Prevention Science (Prev Sci)

Publications in this journal

• Article: Web-Enabled Feedback Control Over Energy Balance Promotes an Increase in Physical Activity and a Reduction of Body Weight and Disease Risk in Overweight Sedentary Adults.

  Lutz Erwin Kraushaar, Alexander Krämer
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  ABSTRACT: This study aims to investigate whether a Web-based tool will facilitate the adoption of feedback control over calorie balance in overweight individuals, thereby promoting an increase of physical activity and a reduction of body weight and cardiovascular risk factors. This is a prospective exercise intervention study, commencing with a minimum weekly 3 × 20-min requirement of high-intensity interval training and requirement for Web-based self-monitoring and self-reporting of exercise and body weight. Subjects of this study include 83 overweight, sedentary, otherwise healthy adults aged 26-68 years. Anthropometric parameters, body fat, peak oxygen consumption, self-reported physical activity, frequency of use of the Web-based tool are among the characters measured in this study. This 24-week intervention substantially increased time spent for exercise (mean and median of 135 and 170 min/week, respectively) among the 72 % of participants who had adopted cognitive feedback control vs. no increase in the remaining participants of nonadopters. Adopters witnessed significantly improved peak oxygen consumption of >1 metabolic equivalent vs. no improvement among nonadopters. Adopters also reduced body mass index, body weight, and body fat by 1.6 kg/m(2), 4.8 kg, and 3.6 kg, respectively vs. 0.4 kg/m(2), 1.4 kg, and 1.1 kg in the control group. The increase in physical activity came at virtually no intervention effort of the investigators. This study demonstrates for the first time that adoption of cognitive feedback control over energy balance is possible with the help of a simple Web-based tool and that overweight adopters self-regulate exercise volume to significantly reduce body weight and improve biomarkers of fitness and cardiovascular risk.
  Prevention Science 05/2013;
• Article: An Exponential Decay Model for Mediation.

  Matthew S Fritz
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  ABSTRACT: Mediation analysis is often used to investigate mechanisms of change in prevention research. Results finding mediation are strengthened when longitudinal data are used because of the need for temporal precedence. Current longitudinal mediation models have focused mainly on linear change, but many variables in prevention change nonlinearly across time. The most common solution to nonlinearity is to add a quadratic term to the linear model, but this can lead to the use of the quadratic function to explain all nonlinearity, regardless of theory and the characteristics of the variables in the model. The current study describes the problems that arise when quadratic functions are used to describe all nonlinearity and how the use of nonlinear functions, such as exponential decay, address many of these problems. In addition, nonlinear models provide several advantages over polynomial models including usefulness of parameters, parsimony, and generalizability. The effects of using nonlinear functions for mediation analysis are then discussed and a nonlinear growth curve model for mediation is presented. An empirical example using data from a randomized intervention study is then provided to illustrate the estimation and interpretation of the model. Implications, limitations, and future directions are also discussed.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Effectiveness of Reducing the Risk of Eating-Related Problems Using the German School-Based Intervention Program, "Torera", for Preadolescent Boys and Girls.

  U Berger, J-M Schaefer, K Wick, C Brix, B Bormann, M Sowa, D Schwartze, B Strauss
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  ABSTRACT: Representative surveys indicate that eating disorders are an increasing problem, especially among (pre)adolescents. We assessed the effects of a German school-based primary prevention program ("Torera") for seventh graders. Torera especially relates to pathological eating behavior in the realm of bulimia nervosa or binge eating disorder. The program is built upon two previously evaluated modules for sixth graders with a gender-specific adaption. The coeducational intervention involves nine manual-guided lessons touching a wide range of eating-related problems. Twenty-two Thuringian secondary schools (n = 256 boys and 277 girls, aged 11-13 years at baseline) participated in a trial with 2 control groups (untreated and pretreated) with pre-post assessment. Primary outcomes were conspicuous eating behavior and body self-esteem, measured by standardized questionnaires (SCOFF, EAT-26D, and FBeK). Girls and students at risk showed significant improvement with small (d = 0.35) to medium (d = 0.66) effect sizes on eating behavior, significantly mediated by body self-esteem. Boys only improved with respect to eating attitudes, revealing a small effect size (d = 0.35). With relatively low implementation costs (about 2.50 per student), Torera provides an efficient model for reducing risky eating behavior and strengthening body self-esteem without negative side effects. To improve the effectiveness of the intervention, further research efforts focusing on at-risk groups (secondary prevention) and structural actions for prevention (e.g., offering healthy school catering) are needed.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: The Measurement Properties of Mentoring Relationship Quality Scales for Mentoring Programs.

