Health Sciences – Page 18 – UROP Spring Symposium 2021

Health Sciences

Wearable Technology for Optimizing Athlete Training and Performance

The goal of this research project is to enhance performance by using and analyzing various kinds of wearable devices. The devices include Athos leggings and the Amazon Halo in comparison with the better known FitBit Charge 3. The Athos leggings utilize electromyography sensors, which measure signals generated in the muscles when they are moved/contracted. The Halo and Charge 3 are able to capture heart rate by measuring volume change in the wrist capillaries through light sensitive photodiodes. Additionally, they are both able to use this data along with movement, captured by an accelerometer that measures movement along the X, Y, and Z axes, to give information about sleep, active minutes, and steps. Data was collected via apps that accompany the technology and analyzed through said apps and/or spreadsheets. Dance, ballet in particular, was looked at, and we were able to see the breakdown of the use of the different muscle groups as well as any left to right imbalances. This information can be helpful to athletes, as it can help indicate ways that training and practice should be altered in order to optimize performance.

Wearable Technology for Optimizing Athlete Training and Performance Read More »

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

As most of us recognize today, various psychological factors go hand in hand when managing physical health. In various illnesses and diseases, not only is it important to physically care for the patient, but to take care of their mental health and other variables as well. For type 1 diabetes (T1D) in adolescent and young adults, this study aimed to see what these other aspects are so that patients can better manage T1D. Therefore, this research study aims to improve tools to screen the psychological adjustment (including mental health, quality of life, and coping) of youth with T1D. Better screening tools may allow both medical and mental health providers to provide more individualized care to patients. Participants were recruited who were 14-24 years old with type 1 diabetes via phone and email based on the data provided by the diabetes clinic under the U-M hospital. Questionnaires were administered (via Qualtrics) regarding their diabetes adjustment, stress, etc., as well as their response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to questionnaires (quantitative), we will conduct interviews as well (qualitative). After compiling and analyzing the questionnaires (with various scaling methods) and results from the interviews, we expect to find results that are helpful in developing and improving tools to screen the psychological adjustment of youth and young adults with T1D. Our research will be valuable because it will help health care providers better care for teens with T1D in the future.

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Read More »

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

Our research is important to assess key aspects of psychological adjustment to type 1 diabetes (T1D) in adolescents to allow further improvement in their lives. This study aims to improve tools to screen for the psychological adjustment of youth with T1D. We used a mixed methods approach which includes data collection via questionnaires, medical records, and interviews. We found people who were eligible from U of M medical records, called them, and emailed them the questionnaire if they were interested. If the participant was under the age of 18, they received a Consent form and Assent form to review before completing the questionnaire. We will soon ask people to complete interviews to further explore their perspective on adjustment to T1D. We are analyzing 115 participants using depression data from the PHQ-8 and their hypoglycemic fear using the Fear of Hypoglycemia Survey (FHS). Higher scoring on both surveys shows greater depression and fear of hypoglycemia. The mean score on the PHQ-8 was measured on a scale of 0-24 with a mean score of 5.95 and the mean score on the FHS was 61.39 in a range of 27-135. We found no significant correlation between PHQ-8 scores and HbA1c, p = .221 but a significant positive correlation between FHS scores and HbA1c levels, p = .047. These findings will help researchers understand the gaps that exist in medical treatment. With this information, medical providers can work towards better interventions at the psychological level to improve adjustment to T1D.

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Read More »

Skin Conductance Responses During Extinction Recall and Fear Renewal with PTSD or Fibromyalgia

Previous studies on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Fibromyalgia (FM) showed changes in extinction retention and fear renewal that could be recorded through skin conductance responses (SCR). Extinction retention and fear renewal are two cognitive processes that are essential for one to understand what they should fear and what they should not fear based on their surroundings. With this information, this study uses SCR to better understand the deficits in context processing that are a result of these stress-related disorders. Individuals with either PTSD or FM are being recruited to participate in the study; individuals with no stress-related disorders are also being recruited as healthy controls. On the first day, participants will undergo fear conditioning to learn that colored light (e.g., blue light) in a certain context (e.g., in an office) will signal an electrical shock, while the same light in a different context (e.g., on a bookshelf) will not signal an electrical shock. Then on day two, extinction recall and fear renewal tests will be conducted by displaying the same cues to the participants but now without electrical shocks. SCR from the participants will be collected, cleaned, and analyzed; however, at this time, the target sample size has not yet been reached, so participants are still being recruited and SCR data is still being collected. The predicted conclusion from this study is that those with PTSD and FM will display higher levels of SCR during extinction recall and fear renewal. Understanding the emphasis on one’s contextual processing will help promote and facilitate better treatments for those with PTSD and FM.

Skin Conductance Responses During Extinction Recall and Fear Renewal with PTSD or Fibromyalgia Read More »

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

This mixed-methods study was performed to identify a subset of questions from a variety of validated psychological screening questionnaires to be compiled into a brief psychological screening battery and used to screen major aspects of an adolescent’s adjustment to type one diabetes, as well as to explore patient perspectives and experiences with T1D adjustment. 130 adolescent and young adult patients ages 13 to 24 were recruited via phone and email to complete an online questionnaire containing validated screenings for depression, diabetes distress, anxiety, fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes-related disordered eating, diabetes-related parent-patient conflict, substance use, social support, resilience, and flourishing, as well as their experiences with COVID-19 in order to obtain quantitative data. A subset of participants were then interviewed to obtain qualitative data about the patients’ experiences with and perceptions of diabetes in order to assess whether or not the adjustment measures accurately captured diabetes adjustment or if additional measures were needed to assess the need for psychological support. Information related to diabetes management was also obtained from electronic medical records. The results of Pearson correlations generated to compare the relationships between the psychological assessment questionnaires and electronic health record data showed statistically significant correlations between recent A1c data and both diabetes distress young adults and anxiety, as well as significant relationships between adolescent diabetes distress and both the frequency of review data and the frequency of insulin dosage changes. These significant relationships indicate these questionnaire totals may have clinical utility in indicating the physiological health of young people with type 1 diabetes.

