectal Cancer Awareness, Research, Education and Screening intervention group); or a non-targeted intervention that included a standard Spanish-language booklet plus FIT (comparison group). Measures assessed socio-demographic variables, health literacy, CRC screening behavior, awareness and beliefs. Overall, FIT uptake was 87%, exceeding the National Colorectal Cancer Roundtable's goal of 80% by 2018. The LCARES intervention group had higher FIT uptake than did the comparison group (90% versus 83%), albeit not statistically significant (P = 0.379). The LCARES intervention group was associated with greater increases in CRC awareness (P = 0.046) and susceptibility (P = 0.013). In contrast, cancer worry increased more in the comparison group (P = 0.045). Providing educational materials and a FIT kit to Spanish-language preferring Latinos receiving care in community clinics is a promising strategy to bolster CRC screening uptake to meet national targets.

Arab countries are doubly burdened with undernutrition as well as overweight and obesity. To provide guidance to those looking to address concerns of obesity and overweight among children in this region, the current review bridges an existing knowledge gap and systematically characterizes and evaluates the available scientific evidence pertaining to school-based nutrition interventions completed to date across the Arab world. Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines and relevant keywords, terms and phrases, a search of the literature across 14 databases for school-based nutrition interventions implemented in this region was conducted. Out of 1568 articles from 14 databases, 38 full-text articles meeting the inclusion criteria were retrieved. Further assessment for eligibility excluded 23 articles and included one article from hand-searching references, leaving 16 articles in the final analysis. Most articles (n = 7) with the implementation of 5 months or longer found strong positive and significant impacts on limiting sweets consumption, increased dietary knowledge, self-efficacy, breakfast and fruit and vegetable consumption, among others. We also found evidence (n = 5) that teachers trained by experts such as dietitians and pediatricians can effectively implement nutrition interventions that achieve the intended outcomes. Training teachers to implement theory-based nutrition and health promotion curricula serves as a potential solution to improving nutrition knowledge, health behaviors and dietary practices among children living in Arab countries. Appropriately designed and implemented nutrition interventions can positively impact nutrition knowledge, health and diet-related behaviors in children and adolescents in this region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The American Association for Health Education (AAHE), a national health education organization with the mission of advancing the profession of health education, launched the 2011 AAHE membership survey between October 13, 2011 and November 1, 2011, under the leadership of the AAHE Board of Directors and AAHE Staff. The primary objective of the survey was to provide insight into the perspectives of AAHE members on several important issues facing the organization including: AAHE exiting its parent organization, the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance (AAHPERD) and the proposed "modified" merger with the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE), another national health education organization. A total of 240 AAHE members completed the survey. A majority of respondents were university faculty members in health education, and results provide keen insight into AAHE members' perspectives on the AAHE-SOPHE modified merger. (Contains 2 tables.)

BackgroundParticipatory Web 2.0 interventions promote collaboration to support chronic disease self-management. Growth in Web 2.0 interventions has led to the emergence of e-patient communication tools that enable older adults to (1) locate and share disease management information and (2) receive interactive healthcare advice. The evolution of older e-patients contributing to Web 2.0 health and medical forums has led to greater opportunities for achieving better chronic disease outcomes. To date, there are no review articles investigating the planning, implementation, and evaluation of Web 2.0 chronic disease self-management interventions for older adults. ObjectiveTo review the planning, implementation, and overall effectiveness of Web 2.0 self-management interventions for older adults (mean age ≥ 50) with one or more chronic disease(s). MethodsA systematic literature search was conducted using six popular health science databases. The RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation and Maintenance) model was used to organize findings and compute a study quality score (SQS) for 15 reviewed articles. ResultsMost interventions were adopted for delivery by multidisciplinary healthcare teams and tested among small samples of white females with diabetes. Studies indicated that Web 2.0 participants felt greater self-efficacy for managing their disease(s) and benefitted from communicating with health care providers and/or website moderators to receive feedback and social support. Participants noted asynchronous communication tools (eg, email, discussion boards) and progress tracking features (eg, graphical displays of uploaded personal data) as being particularly useful for self-management support. Despite high attrition being noted as problematic, this review suggests that greater Web 2.0 engagement may be associated with improvements in health behaviors (eg, physical activity) and health status (eg, HRQoL). However, few studies indicated statistically significant improvements in medication adherence, biological outcomes, or health care utilization. Mean SQS scores were notably low (mean=63%, SD 18%). Studies were judged to be weakest on the Maintenance dimension of RE-AIM; 13 reviewed studies (87%) did not describe any measures taken to sustain Web 2.0 effects past designated study time periods. Detailed process and impact evaluation frameworks were also missing in almost half (n=7) of the reviewed interventions. ConclusionsThere is need for a greater understanding of the costs and benefits associated with using patient-centered Web 2.0 technologies for chronic disease self-management. More research is needed to determine whether the long-term effectiveness of these programs is sustainable among larger, more diverse samples of chronically ill patients. The effective translation of new knowledge, social technologies, and engagement techniques will likely result in novel approaches for empowering, engaging, and educating older adults with chronic disease.