  Annalise Ferro, Samantha Wells, Kathy Nixon Speechley, Ellen Lipman, David Dewit
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  ABSTRACT: The measurement properties of two new scales designed to measure global and engagement mentoring relationship quality (Global Mentoring Relationship Quality Scale and Quality of Mentoring Relationship Engagement Scale) were examined among 272 mentors, 491 children, and 554 parents participating in Big Brothers Big Sisters community mentoring programs across Canada. Results demonstrated their unidimensionality, moderate convergent validity, good external validity, and weak-to-moderate reporter concordance. Longitudinal analyses demonstrated good predictive validity of mentor and parent mentoring relationship quality scales with respect to predicting mentoring relationship status.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Minority Stress and Substance Use in Sexual Minority Adolescents: A Meta-analysis.

  Jeremy T Goldbach, Emily E Tanner-Smith, Meredith Bagwell, Shannon Dunlap
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  ABSTRACT: Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) adolescents report disparate rates of substance use, and often consume more cigarettes, alcohol, marijuana, cocaine, and ecstasy than their heterosexual peers. It is therefore crucial to understand the risk factors for substance use among LGB adolescents, particularly those unique to their minority status. In an effort to organize the current knowledge of minority-related risk factors for substance use among LGB youth, this study presents results from a systematic review and meta-analysis of the published research literature. Results from 12 unique studies of LGB youth indicated that the strongest risk factors for substance use were victimization, lack of supportive environments, psychological stress, internalizing/externalizing problem behavior, negative disclosure reactions, and housing status. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for targeted intervention programs that address minority stress risk factors for substance use among LGB youth.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Erratum to: Introduction to the Special Issue: Subgroup Analysis in Prevention and Intervention Research.

  Lauren H Supplee, Brendan C Kelly, David P Mackinnon, Meryl Yoches Barofsky
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Sustained Institutional Effects of an Evidence-based HIV Prevention Intervention.

  Bo Wang, Bonita Stanton, Valerie Knowles, Glenda Russell-Rolle, Lynette Deveaux, Veronica Dinaj-Koci, Xiaoming Li, Nanika Brathwaite, Sonja Lunn
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  ABSTRACT: Limited data are available as to what happens in institutions involved in behavioral intervention trials after the trial has ended. Specifically, do the trainers continue to administer the behavioral intervention that had been the focus of the trial? To address this question, we examined data in grade six schools before a year-long behavioral intervention had been delivered in some schools (and a year-long control condition in others) and data obtained again 6 and 7 years later in the same two sets of schools. Data were derived from the baseline surveys of two interventions: (1) national implementation of the evidence-based Focus on Youth in the Caribbean (FOYC) intervention in 2011; and (2) the randomized, controlled trial of the FOYC intervention in 2004/2005. Cross-sectional, longitudinal comparisons and random coefficient regression analysis were conducted to evaluate long-term intervention effects. Results indicate that grade six students in 2011 from schools in which the FOYC intervention had been implemented in 2004/2005 had a higher level of HIV/AIDS knowledge, increased reproductive health skills, increased self-efficacy regarding their ability to prevent HIV infection, and greater intention to use protection if they were to have sex compared to their counterparts from schools where no such training took place. We concluded that new cohorts of students benefited from the extensive training and/or experience in teaching the FOYC curriculum received by teachers, guidance counselors and administrators in schools which had delivered the FOYC intervention as part of a randomized trial several years earlier. The findings suggest that teachers who previously were trained to deliver the FOYC intervention may continue to teach at least some portions of the curriculum to subsequent classes of students attending these schools.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Advancing Transdisciplinary Translation for Prevention of High-Risk Behaviors: Introduction to the Special Issue.

  Diana H Fishbein, Ty A Ridenour
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Longitudinal Relationship Between Drinking with Peers, Descriptive Norms, and Adolescent Alcohol Use.

  Ashley Brooks-Russell, Bruce Simons-Morton, Denise Haynie, Tilda Farhat, Jing Wang
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  ABSTRACT: Descriptive norms are consistently found to predict adolescent alcohol use but less is known about the factors that predict descriptive norms. The objective of this study is to test if drinking with peers predicts later alcohol consumption and if this relationship is mediated by a change in the descriptive norms of peer alcohol use. Data are from a nationally representative cohort of high school students surveyed in the 10th and 11th grade (N = 2,162). Structural equation modeling was used to test a mediation model of the relationship between drinking with peers (T1) on later alcohol use (T2) and mediation of the relationship by descriptive norms (T2). Descriptive norms significantly mediated the relationship between drinking with peers and alcohol use for both males and females with a somewhat larger effect for males compared to females. These results support a continued focus on the development and evaluation of interventions to alter descriptive norms of alcohol use.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Supporting the Transition to Adulthood among High School Dropouts: An Impact Study of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program.

