Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine
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Leisure time physical activity in relation to depressive symptoms in the Black Women's Health Study.
A growing body of evidence suggests that physical activity might reduce the risk of depressive symptoms, but there are limited data on Black women. ⋯ Leisure time vigorous physical activity was associated with a reduced odds of depressive symptoms in U.S. Black women.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Health-related quality of life and patient reports about care outcomes in a multidisciplinary hospital intervention.
Patient perceptions of care and health-related quality of life (HRQOL) are important outcomes for hospitalized patients. ⋯ There were no differences in reports and ratings of hospital care or HRQOL between the control and the intervention groups. Hence, the behavioral changes in hospital staff in the intervention group had no effect on patient-reported outcomes. Mental health at baseline was predictive of patient evaluations of the hospitalization, but evaluations of care were not associated with subsequent HRQOL. Thus, it may be important to adjust patient evaluations of hospital care for case-mix differences in health.
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There is a well-documented gap between research and practice in many areas of behavioral medicine. This gap is due in part to limitations in the capacity of the research database to address questions that are of central concern to clinicians, administrative decision makers, and policymakers. Thus, there has been a call for "practical clinical trials" that compare clinically viable alternative interventions and assess multiple outcomes important for clinical and policy decisions in diverse patient populations and settings. ⋯ We discuss issues related to practical clinical trials in behavioral medicine, propose a need for practical behavioral trials (PBTs), and describe design features that will facilitate clinical and policy decision making. This type of PBT can help to close the gap between research and practice and advance the field of evidence-based behavioral medicine. We discuss potential challenges and objections to PBTs and conclude by providing recommendations for the design, conduct, reporting, and review of practical trials.