BackgroundeHealth literacy refers to the ability of individuals to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic resources and apply such knowledge to addressing or solving a health problem. While the current generation of college students has access to a multitude of health information on the Internet, access alone does not ensure that students are skilled at conducting Internet searches for health information. Ensuring that college students have the knowledge and skills necessary to conduct advanced eHealth searches is an important responsibility particularly for the medical education community. It is unclear if college students, especially those in the medical and health professions, need customized eHealth literacy training for finding, interpreting, and evaluating health- and medical-related information available on the Internet. ObjectiveThe objective of our review was to summarize and critically evaluate the evidence from existing research on eHealth literacy levels among college students between the ages of 17 and 26 years attending various 4-year colleges and universities located around the world. MethodsWe conducted a systematic literature review on numerous scholarly databases using various combinations of relevant search terms and Boolean operators. The records were screened and assessed for inclusion in the review based on preestablished criteria. Findings from each study that met inclusion criteria were synthesized and summarized into emergent themes. ResultsIn the final review we analyzed 6 peer-reviewed articles and 1 doctoral dissertation that satisfied the inclusion criteria. The number of participants in each reviewed study varied widely (from 34 to 5030). The representativeness of the results from smaller studies is questionable. All studies measured knowledge and/or behaviors related to college student ability to locate, use, and evaluate eHealth information. These studies indicated that many college students lack eHealth literacy skills, suggesting that there is significant room for improvement in college students’ ability to obtain and evaluate eHealth information. ConclusionAlthough college students are highly connected to, and feel comfortable with, using the Internet to find health information, their eHealth literacy skills are generally sub par. College students, especially in the health and medical professions, would be well served to receive more customized college-level instruction that improves general eHealth literacy.

Objective: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening efforts have effectively reduced CRC morbidity and mortality, yet screening remains relatively low among Latinos. The study's purpose was to document the awareness/knowledge of Fecal Immunochemical Test (FIT) among Latinos, gain better understanding of patient and health care provider perceptions about FIT, and explore the feasibility of adoption/uptake. Design/Methods: The study was guided by qualitative, ethnography design and methods. Eight focus groups (FG) with patients who self-identified as Hispanic/Latino between 50–75 years of age and key informant interviews with providers (N = 10) were conducted followed by a brief demographic questionnaire. Results: Awareness levels varied based on prior screening experiences among patients and providers. Both patients and providers believed the FIT is simple and easy to use; although, a minority of patients expressed doubts about the efficacy of the FIT when compared to colonoscopy. Conclusions: Despite the increasing acceptance of the FIT among the health care community, a significant lag time still exists among our study's populations. Study findings speak to novelty of the FIT test among underserved populations and the health disparity gap between health innovations/discoveries. Increased awareness and education efforts about the efficacy coupled with information about its accessibility, ease, and user instructions may increase the adoption of FIT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the fact that a large percentage of Americans go online to seek health information, literature pertaining to online health information (OHI) seeking among college men in Latino fraternities (CMLF) has been nonexistent. Thus, the purpose of this study was to (a) identify the types of OHI that CMLF seek and (b) to determine the factors motivating OHI seeking among CMLF. Four 1- to 1.5-hour focus groups were conducted in two public universities in Florida with 41 college-aged Latino males in an established Latino fraternity. E-mails were used to recruit fraternity members. Qualitative analysis of the focus group transcripts identified that CMLF search for a variety of OHI types including searches on symptoms, diagnoses, weight loss, and treatments for conditions or diseases among other types of OHI. Factors motivating OHI seeking included informational needs of others and concerns for others, worries due to lack of health insurance, preoccupations with health condition, concerns over physical appearance, and clarification through social media. CMLF may be elicited to serve as information conduits to increase access to health information on chronic diseases for older non-English-speaking Latino adults. Lack of health insurance along with other factors in this segment of the population have led to self-diagnosis and self-treatment of illness. Thus, empirical research and health promotion on the potential risks due to self-diagnosing and self-treatment of illness is warranted among CMLF. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