  Megan Millenky, Sarah E O Schwartz, Jean E Rhodes
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  ABSTRACT: Using a multi-year, random assignment design, this study evaluated the effects of the National Guard Youth Challenge Program (NGYCP), an intensive residential intervention program for youth ages 16-18 who have dropped out of high school. The sample included 1,173 youth (predominantly male) of diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds from ten NGYCP sites across the country. Positive impacts on educational and employment outcomes were sustained 3 years after entering the program, with older participants generally showing greater benefits than younger participants. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Prime Time: 18-Month Violence Outcomes of a Clinic-Linked Intervention.

  Renee E Sieving, Barbara J McMorris, Molly Secor-Turner, Ann W Garwick, Rebecca Shlafer, Kara J Beckman, Sandra L Pettingell, Jennifer A Oliphant, Ann M Seppelt
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  ABSTRACT: Prime Time, a youth development intervention, aims to reduce multiple risk behaviors among adolescent girls seeking clinic services who are at high risk for pregnancy. The purpose of the current study was to examine whether Prime Time involvement produced changes in relational aggression, physical violence, and related psychosocial and behavioral outcomes. Qualitative case exemplars illustrated social contexts of intervention participants with differing longitudinal patterns of relational aggression and physical violence. Data were from a randomized efficacy trial with 13-17 year-old girls (n = 253) meeting specified risk criteria. Intervention participants were involved in Prime Time and usual clinic services for 18 months, control participants received usual clinic services. Participants in the current study completed self-report surveys at baseline and 18 months following enrollment. Outcomes analyses revealed significantly lower levels of relational aggression perpetration in the intervention group versus controls. In contrast, Prime Time involvement did not result in significant reductions in physical violence. Exploratory dose-response analyses indicated that reductions in relational aggression may have been most pronounced among girls actively involved in Prime Time case management and peer leadership activities. Qualitative findings suggested that the intervention's emphasis on modeling and building supportive relationships contributed to reductions in relational aggression. This study contributes to what has been a very limited evidence base regarding effective approaches to preventing violence among high-risk adolescent girls. Findings suggest that offering youth development interventions through clinic settings hold promise in reducing violence risk among vulnerable youth.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: Targeting the Specific Vocabulary Needs of At-Risk Preschoolers: A Randomized Study of the Effectiveness of an Educator-Implemented Intervention.

  Delphine Vuattoux, Christa Japel, Eric Dion, Véronique Dupéré
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  ABSTRACT: This randomized study examined the effectiveness of a preschool stimulation program created to teach words that had been selected by considering the needs of the target population of children. Twenty-two educators and their group of at-risk preschoolers (N = 222, M age = 4.27 years) were assigned to one of two conditions: control or intervention. In the latter condition, educators had to read specifically developed storybooks to their group and conduct stimulation activities. Despite the training and support they received, educators implemented the intervention with varying degrees of fidelity. Nonetheless, intent-to-treat comparison of the two conditions indicates that children in the intervention condition learned the meaning of a much greater number of words than their peers in the control condition. In addition, efficacy subset analyses that took into account fidelity of implementation show that the greatest gains were made by children who had an educator who had implemented the intervention reliably. Strategies for scaling up the intervention and optimizing its implementation are discussed.
  Prevention Science 04/2013;
• Article: The Onset of STI Diagnosis Through Age 30: Results from the Seattle Social Development Project Intervention.

