Depression is not only a major global public health concern, but also a common comorbidity among patients who experience chronic diseases, such as cancer, stroke, heart disease, diabetes, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Yet the recognition and treatment varies widely around the world. This study (1) provides an integrated review of the literature on the prevalence of depression among patients with chronic diseases in China and the United States and its relationship to poorer health outcomes and (2) compares the differences in the percentages of patients receiving treatments for depression between the United States and China. Given the current situation, we recommended that primary care and specialty providers should be knowledgeable and alert regarding the signs of depression. Efforts should be directed to further implement integrated care based interventions to manage depression and improve quality of life among patients suffering chronic diseases in both China and the United States.

This study investigated the relations among frequency of drinking in different social contexts; alcohol consumption, expectancies, and problems; and psychosocial characteristics among college students. Social drinking contexts were defined by the size and gender composition of social groups. Participants were 98 men and 98 women who endorsed current alcohol use. The results showed that typical social drinking contexts were associated with men's average daily number of drinks and frequency of drunkenness but were not associated with women's alcohol consumption. Controlling for alcohol expectancies and personality factors did not obscure significant social context effects for men's alcohol consumption or problems, supporting the importance of considering social context variables in studies of drinking. Future research with regard to alcohol education, intervention, and prevention strategies is discussed.Alcohol consumption and alcohol-related problems remain widespread among college students (O' Hare, 1990) and are a major public health concern (Office of Substance Abuse Prevention, 1991). During the 1980s, college campuses were inundated with alcohol education programs (Gadaleto & Anderson, 1986), with subsequent increases in alcohol-related knowledge and decreases in alcohol-related problems such as drunk driving (Gonzalez, 1991). However, despite reports of small reductions in alcohol consumption in recent years (Johnston, Bachman, & O'Malley, 1991), studies continue to indicate that nearly one quarter of college students can be classified as heavy drinkers (15% to 21%, reported by Engs & Hanson, 1985; 22%, reported by Gonzalez & Broughton, 1994). When heavy episodic drinking or binge drinking is considered, these rates

BackgroundSmartphones and their applications (apps) impact society and health care. With the growth of smartphone users and app downloads in China, patients with chronic diseases have access to a self-management strategy for physical activity. Although studies report physical activity apps improve the physical activity of patients, data is limited concerning their use of these apps. Therefore, this study investigated the current usage, willingness to use, and barriers to using physical activity apps of Chinese patients with chronic diseases.MethodsWe designed a questionnaire to collect data from chronic disease patients in a tertiary hospital in Beijing, which was sent to 250 patients in four departments.ResultsTwo hundred eighteen questionnaires were returned (87.2% response rate). Most (92.7%) respondents owned a smartphone, 34.9% had used a physical activity app, and 18.8% were current users. Additionally, 53.7% were willing to use a physical activity app designed for them. Respondents more likely to use physical activity apps were younger (i.e., ≤ 44 years), more educated, current smartphone users, and previous users of physical activity apps; moreover, they believed they needed exercise, their disease required exercise instruction and support, and their physical status needed monitored when exercising (p < 0.05). Main barriers to using apps reported were insufficient function, difficulty of use, extra cost, and security issues.ConclusionsOur results indicate sizeable smartphone ownership among Chinese patients with chronic diseases; moreover, over half of our participants report they would use a physical activity app designed for them. This information can be leveraged by healthcare workers managing patients with chronic diseases.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12911-017-0446-0) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

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