BACKGROUND The objective of the current study was to improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening uptake with the fecal immunochemical test (FIT). The current study investigated the differential impact of a multicomponent, targeted, low-literacy educational intervention compared with a standard, nontargeted educational intervention. METHODS Patients aged 50 to 75 years who were of average CRC risk and not up-to-date with CRC screening were recruited from either a federally qualified health center or a primary care community health clinic. Patients were randomized to the intervention condition (targeted photonovella booklet/DVD plus FIT kit) or comparison condition (standard Centers for Disease Control and Prevention brochure plus FIT kit). The main outcome was screening with FIT within 180 days of delivery of the intervention. RESULTS Of the 416 participants, 54% were female; the participants were racially and ethnically diverse (66% white, 10% Hispanic, and 28% African American), predominantly of low income, and insured (the majority had county health insurance). Overall, the FIT completion rate was 81%, with 78.1% of participants in the intervention versus 83.5% of those in the comparison condition completing FIT ( P = .17). In multivariate analysis, having health insurance was found to be the primary factor predicting a lack of FIT screening (adjusted odds ratio, 2.10; 95% confidence interval, 1.04-4.26 [ P = .04]). CONCLUSIONS The multicomponent, targeted, low-literacy materials were not found to be significantly different or more effective in increasing FIT uptake compared with the nontargeted materials. Provision of a FIT test plus education may provide a key impetus to improve the completion of CRC screening. The type of educational material (targeted vs nontargeted) may matter less. The findings of the current study provide a unique opportunity for clinics to adopt FIT and to choose the type of patient education materials based on clinic, provider, and patient preferences. Cancer 2017;123:1390-1400. © 2016 American Cancer Society. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last two decades, job opportunities for health education and health promotion specialists have consistently increased. In light of the potential integration utility of technology in the public health setting, the purpose of this manuscript is twofold: (1) to provide current examples and scenarios of technology applications in various health education settings, and (2) to provide a futuristic view of the health education field. The authors urge health education specialists to embrace the digital age, and apply health education process skills to identify appropriate technological mediums for delivering health education programs and materials to identified populations who might be underserved otherwise. It is the authors' view that the health education professional of the future is not one who can simply contrive or operationalize the newest, most expensive technology for health promotion purposes; the health educational professional of the future must smartly design, implement and evaluate health education technologies that to meet the increasing needs of priority populations in the United States and around the world. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The present study conducted a social media content analysis on videos describing the Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet) posted onYouTube. Setting: YouTube TM online video sharing and social media platform. Method: Three independent content experts evaluated 141 YouTube videos on the MedDiet in August 2020 utilizing standard rubric and protocol. Data abstracted include media source(s) of posted videos, and viewer exposure/engagement metrics. Information quality was measured by each content expert independently through use of the DISCERN instrument, a 16-item tool designed to assess reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness of an online source, scores were then aggregated for analysis. Results: A majority of videos (n = 102, 72.3%) were educational in nature. A third of videos were less clear and less credible on information presented (n = 46, 32.6%). Most videos were posted by an individual (n = 79, 56%), and the majority of videos were rated as medium quality (n = 88, 62.4%). Overall level of user engagement as measured by number of "likes," "dislikes," and user comments varied widely across all sources of media. Exploratory correlation analysis suggests that the number of a video's views, comments, likes, and dislikes are not correlated with quality. Conclusion: Study findings suggest that MedDiet health promotion and education via YouTube has the potential to reach and inform clients; however, existing video content and quality varies significantly. Future intervention research focused on MedDiet should further examine possible predictors of high quality MedDiet content utilizing diverse online video sharing platforms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background The widespread availability of Internet access and the rising popularity of social media platforms have facilitated the dissemination of health-related information, including dental health practices. However, assessing the quality and effectiveness of such information remains a challenge, particularly concerning traditional practices