  Karl G Hill, Jennifer A Bailey, J David Hawkins, Richard F Catalano, Rick Kosterman, Sabrina Oesterle, Robert D Abbott
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  ABSTRACT: The objectives of this study were to examine (1) whether the onset of sexually transmitted infections (STI) through age 30 differed for youths who received a social developmental intervention during elementary grades compared to those in the control condition; (2) potential social-developmental mediators of this intervention; and (3) the extent to which these results differed by ethnicity. A nonrandomized controlled trial followed participants to age 30, 18 years after the intervention ended. Three intervention conditions were compared: a full-intervention group, assigned to intervention in grades 1 through 6; a late intervention group, assigned to intervention in grades 5 and 6 only; and a no-treatment control group. Eighteen public elementary schools serving diverse neighborhoods including high-crime neighborhoods of Seattle are the setting of the study. Six hundred eight participants in three intervention conditions were interviewed from age 10 through 30. Interventions include teacher training in classroom instruction and management, child social and emotional skill development, and parent workshops. Outcome is the cumulative onset of participant report of STI diagnosis. Adolescent family environment, bonding to school, antisocial peer affiliation, early sex initiation, alcohol use, cigarette use, and marijuana use were tested as potential intervention mechanisms. Complementary log-log survival analysis found significantly lower odds of STI onset for the full-intervention compared to the control condition. The lowering of STI onset risk was significantly greater for African Americans and Asian Americans compared to European Americans. Family environment, school bonding, and delayed initiation of sexual behavior mediated the relationship between treatment and STI hazard. A universal intervention for urban elementary school children, focused on classroom management and instruction, children's social competence, and parenting practices may reduce the onset of STI through age 30, especially for African Americans.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Preventing High-Risk Sexual Behavior in Early Adulthood with Family Interventions in Adolescence: Outcomes and Developmental Processes.

  Allison S Caruthers, Mark J Van Ryzin, Thomas J Dishion
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  ABSTRACT: Adolescent study participants who engaged in a brief, family-centered intervention (the Family Check-Up, FCU) were later assessed for the intervention's effects on high-risk sexual behavior (HRSB) in early adulthood (age 22). Participants (N = 998 adolescents and their families) were randomly assigned to a family-centered intervention in sixth grade and were offered a gated, multilevel intervention that included (a) a school-based family resource center, (b) the FCU, and (c) more intensive, family-based treatment. All services were voluntary, but high-risk families were actively recruited into the FCU. Approximately 23 % of the intervention families engaged in the FCU and approximately 18 % engaged in more intensive treatment. Using an intent-to-treat design, we found that the direct effect of the FCU on HRSB was not significant; however, an analysis of the developmental processes indicated that intervention families demonstrated improved family relationship quality when compared to control families, which in turn resulted in lower levels of HRSB in early adulthood. Furthermore, the significant effect of family relationship quality on HRSB was mediated by differences in parental monitoring and early sexual activity, and these effects varied as a function of gender and ethnicity. Indirect effects of the FCU on HRSB were significant via multiple different pathways. The implications of these findings for enhancing the impact of family-centered interventions are discussed.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Longitudinal Mediators of a Randomized Prevention Program Effect on Cortisol for Youth from Parentally Bereaved Families.

  Linda J Luecken, Melissa J Hagan, Irwin N Sandler, Jenn-Yun Tein, Tim S Ayers, Sharlene A Wolchik
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  ABSTRACT: We recently reported that a randomized controlled trial of a family-focused intervention for parentally bereaved youth predicted higher cortisol output 6 years later relative to a control group of bereaved youth (Luecken et al., Psychoneuroendocrinology 35, 785-789, 2010). The current study evaluated longitudinal mediators of the intervention effect on cortisol 6 years later. Parentally bereaved children (N = 139; mean age, 11.4; SD = 2.4; age range = 8-16 years; male; 61 % Caucasian, 17 % Hispanic, 7 % African American, and 15 % other ethnicities) were randomly assigned to the 12-week preventive intervention (n = 78) or a self-study control (n = 61) condition. Six years later (mean age, 17.5; SD, 2.4), cortisol was sampled as youth participated in a parent-child conflict interaction task. Using four waves of data across the 6 years, longitudinal mediators of the program impact on cortisol were evaluated. Program-induced increases in positive parenting, decreases in child exposure to negative life events, and lower externalizing symptoms significantly mediated the intervention effect on cortisol 6 years later.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Food Insecurity and Alcohol Use Among Pregnant Women at Alcohol-Serving Establishments in South Africa.

  Lisa A Eaton, Eileen V Pitpitan, Seth C Kalichman, Kathleen J Sikkema, Donald Skinner, Melissa H Watt, Desiree Pieterse, Demetria N Cain
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  ABSTRACT: South Africa has the highest rate of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) in the world. While efforts have been made to curb the high rate of FAS, little is known about situational factors that may contribute to alcohol use during pregnancy. In the current paper, we focus on the role of food insecurity and its relationship to alcohol use among pregnant women. Women completed computer-assisted interviews. Generalized linear modeling was used in all analyses. Women attending alcohol-serving establishments in a township in Cape Town, South Africa were recruited for the study. Five hundred sixty women were sampled and 95 women reported being pregnant. High levels of alcohol use were reported among pregnant women: 65 % of women consumed alcohol at least every month and 29 % consumed alcohol as often as two to three times per week. Thirty-four percent of the women reported having six or more drinks per occasion on at least a weekly basis. The majority (87 %) of pregnant women reported experiencing some form of food insecurity (e.g., food unavailable, eating less) in the past month. Alcohol use was significantly associated with food insecurity, even when controlling for relevant demographic variables. Intervention with pregnant women who consume alcohol is urgently needed. Future research should focus on understanding the intersection of food insecurity and alcohol, and how the experience of food insecurity may contribute to greater rates of alcohol use and abuse among pregnant women.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Youth Misperceptions of Peer Substance Use Norms: A Hidden Risk Factor in State and Community Prevention.