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Read More »

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

The goal of this study was to determine what contributes to adjustment to life with type 1 diabetes (T1D) by using a mixed-methods approach to gather and analyze data. To collect quantitative data, 130 adolescents (ages 12-17) and young adults (ages 18-25) with T1D were recruited to complete a survey composed of multiple questionnaires (PAID, PHQ-8, FHS, Flourishing, T1DAL, Resilience (DSTAR), GAD-7, Family Conflict (DFS), Substance Abuse (RAAPS), and COVID 19 (CEFIS)). Each questionnaire had a cutoff score to differentiate the levels of a participant’s score. Diabetes management behaviors of each patient were collected to assess glycemic control (HbA1c). To collect qualitative information, 10 percent of the participants were interviewed to gather in-depth information about their lives regarding T1D. Data was analyzed using statistical analysis through SPSS software to observe correlations between each questionnaire and HbA1c data. Although the results are not yet determined, diabetes-related factors such as stress, depression, and/or quality of life mediate between management and adjustment to life with T1D. Results could reveal that higher PAID-T scores are associated with higher A1c or that higher depressive symptoms are correlated with lower reported quality of life. An analysis of the interviews could reveal certain ways that T1D affects daily life. This study is part of a growing body of research on the impacts of T1D among adolescents. Clinical care should focus on ways to aid adjustment for adolescents and young adults managing diabetes.

Mixed Methods Assessment of Diabetes Adjustment in Adolescent and Young Adult Patients with Type 1 Diabetes Read More »

Lessons learned from a team-based approach to developing a qualitative manuscript

Title: Lessons learned from a team-based approach to developing a qualitative manuscript Background: In the research world the quantitative analysis team process has been studied for best practices greatly, whereas in qualitative research settings less has been done to create a procedural team-based regime from analyzing and developing qualitative manuscripts. Methods: By assessing a team-based approach to developing a manuscript from a thematic analysis of qualitative data pertaining to police role in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA), specific lessons were pulled from the process to replicate in later team settings. A qualitative manuscript was developed by a team of 7 through 4 phases over a period of 1.5 months in a team-based remote setting. These phases were framing, drafting, revising, and polishing. All manuscript development meetings were analyzed for lessons learned in team based environments along with best practices with a hope to better inform qualitative research. A researcher attended all qualitative manuscript meetings and took notes.Three researchers then met to review notes and determine the best practices of team-based work in the realm of qualitative manuscript development.

Lessons learned from a team-based approach to developing a qualitative manuscript Read More »

Enhancing physical activity & psychological well-being in college students during COVID-19 through WeActive & WeMindful interventions

Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate the association between PA intensity and mental health, subjective well-being, and quality of life among college students. Participants: The sample included 1276 undergraduate students (mean age = 21.5 ± 3.6 years).

Enhancing physical activity & psychological well-being in college students during COVID-19 through WeActive & WeMindful interventions Read More »

Perceived Mental Health Effects and Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Since March of 2020, the United States of America has been in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic that has created uncertainty and forced many people to live in the unknown. Social media has always been a platform for many users to express themselves and to use in their downtime, but since the pandemic social media may have been used more often. During the pandemic, recommendations were issued by government officials to stay home and reduce as much person-to-person interaction to slow the outbreak, but those orders have been associated with adverse mental health effects. A short online survey was distributed to fellow peers to report social media habits before and during the pandemic. Survey responses showed that during the pandemic, feelings of sadness increased in 63% of respondents, anticipation increased in 55.6% of respondents, and the feeling of depression increased in 59.3% of respondents. On the other hand, during the pandemic the feeling of happiness decreased in 59.3% of respondents, joy decreased in 51.9% of respondents, and the feeling of excitement decreased in 59.3% of respondents. Before the pandemic only 3.7% of the respondents spent more than 20 hours weekly on social media, but since the pandemic that number has increased to 33% of the respondents being on social media for more than 20 hours a week. This study is part of a growing body of research regarding behavior change during the pandemic. Data illustrate how social media usage may be related to experiences and may impact users’ emotions.

Perceived Mental Health Effects and Social Media Use During the COVID-19 Pandemic Read More »

NeuroInsight: A novel toolbox to study the mechanisms of epileptic seizures

Millions of Americans suffer from epileptic seizures that result in a temporary loss of consciousness. The majority of our understanding of neural dynamics during seizures is based on extracellular recordings, with intracellular neuronal recordings not yet possible in patients. Here, we create a toolbox – called NeuroInsight – that can allow for the decoding of estimated intracellular potentials based only on extracellular single neuron recordings. NeuroInsight’s algorithms can approximate the intracellular membrane potential of neurons and identify periods of excessive depolarization that may correlate with increased seizure likelihood. We streamline the analysis process by including multiple built in visualization tools. Furthermore, the isolation quality of sorted single units can be evaluated with two included metrics. This novel toolbox has the promise to be an important resource for both clinicians and researchers studying the mechanisms of multiple forms of epilepsy.

NeuroInsight: A novel toolbox to study the mechanisms of epileptic seizures Read More »

lsa logoum logo