such as Miswak ( Salvadora persica ) usage. This study aims to assess the description, use, and effectiveness of the Miswak ( Salvadora persica ) chewing stick posted as video clips on YouTube™ and provide considerations for future interventions. Methodology YouTube videos were searched using the terms "Miswak," "Siwak," "Salvadora persica," and "Chewing stick." Each video's descriptive features, i.e., title, links, country of origin, upload date, running time, views, comments, likes, and dislikes, were recorded. Content quality was assessed using the DISCERN tool, which rates the reliability, dependability, and trustworthiness of online sources across 16 items. Scores were aggregated for analysis. The statistical analysis examined video features and associations between the speaker, video type, source, and quality, with significance set at a p-value <0.05 using SPSS Statistics Version 20 (IBM Corp., Armonk, NY, USA). Results A total of 45 videos were included in the study, with the majority (62%) created by the "other professionals" category. Almost three-quarters (73.3%) of the videos were educational. The quality of the video clips was correlated with the speaker source and category of "other," revealing that high-quality information was considered such when the source was other than a dentist. Further, we found that a video's source did not elicit differences in the opinion of the video's quality. Conclusions This social media analysis provides considerations and implications for future research on the potential use of YouTube as a platform for Miswak educational interventions., Competing Interests: Human subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve human participants or tissue. Animal subjects: All authors have confirmed that this study did not involve animal subjects or tissue. Conflicts of interest: In compliance with the ICMJE uniform disclosure form, all authors declare the following: Payment/services info: All authors have declared that no financial support was received from any organization for the submitted work. Financial relationships: All authors have declared that they have no financial relationships at present or within the previous three years with any organizations that might have an interest in the submitted work. Other relationships: All authors have declared that there are no other relationships or activities that could appear to have influenced the submitted work., (Copyright © 2024, Alwadi et al.)

Background: Learner verification and revision (LV&R) is a research methodological approach to inform educational message design with the aim of producing suitable, actionable, and literacy appropriate messages to aid in awareness, adoption of healthy behaviors, and decision-making. It consists of a series of participatory steps that engage users throughout materials development, revision, and refinement. This approach is congruent with Healthy People 2030 communication objectives to improve access to information among diverse, multicultural, multilingual populations, and enhance health care quality toward health equity. Brief description of activity: To illustrate LV&R, we describe its use in three cancer education projects that produced targeted information about (1) inherited breast cancer among African Americans (brochure); (2) colorectal cancer screening among Latinos (photo novella and DVD); and (3) smoking-relapse prevention among patients receiving cancer treatment (video). We discuss rationale for its application in the three exemplars and extrapolate lessons learned from our experiences when using this approach., Implementation: A qualitative approach entailing individual or group-based discussions helped to examine the elements of learner verification (i.e., attraction, comprehension, self-efficacy, cultural acceptability, persuasion). The following steps are reported: (1) preparation of materials, interview guide, and recruitment; (2) interviewing of participants; and (3) evaluation of responses. Data were analyzed by use of a coding system that placed participant responses from each of the elements into data summary matrices. Findings informed revisions and refinement of materials., Results: LV&R was effectively applied across the three cancer education projects to enhance the suitability of the materials. As a result, the materials were improved by using clearer, more salient language to enhance comprehension and cultural acceptability, by integrating design elements such as prompts, headers, and stylistic edits to reduce text density, incorporating preferred colors and graphics to improve aesthetic appeal, and including actionable terms and words to bolster motivation and self-efficacy., Lessons Learned: Results suggest that LV&R methodology can improve suitability of education materials through systematic, iterative steps that engage diverse, multicultural, multilingual populations. This approach is a critical participatory strategy toward health equity, and is appropriate in a variety of education, research, and clinical practice settings to improve health communications. [ HLRP: Health Literacy Research and Practice . 2021;5(1):e49-e59.] Plain Language Summary: This article describes the use of a systematic approach called "learner verification" used for developing educational materials. This approach involves obtaining feedback from audience members to ensure that the information is understandable, attractive in design, motivating, and culturally relevant.