Elisa R. Torres’s research while affiliated with University of Mississippi Medical Center and other places

Objective: The objective of this scoping review is to identify barriers and facilitators related to cancer clinical trial enrollment and participation among rural populations. Introduction: Advancing the effectiveness of cancer treatment and increasing early detection of cancer relies on enrollment and participation of individuals in cancer clinical trials. Lack of enrollment and participation in trials is a concern, and there is evidence that individuals living in rural areas are unlikely to participate in such trials. Information on barriers to, and facilitators of, enrollment and participation in cancer clinical trials is needed for the development of evidence-based interventions to increase the enrollment and participation of rural populations. Inclusion criteria: The review will consider studies on adults aged 18 years or older living in rural areas. Studies that report on barriers and facilitators to enrollment and participation in cancer clinical trials, including both cancer therapeutic and cancer early detection trials, will be included in the review. The review will consider quantitative, qualitative, and text and opinion papers for inclusion. Methods: The search strategy will aim to locate published primary studies, reviews, and opinion papers, the latter including those by professional oncology organizations. The databases to be searched include MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library. Gray literature databases will also be searched. Two independent reviewers will retrieve full-text studies and extract data. The results will be presented in diagrammatic format with a narrative summary.

Students perceive crossword puzzles as enjoyable. In addition to students’ perceptions, crossword puzzles actually improve knowledge retention. However, crossword puzzles increased exam scores for some students but not others. Recommendations have been made for students to create puzzles for their classmates to complete with the rationale that students are encouraged to research and understand the material in order to write meaningful clues for the puzzle. While students enjoy creating their own crossword puzzles, the association between students creating crossword puzzles and knowledge retention is unknown. The purpose of this project was to determine if creating crossword puzzles and completing peers’ crossword puzzles were associated with improved knowledge retention indicated by higher scores on quizzes. Students in a research course from two institutions across three semesters had the option each week to upload a blank puzzle they created prior to completing each other’s puzzles and taking a quiz. Quiz scores were compared between those who did versus did not create their own puzzles and complete their peers’ puzzles. Results varied by institution and programs as well as the same program within the same institution but different semesters. Results highlight the importance of moving beyond student perceptions and towards assessing knowledge retention while taking into consideration institution, program, and semester.

Purpose The objectives of this paper are (1) to examine patterns of physical activity (PA) and sedentary behavior; (2) to describe development of a method to quantify movement dispersion; and (3) to determine the relationship between variables of movement (i.e., volume, intensity, and dispersion), volume of sedentary behavior, and estimated cardiorespiratory capacity in school-aged children. Design and Methods A secondary analysis of an existing data set with raw accelerometer data identified PA patterns of movement dispersion in school-aged children. Bar graphs visually depicted each participant's daily vector magnitude counts. The research team developed a dispersion variable—movement dispersion—and formula to provide a new quantification of daily PA patterns. Total movement dispersion represents both intensity and distribution of movement, whereas pure movement dispersion refers to the distribution of movement during the wear time, independent of intensity. Kendall's tau examined the relationship between several variables: body mass index percentile, average minutes of sedentary behavior, average minutes of light PA, average minutes of moderate-vigorous PA (MVPA), derived VO2 max, total movement dispersion, and pure movement dispersion. Results Three participants' activity graphs were presented as examples: (1) active, (2) inactive, and (3) mixed. The more active participant had the highest values for pure and total movement dispersion. The inactive participant had much lower pure and total movement dispersion values compared to the active participant. The mixed participant had high average minutes of MVPA yet lower pure and total movement dispersion values. Total movement dispersion had a significant correlation with average minutes of light PA (r = .406, p = .016) and average minutes of MVPA (r = .686, p < .001). Pure movement dispersion was significantly correlated with average minutes of light PA (r = .448, p = .008) and average minutes of MVPA (r = .599, p < .001). Average minutes of sedentary behavior (SB) were not significantly correlated with total (r = .041, p = .806) or pure movement dispersion (r = .165, p = .326). Practice Implications Movement dispersion may provide another tool to advance knowledge of PA, potentially leading to improved health outcomes. Raw accelerometer data, such as that gathered at the elementary school in this study, offer opportunities to identify school-aged children at risk for obesity, SB, and lack of PA.