Little is known about the effective elements of Interactive Cancer Communication Systems (ICCSs). A randomized trial explored which types of services of a multifaceted ICCS benefited patients and the nature of the benefit. Women with breast cancer (N=450) were randomized to different types of ICCS services or to a control condition that provided internet access. The Comprehensive Health Enhancement Support System (CHESS), served as the ICCS. ICCS services providing information and support, but not coaching such as cognitive behavior therapy, produced significant benefits in health information competence and emotional processing. Provision of Information and Support ICCS services significantly benefited women with breast cancer. More complex and interactive services designed to train the user had negligible effects.

This study examined the marital interactions of 60 maritally aggressive and 75 nonaggressive men and their wives under a baseline condition, and then after the husband had received no alcohol, a placebo, or alcohol. These sessions were videotaped and coded with the Marital Interaction Coding System by coders who were unaware of group status and specific condition. Aggressive couples exhibited more negative behavior and higher levels of negative reciprocity in the baseline interaction than did nonaggressive couples. The administration of alcohol led husbands, but not wives, to increase their problem-solving attempts. Alcohol, but not the placebo, led to increased negativity of both husbands and wives.

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Objective In 1996, 2001, and 2010, the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) group released criteria for reporting critical information about randomized clinical trials (1, 2). These criteria were intended to improve the quality and completeness of reporting of RCTs in health care research. This paper discusses the relevance of the CONSORT recommendations for the reporting and design of eHealth research. Methods We reviewed the CONSORT recommendations and discussed their particular relevance to eHealth (electronic information, support and/or communication resources designed to promote health) research. This review focuses on such issues as recruitment and screening of participants, description of treatment elements, and reporting of outcome data and adverse events. Results eHealth research presents special challenges regarding the comprehensive and effective reporting of research information. However, the strategic application of CONSORT recommendations holds great promise for improving the quality and informativeness of eHealth research. Conclusion Investigators need to consider CONSORT recommendations at all stages of the research enterprise, including planning, execution and reporting in order to increase the informativeness of their research efforts. Practice Implications The recommendations contained in this paper have the potential to enhance the public health and scientific value of eHealth research.

Background Contextual variables often predict long-term abstinence, but little is known about how these variables exert their effects. These variables could influence abstinence by affecting the ability to quit at all, or by altering risk of lapsing, or progressing from a lapse to relapse. Purpose To examine the effect of common predictors of smoking-cessation failure on smoking-cessation processes. Methods The current study (N = 1504, 58% female, 84% Caucasian; recruited from January 2005 to June 2007; data analyzed in 2009) uses the approach advocated by Shiffman et al., (2006), which measures cessation outcomes on three different cessation milestones (achieving initial abstinence, lapse risk, and the lapse-relapse transition) to examine relationships of smoker characteristics (dependence, contextual and demographic factors) with smoking-cessation process. Results High nicotine dependence strongly predicted all milestones: not achieving initial abstinence, and a higher risk of both lapse and transitioning from lapse to complete relapse. Numerous contextual and demographic variables were associated with higher initial cessation rates and/or decreased lapse risk at 6 months post-quit (e.g., ethnicity, gender, marital status, education, smoking in the workplace, number of smokers in the social network, and number of supportive others). However, aside from nicotine dependence, only gender significantly predicted the risk of transition from lapse to relapse. Conclusions These findings demonstrate that: (1) higher nicotine dependence predicted worse outcomes across every cessation milestone; (2) demographic and contextual variables are generally associated with initial abstinence rates and lapse risk and not the lapse-relapse transition. These results identify groups who are at risk for failure at specific stages of the smoking-cessation process, and this may have implications for treatment.