Mobile phone text messaging is a potentially powerful tool for behavior change because it is widely available, inexpensive, and instant. This systematic review provides an overview of behavior change interventions for disease management and prevention delivered through text messaging. Evidence on behavior change and clinical outcomes was compiled from randomized or quasi-experimental controlled trials of text message interventions published in peer-reviewed journals by June 2009. Only those interventions using text message as the primary mode of communication were included. Study quality was assessed by using a standardized measure. Seventeen articles representing 12 studies (5 disease prevention and 7 disease management) were included. Intervention length ranged from 3 months to 12 months, none had long-term follow-up, and message frequency varied. Of 9 sufficiently powered studies, 8 found evidence to support text messaging as a tool for behavior change. Effects exist across age, minority status, and nationality. Nine countries are represented in this review, but it is problematic that only one is a developing country, given potential benefits of such a widely accessible, relatively inexpensive tool for health behavior change. Methodological issues and gaps in the literature are highlighted, and recommendations for future studies are provided.

This work demonstrates that the principles underlying phase‐contrast MRI may be used to encode spatial rather than flow information along a perpendicular dimension, if this dimension contains an MRI‐visible object at only one spatial location. In particular, the situation applies to 3D mapping of curved 2D structures which requires only two projection images with different spatial phase‐encoding gradients. These phase‐contrast gradients define the field of view and mean spin‐density positions of the object in the perpendicular dimension by respective phase differences. When combined with highly undersampled radial fast low angle shot (FLASH) and image reconstruction by regularized nonlinear inversion, spatial phase‐contrast MRI allows for dynamic 3D mapping of 2D structures in real time. First examples include 3D MRI movies of the acting human hand at a temporal resolution of 50 ms. With an even simpler technique, 3D maps of curved 1D structures may be obtained from only three acquisitions of a frequency‐encoded MRI signal with two perpendicular phase encodings. Here, 3D MRI movies of a rapidly rotating banana were obtained at 5 ms resolution or 200 frames per second. In conclusion, spatial phase‐contrast 3D MRI of 2D or 1D structures is respective two or four orders of magnitude faster than conventional 3D MRI. Magn Reson Med, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.

OBJECTIVE-To determine whether group prenatal care improves pregnancy outcomes, psychosocial function, and patient satisfaction and to examine potential cost differences.METHODS-A multisite randomized controlled trial was conducted at two university-affiliated hospital prenatal clinics. Pregnant women aged 14−25 years (n=1,047) were randomly assigned to either standard or group care. Women with medical conditions requiring individualized care were excluded from randomization. Group participants received care in a group setting with women having the same expected delivery month. Timing and content of visits followed obstetric guidelines from week 18 through delivery. Each 2-hour prenatal care session included physical assessment, education and skills building, and support through facilitated group discussion. Structured interviews were conducted at study entry, during the third trimester, and postpartum.RESULTS-Mean age of participants was 20.4 years; 80% were African American. Using intentto-treat analyses, women assigned to group care were significantly less likely to have preterm births compared with those in standard care: 9.8% compared with 13.8%, with no differences in age, parity, education, or income between study conditions. This is equivalent to a risk reduction of 33% (odds ratio 0.67, 95% confidence interval 0.44−0.99, P=.045), or 40 per 1,000 births. Effects were strengthened for African-American women: 10.0% compared with 15.8% (odds ratio 0.59, 95% confidence interval 0.38−0.92, P=.02). Women in group sessions were less likely to have suboptimal prenatal care (P<.01), had significantly better prenatal knowledge (P<.001), felt more ready for labor and delivery (P<.001), and had greater satisfaction with care (P<.001). Breastfeeding initiation was higher in group care: 66.5% compared with 54.6%, P<.001. There were no differences in birth weight nor in costs associated with prenatal care or delivery. There have been prior randomized controlled trials on augmented prenatal care to reduce preterm birth. 4-10 Hobel et al 4 reported a 19% reduction in preterm birth among high-risk patients in county clinics randomized to an enhanced program that included education and increased visits. Klerman et al 5 reported significantly increased patient satisfaction and knowledge. Although rates of preterm delivery, cesarean delivery, and length of stay in the neonatal intensive care unit decreased, there was no statistically significant difference. Results of other randomized controlled trials of augmented care are equivocal, 6-10 except among certain subgroups: primiparous mothers 7 and high-risk African-American women. 8,10 Lu et al 11 suggest that preterm birth prevention will require a reconceptualization of prenatal care as part of a broader strategic approach. CONCLUSION-GroupGroup prenatal care (CenteringPregnancy, Cheshire, CT) has been implemented in over 100 clinical practices in the United States and abroad since 1995. 12-13 It provides an integrated approach to prenatal care in a group setting, i...

Although the family intervention had positive effects initially, these effects were not sustained over time. Future studies need to consider program dose and duration of effect, outcome measures that are more sensitive to change, and realistic end-points for patients with advanced cancer.

Women with recurrent breast cancer are in need of programs to assist them with the severe effects of the disease on their quality of life. Programs need to include family members to help counteract the negative effects of the recurrent disease on their mental health, and to enable them to continue as effective caregivers.

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Although fear of cancer recurrence is a great concern among survivors and their families, few studies have examined predictors of fear of recurrence. The purpose of this study was to identify factors associated with fear of recurrence in a population-based sample (N = 246) and determine if survivors and family caregivers influenced one another's fear of recurrence. A family framework guided the study and analyses included multilevel modeling using the Actor-Partner Interdependence Model. Results indicated that survivors and family caregivers influenced each other's fear of recurrence and that caregivers had significantly more fear of recurrence than survivors. More family stressors, less positive meaning of the illness, and age were related to elevated fear of cancer recurrence for both survivors and caregivers.

HIV-related stigma is a multidimensional concept which has pervasive effects on the lives of HIV-infected people as well as serious consequences for the management of HIV/AIDS. In this research three parallel stigma scales were developed to assess personal views of stigma, stigma attributed to others, and internalised stigma experienced by HIV-infected individuals. The stigma scales were administered in two samples: a community sample of 1,077 respondents and 317 HIV-infected pregnant women recruited at clinics from the same community in Tshwane (South Africa). A two-factor structure referring to moral judgment and interpersonal distancing was confirmed across scales and sample groups. The internal consistency of the scales was acceptable and evidence of validity is reported. Parallel scales to assess and compare different perspectives of stigma provide opportunities for research aimed at understanding stigma, assessing the consequences or evaluating possible interventions aimed at reducing stigma.