  Rodney A Wambeam, Eric L Canen, Jeff Linkenbach, Jay Otto
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  ABSTRACT: Effective community prevention of substance abuse involves the integration of policies and programs to address many different risk and protective factors across the social ecology. This study sought to examine whether youth perceptions of peer substance use norms were operating as a risk factor at the same level as other known risk factors in a statewide community prevention effort. Several different analytical techniques were employed to examine the self-reported data from a sample of over 8,000 students in grades 6, 8, 10, and 12 from across Wyoming using a survey based on a risk and protective factor model. The findings of this study revealed that youth misperception of peer substance use norms operate at a level of significance similar to other known risk factors, and these misperceptions are a risk factor that should be measured in order to estimate its relationship with substance use. The measurement of this risk factor has important strategic implications for community prevention.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Community Monitoring for Youth Violence Surveillance: Testing a Prediction Model.

  David B Henry, Allison Dymnicki, Candice Kane, Elena Quintana, Jenifer Cartland, Kimberly Bromann, Shaun Bhatia, Elise Wisnieski
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  ABSTRACT: Predictive epidemiology is an embryonic field that involves developing informative signatures for disorder and tracking them using surveillance methods. Through such efforts assistance can be provided to the planning and implementation of preventive interventions. Believing that certain minor crimes indicative of gang activity are informative signatures for the emergence of serious youth violence in communities, in this study we aim to predict outbreaks of violence in neighborhoods from pre-existing levels and changes in reports of minor offenses. We develop a prediction equation that uses publicly available neighborhood-level data on disorderly conduct, vandalism, and weapons violations to predict neighborhoods likely to have increases in serious violent crime. Data for this study were taken from the Chicago Police Department ClearMap reporting system, which provided data on index and non-index crimes for each of the 844 Chicago census tracts. Data were available in three month segments for a single year (fall 2009, winter, spring, and summer 2010). Predicted change in aggravated battery and overall violent crime correlated significantly with actual change. The model was evaluated by comparing alternative models using randomly selected training and test samples, producing favorable results with reference to overfitting, seasonal variation, and spatial autocorrelation. A prediction equation based on winter and spring levels of the predictors had area under the curve ranging from .65 to .71 for aggravated battery, and .58 to .69 for overall violent crime. We discuss future development of such a model and its potential usefulness in violence prevention and community policing.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;
• Article: Men (and Women) as "Sellers" of Sex in Alcohol-Serving Venues in Cape Town, South Africa.

  Eileen V Pitpitan, Seth C Kalichman, Lisa A Eaton, Melissa H Watt, Kathleen J Sikkema, Donald Skinner, Desiree Pieterse, Demetria Cain
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  ABSTRACT: The relationship between transactional sex, HIV risk, and partner violence has been well documented in South Africa, but research has focused primarily on women and has not been conducted in high-risk social contexts. The aim of this study was to examine associations between transactional sex and HIV risk among women and men in alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa. We surveyed 1,989 women and 2,468 men attending alcohol-serving venues in Cape Town, South Africa to assess transactional sex behavior (i.e., receiving money or goods in exchange for sex), alcohol and drug use, history of childhood abuse, current relationship violence, and sexual risk behaviors. Among both women and men, trading sex was related to higher alcohol use, greater likelihood of drug use, substance use in sexual contexts, and a greater likelihood of experiencing physical and sexual violence. Compared to other women, women who traded sex reported a greater proportion of condom-unprotected sex; this relationship was not found for men. Analyses showed that men were almost twice as more likely to report trading sex for items, including money or alcohol, than women (9.7 vs. 5.8 %). Overall, men who traded sex were similar to their female counterparts. Similar associations between trading sex and different risk behaviors were found among women and men with limited economic means and substance use problems. Future research should more closely study transactional sex in high-risk venues as it relates to violence and should examine men who trade sex as a potential bridge population between heterosexual women and men who have sex with men.
  Prevention Science 03/2013;