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Objectives: To identify client priorities prior to wellness coaching, and examine motivational improvements for health behaviors on follow-up., Methods: Clients completed a wellness questionnaire at baseline (before coaching) and at a 3-month follow-up. Overall, 177 participants (92% female, average age 42.9 (SD 11.2) years) were included in the analysis. Clients indicated priorities for coaching, and levels of importance, confidence, and readiness to change within each domain were compared between baseline and follow-up., Results: Participants identified weight management as their top priority and successfully reduced their BMI. Participants also demonstrated significant improvements in motivation and confidence in most health behavior domains., Conclusions: These results provide further support for the effectiveness of wellness coaching for weight management and for improving motivational readiness for behavior change.

Objective: To assess impact of exercise education intervention on exercise frequency and attitudes., Methods: Cardiovascular outpatients (N=509) were randomized to receive an education DVD or standard care. Outcome measures (baseline and 6 weeks) assessed exercise frequency and cognitive variables., Results: There was no difference between groups on exercise frequency change from baseline, but DVD group reported greater exercise outcome expectations than control group (P=0.01). There was a greater increase in relapse-prevention behavior in the DVD group, compared to control, for those with low relapse-prevention behavior at baseline (P=0.02)., Conclusion: A minimal intervention improves outcome expectations for exercise.

Introduction: Depressive symptoms negatively impact smoking abstinence. However, few interventions have been targeted to smokers with current depression. Exercise improves mood and may benefit depressed smokers. This pilot study investigated the feasibility of an exercise intervention for depressed female smokers (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score > or =16)., Methods: Participants (M = 41 years, 98% White) were randomized to 10 weeks of individually delivered exercise counseling (n = 30) or a health education contact control condition (n = 30). All participants received nicotine patch therapy and behavioral counseling for smoking cessation., Results: The intervention was feasible as indicated by ability to recruit participants, exercise counseling session attendance (M = 7.6 of 10 sessions attended), and significant increase in exercise frequency and stage of change from baseline to end of treatment (EOT) (Week 10). Participant attrition rate was 35% by Week 10 but did not differ significantly between groups. Smoking abstinence rates at Week 10, using intention-to-treat analysis, were 17% for exercise counseling participants and 23% for health education participants (p = .75)., Discussion: An exercise counseling intervention was found to be feasible for depressed women smokers. More intensive intervention may be needed to increase smoking abstinence rates, and methods should be refined to reduce participant burden and attrition.

Exercise has mental and physical health benefits for patients with advanced stage cancer who actively receive chemotherapy, yet little is known about patients'levels of interest in becoming more active or their confidence in increasing their activity level. A convenience sample of 128 patients with advanced-stage cancer who were receiving chemotherapy completed self-report measures assessing physical activity level, mood, and quality-of-life variables. Qualitative data on patient-perceived benefits of, and barriers to, physical activity also were collected, coded by independent raters, and organized by predominant themes. Fatigue was the most frequently listed barrier to physical activity; improved physical strength and health were the most commonly listed benefits. Participants identified benefits related to both general health and cancer-symptom management that were related to exercise. Over 50% of participants reported that they were seriously planning to increase or maintain their physical activity level, and 47% reported having interest in receiving an intervention to become more active. Future research will investigate how these findings may be incorporated into physical activity interventions for advanced-stage oncology patients receiving medical treatment.

Objective: To examine the association between depressive symptoms and exercise-related variables among patients with type 2 diabetes., Methods: Surveys were completed by 207 primary care patients diagnosed with type 2 diabetes (52% female; 95% white; mean age = 63 years). Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted., Results: Lower use of relapse prevention behavior was significantly associated with higher depression scores in a multivariate model., Conclusions: Patients with diabetes and depression have barriers to exercise (eg, fewer skills for relapse prevention) and may require additional support for exercise initiation and maintenance.

Undergraduates age 18 to 24 years (n=656) completed questionnaires assessing tobacco use, depressive symptoms, coping responses, weight concerns, and exercise. The majority of participants were female (72%), White/non-Hispanic (95%), and in the 1st or 2nd year of college (80%). Current tobacco users (n=236) had a higher frequency of depression (40%) than never tobacco users (32%; p=.05). Tobacco users classified as depressed (Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale [CES-D] score a 16) reported greater weight concerns and more frequent maladaptive coping in response to negative mood than tobacco users classified as nondepressed (CES-D score<16). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that higher maladaptive coping and lower level of exercise were significantly associated with depression among tobacco users., (2003 APA, all rights reserved)